1. CHARACTERISTICS OF INBOUNDS AVALANCHE FATALITIES AT UNITED STATES SKI AREAS.
- Author
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BAUGHER, PAUL, SAVAGE, SCOTT, and BIRKELAND, KARL W.
- Subjects
AVALANCHES ,SKIING ,MARINE west coast climate ,AVALANCHE accidents - Abstract
This article examines the characteristics of inbounds avalanche fatalities at ski areas in the United States. The study analyzes data from accidents that occurred within ski area boundaries during operating hours and resulted in a fatality. The researchers categorized the avalanches based on circumstances, such as closed terrain, outliers, and open terrain with or without mitigation. The findings highlight the importance of ski area closures, the challenges of mitigating wet slab avalanches, and the risks associated with unmitigated starting zones outside ski area boundaries. The study emphasizes that while inbounds avalanche fatalities are tragic and rare, the risk cannot be completely eliminated, and efforts should be made to further reduce these incidents. The document also discusses key characteristics of recent inbounds avalanche events, including aspects such as slope angles, runout zones, time of year, weak layers, crusts, slope opening, skier traffic, and multiple skiers involved. It explores inbounds avalanche litigation and the understanding of post-mitigation release avalanches. The document concludes with considerations and conclusions for avalanche professionals to mitigate avalanche risk, emphasizing that while ski area avalanche mitigation programs have reduced the risk, inbounds avalanches are still an inherent risk of skiing. [Extracted from the article]
- Published
- 2023