At your own risk

WASILLA — Just days before an avalanche buried a skier at Hatcher Pass, Debra McGhan was spreading the word about how dangerous the snow is right now in the Valley.

“I went and I recorded at the radio stations and I sent out that (email) blast to everybody,” said McGhan, executive director of the North American Outdoor Institute.

By all accounts, Jerry Kallam and his friend, James Helling, were experienced backcountry skiers. They brought emergency gear — avalanche beacons and snow shovels — and a lot of experience to Hatcher Pass that day.

But late Saturday afternoon the snow let loose, burying Helling and breaking Kallam’s leg. Helling’s body was later recovered from under 15 feet of snow.

McGhan said Saturday just wasn’t a good day for skiing. Snow in the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains has three layers to it right now. The bottom layer is sugary snow that won’t adhere to anything. Above that is crusty, wind-blasted snow. On top is snow that recently fell.

“It’s basically what we call a lasagna of an avalanche because there’s all these layers,” McGhan said. “It really makes it tricky and dangerous.”

She said she has two main pieces of advice for people who recreate in the winter. First is to make sure to give fresh snow time to set up. Helling and Kallam did that. But that sugary snow still wouldn’t adhere to anything. So, with that in mind, McGhan has a second piece of advice.

“People need to stay out of terrain traps,” she said. A good way to identify traps, she said, is to perform a thought experiment. “Imagine if everything on that mountain turned liquid. Where would it run?”

Stay out of gullies, ravines and other low spots, she said.

Throughout the winter, NAOI and other groups offer avalanche training. But the season is over now; the groups are out of funding for the year. Anyone who wants to take a course should watch NAOI’s website, besnowsmart.org. The site also has lots of tips for staying safe in the backcountry.

Tips for playing

in avalanche country

• Choose the right activity for the day.

• Use the buddy system — always go with a friend.

• Always tell someone where you’re going and don’t change the plan without telling someone.

• Be observant — avoid past avalanche zones.

• Stay away from uncertain ice.

• Dress in layers and carry safety equipment: water, food, extra clothes, shovel, probe, transceiver and cellphone.

• Don’t just own safety equipment, know how to use it — practice, practice, practice.

• Travel one at a time through exposed, risky areas while others watch from a safe zone.

• Never stop on or below steep slopes or cornices.

• Avoid terrain traps — dips, gullies or below cliffs — where snow can pile up.

• Travel on ridges and high points.

• Always plan an escape route.

• If your friend gets caught or injured you become the rescuer — most times you don’t have time to go for help.

• Remember, you can never know too much.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.