I’m going to lay this out in point form and then come back with more.
Topic 1) The 2022 – 2023 Snowpack
This winter season the snowpack is simply terrible. All kinds of analysis can be done to make comments and predictions, but the truth is that it’s bad and we just have to wait and see what happens this spring.
The melt-freeze is happening in places, but we need a big warming cycle (rain to summits would work) and a huge avalanche cycle for things to improve (avalanche danger wise, that is). We can always get winter snow storms in April in the Canadian Rockies, but it will depend on a lot of variables to actually increase both avalanche conditions and snow quality.
Topic 2) Avalanche Accidents and Deaths
No surprise that there have been a number of avalanche deaths this year when you look at some of the pictures of these events. Lots of bad decisions with accompanying Monday Morning Quarter Backing going on, but it’s pretty obvious what is wrong.
Topic 3) Safety Gear and Why It Shouldn’t Be Called This
As always with these events we are assured by the media that the parties involved knew what they were doing and that they all carried the necessary “safety” equipment.
And as I stated a bunch of time, these devices do not make you safe. Snow shovels, transceivers and snow probes are rescue devices or search equipment and your helmet and airbag are protective gear.
We all need to understand that this gear does not make you safe, in fact using this equipment generally means that you are engaging in dangerous activities. It is up to you to behave in a way that is the safest possible, but if you are in avalanche country then it can never be completely safe.
Topic 4) The Death of the Snow Blogger
Looks like Wildsnow is finally done and with it the end of the independent snow blogger era comes closer to reality.
Who will fill the void? With the deaths of Trevor Sexsmith of Perpetual Ski and Steve Romeo of Teton AT, and the low output of guys like Andrew McLean of Straight Chuter, Reiner Thoni of The Outside Out and Greg Hill there is a hole in the space.
It will be guys like Cody Townsend of the Fifty Project that will fill this void I guess.