California now has a pre-season avalanche workshop for all ability levels to get our skills sharpened up before the season starts.  This workshop will be fantastic with many interesting presenters, crucial information, and jaw dropping stories.  If you plan on being in the backcountry at all this year, go to this workshop.  You will not regret it.
California Avalanche Workshop:
– October 18th, 2014
– 9am to 5pm
– Lake Tahoe Community College
– $15 tickets available online
– Register at: Â www.ltccconnect.com
California Avalanche Workshop Details:
This all-day workshop is intended for all backcountry snow traveling enthusiasts who spend time in or around avalanche terrain, whether just beginning or seasoned veterans. The presentations and panel topics will include recent updates to avalanche forecasting and communication, avalanche accident analysis, snow and weather science, and stories from professional skiers and guides. This workshop is a great opportunity to prime or complement your ongoing avalanche safety training and education, in addition to providing a chance to gather and network with peers and professionals.
Scheduled to present:
– Alex Do: Sharing his account and lessons learned from being involved in December 2013 Pucker Face avalanche accident in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  http://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/tar/TAR32_4_LoRes.pdf (Alex’s article begins on page 20)
– Ben Hatchett: Diagnosing upside-down storm events in the Sierra Nevada.
– Ned Bair Ph.D.: Stability tests and their relation to the avalanche failure process.
– Representatives from the Shasta Avalanche Center, Sierra Avalanche Center, Bridgeport Avalanche Information Center, and Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (ie. all of the Avalanche Centers in CA) are scheduled to present about the history, operations and challenges of their Centers.
– Brennan Lagasse: Sharing photos, stories and challenges of guiding remote Heli Access Ski Touring in the Alaskan Chugach. Â www.stateofthebackcountry.com/
– Elyse Saugstad: Sharing highlights and challenges of being a pro skier as well as her experience working with SAFE – AS.
the level of danger terms are unclear and downright misleading. until that is addressed, I’m not convinced officials care about communicating at all. is some bureaucrat defending his lame system?
You say the “level of danger terms are unclear and downright misleading” – I totally agree that if you look at the avalanche center forecast really quickly with no background knowledge it can seem a little misleading and tricky…. However, if you have educated yourself either through a course or through your own personal research you’ll find this isn’t the case.
Who knows, maybe you should go to the class and participate in reasonably priced community education instead of trolling on the internet?