Save the Date:
10th Annual Wyoming Snow & Avalanche Workshop
October 18-19, 2024
The Center for the Arts | Jackson, Wyoming
We are so excited to be hosting the 10th Annual WYSAW on October 18-19, 2024. Ten years ago, WYSAW began as a movement to create a positive shift in winter backcountry culture in Jackson Hole. As avalanche safety has evolved, so too has our programming at WYSAW to ensure that we reach every level of backcountry enthusiast.
WYSAW is just the first step in continuing our collective efforts to learn how to be safe in the backcountry. Check in with our winter programming at Backcountry Zero, enroll in an avalanche class, and talk to your ski partners about their plans to do the same.
Stay tuned for registration and updates. Thanks for doing your part to make backcountry safety a top priority in Jackson Hole!
2023 Speaker Lineup and Presentation Recordings
Each year, WYSAW organizers work hard to secure a diverse lineup of speakers to take on a range of issues related to decision-making, risk vs reward, snow science, and evolving backcountry practices. This year is no different, with the lineup shaping up to be one of the best ever.
Friday, October 20 - Pro Workshop
12:00 PM — Doors Open
12:40 pm — Zach Miller: Snow Depth Distribution in Complex Mountain TerraiN
Zach Miller.
Meteorological and terrain variables influence the distribution of snow on a slope, making avalanche trigger points difficult to predict for many backcountry riders and avalanche professionals, especially in steep complex terrain. Recent advances in remote sensing techniques improve snow scientists’ ability to map snow-depth spatial variability at higher resolutions and have the potential to inform decision-making in the backcountry. This talk will discuss key findings from recent spatial variability snow science research and how to incorporate those findings into daily routines while out in the mountains.
1:10 pm — David Richards: What’s the Score? Measuring Strength, Structure, and Propagation to Score Observed Stability in a Snowpit
David Richards.
This presentation will cover the concept of using a scoring metric to measure Strength, Structure, and Propagation to score observed stability in a snowpit. This method can improve communication and decision-making when looking at snowpack stability. The method simplifies assessment and communication in the same method that the Glasgow Coma Scale is used in emergency medicine. As opposed to long and potentially confusing explanations, a user can communicate stability with a short and succinct numerical score. A study of this method, which was applied to more than 6,600 snowpits, shows very high correlation between the numerical score and the observed stability within the snowpit.
2:00 PM — Sara Boilen: Being an Avalanche Professional is Hard; on one’s body, mind, and psyche
Sara Boilen.
Dr. Sara Boilen, a clinical and forensic psychologist and the owner of Sweetgrass Psychological Services in Northwest Montana, is going to spend some time with our community of professionals to address burnout, stress injury, shame, and guilt. This talk is designed to bring our community together as a reminder that no one does this hard work alone.
2:30 PM — Laurie Delaney & Steven Clark: There is Such a Thing As “Too Much Snow.” Resource Management and Operational Challenges of SR-210 from the Historic 2022/2023 Winter Season in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah.
Laurie Delaney and Steven Clark.
Resource management and operational challenges for the Utah Department of Transportation during the historic 2022/2023 winter season. This season was marked by consecutive long duration winter storms resulting in one of the highest snowfall amounts on record. Nearly 100 avalanches impacted the roadway, 68 of those were D3 and greater in size. The season was simply one long logistical challenge, involving multiple artillery restocks and Remote Avalanche Control Systems (RACS) maintenance and restocks, all during long periods with minimal “acceptable” weather for such activities. The situation culminated in a historic avalanche cycle at the beginning of April and made it clear that sometimes prolonged closure is the only answer. Further discussion of avalanche climatology in Little Cottonwood Canyon will help put this historic winter into context.
3:15 PM — Panel Discussion of ISSW 2023 Moderated by Don Sharaf
Gabrielle Antonioli, Ethan Davis, Scott Savage, Liz King, Zach Miller, and Laurie Delaney discuss notable take homes from the recent International Snow Science Workshop.
4:45 PM — Closing Remarks
Saturday, October 21 - General session
8:30 am — Doors Open
9:15 AM — Scott Savage: The Effects of Wildfire on Avalanche Terrain
Scott Savage.
We all know that wildfires open up exciting new terrain for skiers and riders, but how do fires change the terrain component of the avalanche equation? Through modeling and field observations, we examined Sawtooth National Forest terrain near Smiley Creek, Idaho, that burned in 2022. Significant changes in forest cover caused notable increases in existing avalanche terrain in both the release areas and runout zones, but also caused areas previously classified as non-avalanche terrain (safe zones) to become avalanche terrain. As predicted, we observed larger avalanches affecting more terrain within the fire perimeter post-fire. This presentation focuses on how these findings impact recreational users.
9:45 AM — Alex Marienthal: Comparing the Effectiveness of the ECT, PST, and CT for Assessing Snow Stability
Alex Marienthal.
Avalanche professionals rely on small-block tests such as the Extended Column Test (ECT), Propagation Saw Test (PST), and Compression Test (CT) to augment other data in formulating avalanche forecasts and making decisions. Previous research presents different metrics of effectiveness and a wide array of results for these tests. While these studies provide the best estimates to date of the efficacy of these tests, they have limitations due to sample size, sample bias, and regional bias. We aim to provide further insight and a more accurate estimate of the efficacy of snowpack tests using two datasets.
10:40 AM — Sara Boilen: My Two Cents on Sense Making
Sara Boilen.
Decisions are the discernible moments in a long process throughout which individuals perceive, interpret, and weigh in on internal and external data. We do not make decisions in vacuums any more than we perceive things as they truly are. A human-involved avalanche does not occur, however, because of one decision by one person. Incidents involve countless steps—only some of which are decisions and even fewer are discernible. The field of avalanche sciences has long thought of decision-making as the most important aspect of the human factor. However, psychology has a lot to say about perception and sense-making. This talk will skim the surface of perception research and will teach participants a few tricks to stay out of some brain-terrain traps.
11:10 AM — Sophia Schwartz: Meaning in the Mountains: Using Purpose to Guide Risk and Decision Making in the Backcountry
Sophia Schwartz.
Backcountry recreation can be dangerous, so why do we love it so much? Spoiler alert: Meaning! Spending time sliding on snow can create joy, connection, and growth in our lives. Some of the meaning we get in the mountains is inherently tied to risks, yet some of it is not. The goal of this talk is to use meaning and purpose as a framework to assess how we spend time in the mountains and how to build healthy fulfillment both on and off the slopes.
11:35 AM — Frank Carus: Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Updates and ProjectS
Frank Carus
Frank Carus, BTAC Director, will discuss new initiatives from our local forecasting center as well as an overview of the avalanche fatality at Poker Flats, outside of Afton, Wyo., from the 22/23 season.
1:35 PM — Ian McCammon: Slope Measurement for Humans
Ian McCammon.
Inclinometers have long been considered a critical tool for managing risk in the backcountry. But how good are we at measuring slope angles? This presentation describes the accuracy of common inclinometers and shows how unavoidable measurement error can lead to critical mistakes in avalanche risk perception, especially on slopes above 30 degrees. The presentation concludes with a recommendation for better risk management based on slope angle.
2:05 PM — Ethan Davis: East Idaho Avalanche Impacts
Ethan Davis
Sixteen people have died in avalanches in eastern Idaho since the year 2000. Many more have been injured, in some cases severely. Although this is a sobering reality, the problem can be addressed by better understanding the pattern of accidents and by providing targeted, timely, and relevant avalanche information.
2:40 PM — Maddie Johnson - What Can We learn from 2022-2023 tcsar incidents?
Maddie Johnson
In 2022, TCSAR was called 136 times. TCSAR's Preventative Search and Rescue Manager Maddie Johnson explains what this means for our small community -- for the first responders responding to the scene, for the families getting the call from home, for the patients who endure long healing journeys.
Maddie presents on the data, and educational efforts, that inform her mission to reduce incidents and fatalities with the TCSAR Foundation and Backcountry Zero. Check out TCSAR's Youth and Adult Winter Educational Programming at http://www.backcountryzero.com/events.
3:15 PM — Panel Discussion - community, motorized use, and “island zones” between forecast centers, Moderated by Gabrielle Antonioli
Aaron Case, Tana Hoffman Cook, Ethan Davis, Ryan Mertaugh, and Will Mook discuss their planning, information gathering, and decision making when heading into mountain ranges without local bulletins. These experienced and professional users will share their take on what we are missing when discussing motorized use, how the community has changed in the last five years, and what behaviors folks can foster to manage complex avalanche conditions.
