How to Avoid Early Season Ski Touring Dangers (Part 1 of 2)

When does the backcountry ski touring season start? How can you know it's safe to go in the backcountry? The early-season is the most dangerous time to be in the backcountry, you must avoid high risk situations by mitigating the dangers! In this 2-part video, Rene-Martin Trudel, professional backcountry guide and ski-touring instructor for GOLH.TV is going to answer these difficult and complex questions and show you how to decide for yourself. WATCH PART 2 HERE: https://youtu.be/pQoFtpn6JLE HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN IT'S SAFE TO GO? ...It's early winter and the snow that has just fallen. You hear the call of the mountains! But you don’t know if the conditions are safe enough for your skill level and if the snowpack is safe. Avalanches can still occur, and you want to have a good ski touring experience. First, get some information on where you want to go. How much snow has fallen, how deep is the snowpack, what is the forecast… Those values should lead you to a clear sense of common logic before you decide to go. If you have no idea what those values should be, remember, it’s not because someone skied yesterday that it’s still a viable option today. Second, head out to your chosen touring location with the intention of gathering your own information. You have to be in the mindset of exploring, not skiing. When you do that, make sure that you go with partners and that carry all the safety equipment you would on a normal day touring. Don’t take this adventure lightly! As we’ve been saying from the start, the early season is more dangerous! Third, walk or ski-tour to your targeted area. Snow will increase with altitude. As you tour, aim for mild slopes in simple terrain. This is a good way to evaluate the snowpack and the dangers. always think of of how you will come back to your car. if it’s easy to skin up, it might not be as easy or safe to ski back down. Always evaluate where the most snow is, where the sun or wind have had an impact to reduce the snowpack height. Remember, the goal is to acquire information. Keep a look out for obstacles, for sharp rocks, open streams. And take notes! IMPORTANT: Avoid big long slopes. Always remember that a few hundred meters above you, there could be enough snow to avalanche on you or that snow conditions could be very different. If you're loving our content, check out this additional video with even more information including, examples of time to go-home situations, early winter skiing on thin snowpack, should you lean back or not when descending, and understanding what happens during a second snow storm. TAKEAWAYS Early-season skiing in the backcountry is all about the journey! Head out with your friends to evaluate the terrain and gain an understanding of what lies beneath the snow. Remember, it’s ok not to ski. And it's quite common. Save your precious information for the next time you go. You'll have a better understanding of the hidden dangers under the snow. ...And remember, "It's all about the journey." WANT MORE INFO? Did you like this video? This was only part one of the whole tutorial. Part 2 dives even deeper into snowpack, skiing technique, and Rene-Martin even gives you his Go-Home Situations that you don't want to miss! WATCH PART 2 HERE: https://youtu.be/pQoFtpn6JLE FULL RISK DISCLOSURE THIS VIDEO DOES NOT REPLACE THE NEED FOR AVALANCHE AWARENESS COURSES, WILDERNESS FIRST AID TRAINING, MOUNTAINEERING COURSES, AND THE NEED FOR A GUIDE. Backcountry skiing by definition is a non-organized, at your own risk activity. Gaining experience is invaluable and an online course cannot completely provide the required knowledge you need to guarantee your safety. Our goal is to make you a better, well-rounded backcountry traveller, a better teammate, and more educated skier. #backcountry #ski #touring #skitouring #skiing #bcski #backcountryskiing #skilife #greatoutdoors #golh #golhtv #greatoutdoorslearninghub #earlyseasonskiing #earlyseasontouring #backcountry #skitips #ItsAllAboutTheJourney 00:00 Introduction 00:32 Powder Backstory 01:32 Get info on conditions 01:55 How to decide when to go early season backcountry skiing 03:48 Terrain is everything 04:56 Snowpack conditions 06:34 Avalanche danger 08:21 Hiden hazards 09:40 Snowpack variability 10:24 It's all about the journey!