Coming from the experts who are charged with informing the Canadian public about avalanche danger, that is a pretty strong statement. After all, the CAC constantly scrutinizes backcountry avalanche conditions and handles the media frenzy that follows fatal avalanche accidents, so they know (all too well) that strong statements and avalanche safety are unlikely companions. The line separating good and bad decisions in the mountains is not always clear. Nonetheless, the grim reality of an average 12 avalanche deaths a year is crystal, and so is the need to learn from past accidents in order not to repeat them. With that specific goal in mind, the CAC embarked on a three-year project to develop a uniquely Canadian tool to help snow fiends dramatically chop their levels of backcountry risk. The Avaluator is the result of this effort, which CAC Executive Director Clair Israelson calls, in another strong statement, “the most important project we’ve (the CAC) ever undertaken...we believe it will have a significant effect on accident rates.”

A history of over 1400 North American avalanche accidents was analysed by the Avaluator project team. It was discovered that, despite a wide range of training and backcountry experience, there were avoidable patterns in the crucial decisions made by the victims. With a straightforward and consistent decison-making system, the number of accidents could have been vastly reduced. This system has become the Avaluator, a simple two-sided card. By incorporating easily-collected critical information, the Avaluator clearly indicates the likely risk level of backcountry decisions for a specific trip on a given day and a particular slope.

Learning the Avaluator from its handy instruction booklet is a snap, and putting it to work is just as easy. The first step is the trip planner. Check the CAC’s public avalanche bulletin at www.avalanche.ca to get the current danger rating for your region. On the same website, you then select a destination from a list of popular backcountry trips that have been rated by their exposure to avalanche hazard. Look at where these two factors land you on the trip-planning graph, and you have the current risk level for your trip. Once out in the snow, keep an eye on changing conditions with the other side of the Avaluator card. The list of seven “obvious clues” gives you a consistent method of assessing the risk level of the slopes along the way, and helps you choose which slopes to ride. It’s that simple, and it works.

The Avaluator is based on research which clearly shows that a significant number of Canada’s past recreational avalanche accidents could have been avoided if this tool had been used. If you use the Avaluator to guide your decisions, avalanche safety just got a lot easier. Available fall 2006 at outdoor retailers and at www.avalanche.ca (click on “Canadian Avalanche Centre” and then the “Bulletins” tab to get all the info).