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During your backcountry tour, it’s important to constantly update your expectations based on what you see as well as information you gathered prior to the tour. If you can see the mountain during your approach or from the trailhead, observe the mountain carefully. You can get a lot of information, such as whether there is fresh snow on the trees, whether there is snow blown by the wind, and whether there are traces of fresh avalanches. Also, check any new snowfall at the trailhead, and compare this with the last forecast you saw. Do conditions match your expectations? Are conditions on the ground different to the forecast? Conditions vary depending on the altitude and slope direction even on the same mountain. It is important to consider hazards on a large spatial scale, taking into account temperature, wind, snowfall, solar radiation, visibility, etc.

Understand avalanche terrain and use avalanche avoidance procedures.

Avalanche terrain includes trigger points, avalanche paths, and avalanche extents. All these areas are areas where backcountry travelers are exposed to avalanche risk. When traveling in the backcountry, it is important to reduce exposure to avalanche terrain. When traveling in areas with higher exposure to avalanche terrain, minimize the number of people in your party in such areas at one time, and minimize your time in high-exposure areas. Also be aware of conditions above and below where you are.

Avalanche-prone areas

Avalanches are more likely to occur where terrain and slopes change abruptly, or beneath cornices. They tend to occur primarily on slopes with angles between 30 to 45 degrees. While pre-tour knowledge of overall backcountry conditions is important, it is crucial to pay attention to more isolated features when actually on the ground in the backcountry.

Terrain Traps

Terrain traps are areas with geographical features that increase the hazards involved with even relatively small avalanches. These include deep valleys, funnel-shaped gullies, open slopes, and obstacles such as trees or rocks.

Observe others

When skiing, it is especially important to keep a close eye on your skiing companions to quickly identify any potential issues. Also, when visibility is poor, skiing in pairs while checking each other’s positions is an effective way to prevent getting lost. Keeping an eye on your location and number of other skiers in the area, even those not in your own party, can help prevent accidents and aid in searches. For this reason, greeting and sharing information among other parties is also important.

Direct evidence of avalanches (fresh avalanche tracks, woof noises, shooting cracks)

Fresh avalanche debris is evidence of an unstable snowpack, while woofs and shooting cracks are signs that a surface avalanche is likely to occur. If you notice these direct signs, you should consider changing your plan or even calling it a day.

Slab avalanches

Experienced Hokkaido backcountry skiers will test for the presence of dangerous slabs via the ski pole method, using hand tests, or will simply feel slabs while traveling in the backcountry. Observing whether the snow on the surface of the snowpack has formed slabs and how thick they are is very important in predicting the risk of surface avalanches. As you climb the mountain, you carefully check for the presence and condition of slabs by feeling the changes in the sensation under your feet and by inserting poles and probes into the snow.

Weak layers

Observing the snowpack allows us to determine the characteristics of the snow layer structure and the nature of weak layers. We dig into the snow with our hands or a shovel, observe closely with our eyes, and use several weak layer tests, such as ski cuts and column tests, to help predict the risk of avalanche.

Human Factors

Heuristics and assumptions can lead to risky behavior. These can include familiarity with a slope, authority, goal achievement motivations, competition, and group psychology. “I always ski here,” “The group before us skied the slope no problem,” “Our party’s leader is experienced,” “I’ve come all this way to Hokkaido to ski this slope.” These are all human factors than can increase risk, and are factors that cause accidents. Be objective in assessing your own behavior and motivations.

Bias

Be aware of biases in your thinking that are difficult to notice on your own. Examples include homeostasis bias, which causes you only pay attention to information that is favorable to you while you are taking the action. This is closely related to confirmation bias, which causes you to collect only information that fits your preconceptions. It is also important to understand your own decision-making habits while hiking, training with friends, and participating in seminars. Understand that you are your own greatest enemy, and act accordingly.