Research and literature review

Although things like beacons and receivers exist, neither of these devices comes in handy unless you are already caught in the slide. Clearly, a gap exists in the skiing industry for preventative, early-action avalanche warnings and information. A solution to fill this hole would be an integral part of any skier's routine and a necessary measure to keep our backcountry skiers safe. To back this up, we interviewed John Iannone, an avid backcountry skier from Winter Park, Colorado, who has lived in the area for 30 years. Iannone emphasized that “avalanche prevention measures are currently limited to education and awareness of conditions,” a gap that is concerning and an unstable foundation at best. Digging a pit to estimate these conditions, he said, is “time consuming, requires significant physical exertion, and is often overlooked” and even “ignored by backcountry recreation enthusiasts.” Something needs to be done about the inefficiency of the current avalanche prevention and the lack of a solution thereof.

Many different factors must be taken into account when studying and predicting avalanche conditions, but perhaps the most important are layer density and snow water equivalent (SWE). Analyzing density and SWE is very important when investigating what snow is prone to sliding and causing an avalanche, especially when doing layer analysis. Avalanches are a direct result of the build-up of layers in snowpack; a weak layer in the snowpack is always a cause for concern, so one must analyze these layers to understand the dangers. Snow stratigraphy, or layer-by-layer density, SWE, and characteristic analysis techniques provide important data on dangerous layers and harsh conditions. Data like this can be graphed, as shown from SnowPilot, and analyzed for density differences; for example, a node taken on Berthoud Pass, CO, on April 27th, 2025, shows a layer of highly dense snow on top of a less dense layer, possibly indicating dangerous layering patterns [7]. However, these metrics require a large pit to be dug and fancy instruments and equipment to be created, something the average skier cannot and will not do before skiing down. Climate conditions locally can also be heavily attributed to avalanche conditions and the likelihood of a slide. For example, Simon Fraser University lists conditions including heavy snowfall, snowstorms, and wind direction in the top 3 reasons for avalanche disasters [6]. All three of these things are important, especially when considered directly after they happen. Climate and weather changes directly contribute to and correlate with snow water equivalent, layering, grain size, and overall moisture. When put together, climate data along with direct measurements of these qualities are what make a full and complete avalanche analysis and risk assessment. In Colorado alone, the National Weather Service cites that 6 people die each year in these disasters [1]. 

SWE is directly correlated to the type of avalanches that will happen. Precipitation can cause heavy snow in new storms, and when placed on top of an extremely weak layer of snow, it can create a super dangerous situation and cause the weak layer to collapse. According to OrtoVox’s Lab Snow Safety Academy, “A new snow layer often poorly bonds with the old snow layer,” and this is the main reason why slab avalanches happen [5]. Consequently, they also cite that 95% of avalanche casualty cases result from the victims triggering their own slab avalanches. That number spikes to 99% when we look at all avalanches caused by recreational skiers, casualty or not. Linking these together, we can identify that the most dangerous avalanche encounters include the factor of wet, new snow drifting over a soft and weak layer. Another important factor to consider when identifying dangerous slopes is slope angles. According to Avalanche Safety,» Identify Terrain, slopes that exist at 30 degrees or more are extremely prone to slab avalanches, and these slope angles exist very commonly in most backcountry areas [4]. Large cornices and backcountry faces have steeper slopes like these, and more common than not, thrill-seeking skiers are looking for the steeper slopes that give them an adrenaline rush. When it comes to current infrastructure in the avalanche safety world, there are a plethora of solutions, yet “Avalanche hazard prediction remains a crucial task for mountainous regions worldwide,” according to the National Library of Medicine [3]. Stationary weather stations and buried radar devices can provide professionals with the data they need to predict and understand current avalanche conditions. Artificial triggering of avalanches using either remote triggering stations or a physical, specialized high-caliber firearm can be used to mitigate problem areas near railroads and roadways. Field researchers can take snow cores to study snowpack and get an understanding of problem layers. Avalanche Zoning can be used to map high-risk areas, typically those near developments and populated areas. And of course, plenty of gear exists for the skiers to use as they venture into the backcountry; beacons, transceivers, avy-packs, and plenty of other gear exist as precautionary measures. Plenty of options exist for protecting people and infrastructure from the destructive forces of avalanches. Amongst all of these solutions, not one of them can be used as a real-time detection device. Even with all of these options, skiers still get caught in avalanches, and according to Brian Pollock (FOBP), “40% had taken an L1 class.” with L1 being the highest level of professional risk management. Avalanches are unpredictable by nature, so predictions and single-point data can only get skiers so far.

Through our extensive research, we have deduced that there is currently no solution for real-time avalanche detection on the market. A product such as the one we plan to design is essential to keeping backcountry skiers alike safe from the unpredictability of Mother Nature. During our initial research, we have learned the key data markers for safe and unsafe snow, consisting of: snow density, snow water equivalent (SWE), grain size, layer-by-layer topography, and slope angle. In addition to these markers, we studied specific climate data and snowpack records from different areas all over the northern continent to determine various types of snow accumulation patterns using records dating back decades. 

*Please view relevant citations for the literature review on the Problem Statement page of the E-Portfolio.