Welcome to the Forum. I used to be a flat lander (Houston Texas ) but I moved west many years ago. Tell us about your recent adventure. Got any pics ?

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper is the one to get for sure!

+1 on Tremper’s book. The science of avalanches is not so hard, the hard part is will power, discipline and consistency. If you read the utah avalanche center forecast everyday for the rest of the season as part of your routine, you’ll learn tons about aspect, layering, persistent weakness and how weaknesses can cure out and when they don’t. I left the flatland in 88 for good after nearly being caught in a monster slide just outside Breckenridge in 1987. 1 fact: central Colorado snowpack is creepy a lot of the time and a lot more often than other places.

Also you wil learn the difference between maritime continental and mid region snowpacks. Here in the Sierra we get maritime snow wi h means more water content and that means more stability faster. We usually can go out one day after a 3-4 foot dump without too much worries but in a contential snowpack that would be Suicide just learn the difference between all snowpacks. Learn about wind loading and learn to dig a pit. If you want to go out in the Sierra. Just pm me. We can work it out. Just remember we are very high altitude so allow 1-2 days for acculamation

Yes I’m from Minnesota.

There were years I rode 20+ days “out west”
But the last few have been cut down to 10 days or less

I really enjoyed the Avy 1 class I took at silverton mountain. That was really the turning point for me when I decided that being the backcountry was going to be a lifelong pursuit. I did it on a whim and it changed everything.

@Scooby2 wrote:

The science of avalanches is not so hard, the hard part is will power, discipline and consistency. .

I think I get what you’re trying to say, but there’s a lot of folks with Master’s and PhDs in snow science that would probably disagree!

Anyway, to the OP, Tremper’s book is a must have, but here’s another that’s a little bit more concise (but no less important):

http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Sense-Evaluating-Avalanche-Hazard/dp/061549935X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360589096&sr=8-1&keywords=snow+sense

+1 on subscribing to the daily email avy reports for the areas you’re planning on frequenting.

@nordicbordn wrote:

@Scooby2 wrote:

+1 on Tremper’s book. The science of avalanches is not so hard, the hard part is will power, discipline and consistency.

while i dont want to completely discredit your post, as i agree the difficulty in execution is mostly mental.. im not sure how you can claim “the science of avalanches is not hard,” as every snowpack has different properties, and the intricacies of winter travel extend far beyond decision making.

🙄

Avalanche science is science. It’s not hard or easy, it’s just there to be learned. I got your point scooby2, and I tend to agree with it.

OP, I HIGHLY recommend the Backcountry Skiing Book from the mountaineers series, it’s full of great stuff: