Parking, avalanche awareness keys to backcountry responsibility
Audio and Feature Reporting by Kesley Morris
The wind is rushing past you as snow is being kicked up from the carve of the skis. The trees passing by become a blur, and the only thing you are focused on is your next turn.
The Sierra summit averages more than 412 inches of snow per year, making it an ideal place to engage in numerous winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, or even sledding.
The problem lies in finding places to park.
“We have very limited parking in a lot of areas and we feel that our region is kind of a little behind,” says Anthony Cupaiuolo, the executive director of Tahoe Backcountry Alliance.
TBA has been working on the problem of backcountry access in the Lake Tahoe region since 2016. The volunteer-run organization has programs to help promote awareness and access to the backcountry, such as a micro-transit program, and promotion of trail maps. Its website features upcoming projects, and provides helpful links to resources.
TBA also provides education about backcountry etiquette as well as etiquette about how to be a courteous user at the frequently overwhelmed trailheads that dot the perimeter of the Lake Tahoe basin and surrounding backcountry access points.
“We want people to go beyond these nurtures. So that means if there’s garbage at a trailhead where you’re parking and it wasn’t yours, grab that,” Cupaiuolo says.
Be avalanche aware
Because of the unpredictability of Mother Nature, there are unique risks with accessing the Sierra backcountry in winter, namely natural and human-triggered avalanches. The two avalanches that are typically seen in the Tahoe region are wind slab avalanches, and avalanches caused by rapid warming.
“In California we average typically about one fatality per year in the Western United States and that number may be more.That means 25 to 30 people die per year in avalanches,” says Steve Reynaud, a forecaster for the Sierra Avalanche Center.
Reynaud estimates 90% of avalanches are caused by human error — making an errant decision about the safety of the snowpack.
The SAC goes out every morning to provide up-to-date to test the snow to inform that day’s forecast. They gather observations on the snow pact structures, the layers and characteristics of the accumulated snow.
Snow holds different properties — density, grain size, crystal shape, and hardness — alll of which can be affected by weather and climate. When snow accumulates on top of preexisting layers, it can slide off, which leads to an avalanche.
Experienced winter backcountry enthusiasts will check SAC forecasts to minimize exposure to a potential avalanche, avoid unsafe ski zones, or abandoning a ski adventure altogether. If a run doesn’t seem safe, it is better to stay off.
“Taking into account the areas of concern like the avalanche problems and then making our plans so we can still go out and have fun, but avoiding all those areas of concern,” Reynaud says. “And so really, the planning process and decision making is what’s going to keep you safe.”
He encourages backcountry users to carry safety gear, and get training to use it. Everyone should carry an avalanche probe (a rod that would be used to look for buried victims); a beacon, which sends signals to other beacons so a victim can be located; a shovel, and for extra precaution, an avalanche airbag backpack, used so that victim doesn’t get completely buried.
The backcountry can be unpredictable and dangerous. It is safer to ski with a buddy, someone who can help in case of an emergency. It is important that you trust your buddy, know their limitations as well as your own, and only go on trails that both of you are comfortable with.
