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For years, the avalanche community has worked to understand and address the human factors that influence decision-making in the backcountry. With decades of research as their foundation, Sara Boilen and Ian McCammon are developing an open-source tool to help individuals mitigate risk in avalanche terrain. The project's first stage involves interviewing backcountry recreationalists who have been traveling in avalanche terrain for at least one season. All participants will be entered to win amazing raffle prizes (from Jones Snowboards, BCA, and more!). If you’re curious about being involved, please take 1-2 minutes to fill out their basic initial survey!

Apr 5 Wind slabs were still reactive. We triggered 3 small, 3-8" deep x 5-15' wide, hard wind (1F+) slabs on convex test slopes well below the main ridgelines. 9,800', NE aspects. Photo: GNFAC

Apr 5 Wind slabs were still reactive. We triggered 3 small, 3-8" deep x 5-15' wide, hard wind (1F+) slabs on convex test slopes well below the main ridgelines. 9,800', NE aspects. Also triggered one softer (4F) wind slab just below the high ridgeline, 10,200', NE aspect. 10-15' wide x 6-8" deep (Pictured). Photo: GNFAC

Apr 5 We saw a couple 3-6" deep natural wind slab avalanches and a few dry loose slides that looked to have happened within the last 24 hours. Photo: GNFAC

"We went on a tour in the Bridgers today [Apr 5], we ascended the east ridge of Naya Nuki to the entrance of the Great One. Wind was blowing and we were being careful about potential wind slabs up high.

Skier 1 ski cut the top of the chute and produced a small wind slab that ran to the break in the chute and continued another 100 vert down the east apron. After all meeting up halfway down, skier 2 proceeded to ski the E facing apron. A wind slab propagated and carried skier 2 roughly 300 vert down the apron where skier 2 was able to swim out of the fall line and came to a rest on top of the debris. Everyone was okay aside two missing ski poles."

From BBSP: " At 2.45?pm [Apr 5] a... solo skier triggered a wind loaded pocket on the main face of Saddle Peak that ran down over the cliff and produced an impressive powder cloud.... I met him... and confirm he was alone and no one was in front of him. The avalanche looked to be 2' deep on the southern flank and 5" deep on the northern flank... It entrained more snow on the way down, one 2' deep downhill wind loaded pocket and some loose wet snow. It ran into the bottom of the going home chute, gouging a large hole and then 100ft downhill left a 200ft by 30ft wide shallow debris pile."

(Apr 5) "...Also observed one small wind slab occurring between Saddle & the Football Field, possibly skier-triggered." Photo: G. Antonioli

(Apr 5 ) "Observed multiple D1-1.5 natural dry loose avalanches (and some tiny wind slab pockets under the ridge cornice) that likely occurred during peak warming around 2-3 PM. North/sheltered aspects from ~9- 8.5k held an average of 8+ inches of dry, drifted snow...." Photo: G. Antonioli

Wind slab near Cooke City from yesterday.  Intentionally triggered.  North aspect, 10,100'.  1' deep, 20' wide. Photo: B Fredlund

There was a pair of R1, D1 avalanches on Saddle Peak. One appears to be a loose snow avalanche triggered by a skier coming off of north Saddle Peak That ran a couple hundred feet. The second was a small slab coming out of Spencer’s with debris running into Going Home Chute. Photo: GNFAC

Skier took a left turn under cornices to scrub speed and released a 6-10" windslab 40' wide which ran 10' at most. Super soft and easy to ski through. Photo: J Lee

The slope at the my skis broke about 15-20 meters wide and 15 cm deep at the flanks to 40cm deep in the gut, SS-ASu-R1-D1.5-I-M(L)-TK. About 30 meters downhill, the slab rode up onto the new snow and ran out of momentum before reaching the runout. Photo: J Negri

From email: "Ski touring near Cooke City today we intentionally triggered a storm slab/ wind slab on a steep north aspect around 9600'.  It was about 6" deep, and 30' wide." Photo: B Fredlund

In one steeper roll over, I got shooting cracks and a small storm slab to break at my ski tips. Photo: GNFAC

Heavy, wet slide of recent snow released while skiing off South Saddle. The photo is from South Central. Photo: E. Volk

Heavy, wet slide of recent snow released while skiing off South Saddle. The photo is from South Central. Photo: E. Volk

"Skied the north chutes above fairy lake around 8,400 ft. Found 8-12" of new snow, with the bottom 2" consisting of large graupel. In steep terrain our sluff entrained lots of snow making for some large debris piles. Overall the snow was generally well bonded." Photo: S. Lipsteuer

The 12" of snow since yesterday fell right-side-up and had little to no slab properties. This new snow rests on a stout melt-freeze crust from the high temperatures last week. Photo: GNFAC

I noticed a couple of wet slides that came off Electric and it’s sun-ridge today. Photo: Anonymous

There were a number of wet loose avalanches in Airplane Bowl. All on E/S aspects near rocks or cliffs. Most were relatively small and had not entrained much snow from the surface or gouged deeper than a few inches. Photo: GNFAC