Backcountry Avalanche Awareness (8th edition), by Bruce Jamieson

I want to begin with the disclaimer that reading this book is NOT a substitute for taking an Avalanche Safety course. There are several courses available through guides and outfitters all through the Rocky Mountains, and they are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you will be doing any ski touring, snowmobiling, or snowshoeing in the backcountry.

Backcountry Avalanche Awareness (8th edition) was written by Bruce Jamieson, and published by the Canadian Avalanche Association. I had the pleasure of attending an avalanche safety night run, in part, by the Canadian Avalanche Association and it was equal parts fun and informative. 

This book is meant to supplement, not replace, formal avalanche safety courses. If anything, this book is a decent introduction to avalanche safety and a reminder for those who have had formal training. It is quite short, being only 74 pages long including appendices. It is broken into 9 chapters, with the main focus being on Avalanche Terrain, Mountain Snowpack, Recognizing Avalanche Risk, Winter Backcountry Travel, and Search and Rescue. 

The book dives right into the important technical information such as the 2 types of avalanche (loose snow/point release and slab), the 3 factors of avalanche risk (unstable snow, terrain, and people), and slope characteristics to consider. The book also clearly illustrates how to test the stability of the snowpack, and how to conduct a search and rescue immediately after an avalanche occurs. One of the strengths of this book is the amount of photographs accompanying every topic that is discussed. Learning the terminology of the mountain layout, or the rescue operation, is important and empowering for the outdoor adventurer.

Even though this book is short, I feel like a review and summary doesn’t do it justice. It is an amazing resource and I highly recommend anybody who is conducting backcountry activities in the winter should consider taking an Avalanche Skills course. 

I’m giving this book 4 snowflakes out of 5. The only reason I’m not giving it a full 5 is because of the age of the book. Outdoor skills training is always evolving, and a lot has happened in the 13 years since this book was written. 

Take a skills course. Stay safe.