Friday 9 March 2012

Snow Study Tools Part 1

BCA do quite a nice snow study kit although quite pricey.  You can easily make one up yourself cheaper and if anyone wants the bits to do so I can supply them at a very good price.  Why would someone want a snow study kit?  Good question, especially as in Scotland we have such a good avalanche forecast service. Most folk know that knowledge empowers and snow study is one way of getting a handle on what the forecast really means and the implications for under your feet.  When on the mountain skiing the mere fact you need to dig a test pit tells you something about your concerns - ie, it's maybe not safe!  It's nice to try and confirm this, but even if you can't confirm your gut feeling in a test pit - trust your gut instinct.  Somewhere inside that head of yours the cognitive process is trying to stop you making a choice based on what will make you happy and feed that rat inside wanting the ski's to run, not what might bury you.  The catch phrase is "Heuristic Traps" but to us folks its just thinking traps.  This winter has seen an unprecedented number of experienced skiers killed in North America.  Stay safe.

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