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Jim Frankenfield

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There have been 6 fatal avalanche incidents so far this season. As I write this reports are coming in of a seventh with possibly 3 deaths but details are still emerging. (Followed by a few more now too.) The purpose here is to see what we can learn from the first six accidents taken together, about things to be conscientious about and things about this season. The post will not critique any particular incident in any detail.

Observations will be broken down into the categories most avalanche courses are based on: Safe Travel, Equipment and Rescue, Snowpack, Terrain, Weather, and decision making. Some of these categories are more instructive than others.

Reports for each incident are on avalanche-center.org for members, with official and media reports. The same information can be found elsewhere searching one.

1- A snowmobiler in Wyoming, Dec 18
2- A backcountry skier in Colorado, Dec 18
3- Two backcountry skiers in Colorado, Dec 19
4- A backcountry skier in Colorado, Dec 26
5- A side country snowboarder in Utah, Jan 8
6- A side country skier in Utah, Jan 30

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