The changing state of snow & avalanches for splitboarding & ski touring

by James Streater James Streater

Understanding the way snow changes over time can have a profound effect on your backcountry planning and execution decisions.

We often look to outside sources such as regional avalanche forecasting for the key data to help us make those choices. However, we need to supplement their findings with our own onsite observations and research to drill down those regional findings into a more local actionable data set.

Snow Formation

Snow forms when supercooled water droplets condense around microscopic particles such as dust or plant spores. As water vapor freezes around those nuclei snow crystals are formed. The shape and form is largely determined by their journey through the atmosphere and is influenced by the temperature and humidity they encounter on the way.

The initial form and the subsequent transformation of the snow after landing on the ground will have a profound effect on the propensity for avalanches in the future. Even though it’s not possible to predict if or when a particular slope could avalanche…