James Foulks, vice president of the Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center (KPAC), expects the actual number to be higher.

“We’ve had quite a few fairly large and destructive avalanches,” Fawkes says. “I’m sure there’s a lot more on the side of the mountain that we don’t currently have access to or have returned to.”

KPAC is a non-profit organization that provides avalanche education. According to Fawkes, avalanches are very common in San Francisco His Peaks, which makes the work of educating the public so important.

“Every new snowfall changes the avalanche risk. We have had a lot of snow in a very short period of time and now above treeline and treeline are in considerable avalanche risk,” he said. rice field. “But it’s constantly changing with temperature and cloud conditions. Everything.”

KPAC offers free training as well as avalanche preparedness and forecasting certification courses. The website also provides a daily “avalanche forecast”.

Avalanche risk on Monday was substantial at the treeline and moderate below the treeline, according to KPAC forecasts. “Substantial” is the third highest risk level on the KPAC scale.

Fresh snow and wind can cause slab avalanches, and KPAC recommends avoiding “wind loads, rolls, pillows, ripples, and cornice slopes exceeding 30 degrees near and above the treeline.” doing.

In a “slab” avalanche, snow moves in one clumping unit or layer before collapsing into moving debris.

“For an avalanche to occur, you need three main things: you need strong layers [of snow]You need a weak layer underneath that fails and you need a trigger above it. In the case of a man-made avalanche, the person is the trigger. The weight breaks down that layer and provides that sliding surface,” Foulks said.

There are two types of avalanches: naturally occurring and man-made. Man-made avalanches are reported much less frequently, Fawkes said.

In the world of Fawkes backcountry skiing and avalanche education, there’s a saying: “Wind is the culprit of avalanches.”

“The wind is now ripping off the snow that was on the ground and dumping it elsewhere, so it’s like it’s snowing again. It’s going to be,” Fawkes explained.

Wind is not the only cause of natural avalanches.

“We have a lot of melt-freeze cycles here in the Four Corners area,” Fawkes says. “That said, this year may have been colder than usual. As the snowpack warms and hardens, some of the instabilities that actually fail the avalanche present a unique challenge that persists much longer. To do.”

Whatever the cause, Fawkes said avalanches are serious and the risks are real, so he’s taking time to volunteer at Kachina Peaks.

“It’s about educating the public on a subject that is perhaps a bit obscure. People think of snow as a very harmless thing to go and have fun with. It certainly is,” Fawkes said. . “When you go out in the backcountry, you take a lot more risk.

Volks said there are a few must-have items that recreationers should wear before heading out to enjoy the snowpack and powder on skis, snowboards, and snowshoes.

“There are a lot of essentials to bring into the backcountry…everything from water, food, fire starters, emergency shelter, extra clothing. ‘ said Forks. “I mean, an avalanche probe to find buried people and an avalanche shovel to dig them up. Perhaps the first and most important thing is an avalanche walkie-talkie that everyone in the party should wear. If so, the walkie-talkie is always transmitting a signal, and rescue people can switch the walkie-talkie to search and find where they can use probes and shovels.”

What’s on your body isn’t the only thing that matters when you’re caught in an avalanche. According to Fawkes, knowledge is the key to survival.

“First, equip yourself with the necessary knowledge to safely perform backcountry activities,” Fawkes said. “That way you don’t get yourself or your friends killed. You have to have the tools, all the equipment. You have to judge the danger and if possible do the rescue so that you don’t have to save someone’s life.” requires knowledge to know how to use

Coconino County Search and Rescue has similar recommendations. Cell phone batteries can die quickly in cold weather, so the county recommends bringing a fully charged phone and backup power, as well as alternative signaling equipment, navigation tools, extra clothing, and emergency shelter. doing.

“Going to help someone who is already in danger is very dangerous. Search and rescue workers risk their lives to help someone. I’m sure you’re willing to do so, but it really obliges us as individuals to take a little more responsibility, not just for our actions, but for those who have to come. Forks said.

Since the beginning of the year, Coconino County Search and Rescue (SAR) has conducted six backcountry rescues for a total of 20 rescues. A roster of 130 volunteers are placed in small teams to ski, snowshoe and hike for those who are lost or stranded outside the normal ski boundaries.

According to Coconino County Search and Rescue Sgt. Aaron Dick said most of these rescues had SAR personnel conducting ski patrols to reach people, and occasionally the team used his Snowbowl’s snowcats to , had to drive rescuers in and out of the case.

“A common theme we see is people going into the backcountry to get some fresh powder. We don’t have any equipment or equipment,” Dick said. “The backcountry is not patrolled and there is no avalanche mitigation outside normal ski boundaries.”

Dick also pointed out that backcountry snowboarders are more likely to get stuck in deep powder.

“I had to bring snowshoes to a lot of people and help them hike,” added Dick.

Fawkes said he’s always wanted to do backcountry skiing. To carry out this mission, he took an avalanche survival course not long after KPAC was founded. The information and mission of the course seemed so valuable that he eventually became a volunteer and eventually the vice president of the organization.

Now, as an avalanche educator, Fawkes hopes to impress backcountry enthusiasts with the seriousness of avalanche risk in particular.

“Most importantly, don’t underestimate how powerful an avalanche can be and how helpless you can be. When it happens, you have zero control. Nothing you can ski or snowboard outrun.” When it catches you, it immediately buries you and you get stuck.This idea that snow is this soft fluffy thing.In an avalanche it turns to concrete,” he said.