Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain

by Bruce Tremper

Winter recreation in the mountains has increased steadily over the past few years, and so has the number of deaths and injuries caused by avalanches. Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain covers everything you need to know to avoid trouble in avalanche terrain: what avalanches are and how they work, common myths, human activities that lead to avalanche trouble, what happens to victims when an avalanche occurs, and rescue techniques. 272 pages, 114 illustrations, 60 b&w photographs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Outdoors, Climbing, Reference, Science, Adventure

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Bruce grew up skiing in the mountains of western Montana where his father taught him the basics of avalanches at the age of 10. After a successful ski racing career, he did avalanche control at Bridger Bowl Ski Area in Montana, earned a Masters Degree in Geology from Montana State University, studying under the well-known avalanche scientists Dr. John Montagne and Dr. Bob Brown. He then took over as the Director of Avalanche Control at Big Sky Ski Area in Montana, worked as a backcountry avalanche forecaster for the Alaska Avalanche Center and he has been the Director of the Utah Avalanche Center since 1986. Bruce has been featured in numerous national and international television documentaries about avalanches including those produced by National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Weather Channel and PBS and he regularly appears on national network news programs. Bruce wrote the books "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain," and "Avalanche Essentials" both published by Mountaineers Books.

Reviews

[Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

You want to make smart decisions in avalanche terrain? This book is an incredibly powerful book to help you to accomplish just that. It was recommended reading for a Level 1 Avalanche course (3-day).

The book is densely packed with information and shows you nearly everything you should be aware of when managing your risk in avalanche terrain. There are definitely some sections I skimmed through since it was too science-y or didn't fit my skill level though. As a backcountry newbie, the section on the pros/cons of the different snow tests is fairly valuable. Going back and forth with this book after each tour will help solidify the ideas presented in the book. Re-reading/skimming through this book at the beginning of each season too may also help to make you the right decisions in those early snow conditions.

This book may not really make much sense unless you have already taken an avalanche class because of all the terminology/ideas. I would have been lost if I had read this book prior to taking the class.

[Léo de Riedmatten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how to review this book so I won’t. I learnt so much, and won’t remember enough. Educate yourself, practice, avoid and stay safe. I love the mountains but I don’t want to die in an avalanche.

[Jacob Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure I didn't finish it. When he got to the 14 different kinds of snow I started to space out. But what I did read and glean was enough to make me more confident about avy risk

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may have saved my life. It also maybe did nothing and I was just lucky. If ur skiing in Ave Terrain and ur too cheap or impatient for an Ave course, read this book. It will teach you where to definitely not ski and how to read terrain/snow pits. I am happy to give you my copy.

Also def practice with ur beacon.

Also it gave me some interesting insight as to why there has been mass accumulation of snow in Utah this year and how that probably won't be the case so much when Salt Lake dries up :/

[Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense, but worth it.

[Meagan]

Dense but a must read for anybody recreating in the backcountry or avy terrain. Going to re-read this over and over again, I’m sure

[Emily Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for all my avalanche adjacent friends out there and if you are just curious about snow science this might be an excellent read as well!

[Oscar Epp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A textbook that reads like a book this thing was awesome. Good balance between real scientific facts and advice and actual stories of being out in the mountains.

[Joseph Lesniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books you can't judge by their covers. This one you can

[Mike DeLue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, frank, and informative overview of the science behind Avalanches and how to avoid them. Touches on terrain management, snow-pack anatomy, mountain weather, climate, tools, techniques and training. Most crucial, though, is the chapter on the human factor that everybody should read, then read again, and then reread a few more times to keep their ego in check. No substitute for the years on the mountain and hard-learned lessons the author has obviously spent a lifetime collecting, but a good first-read for me in developing some respect, knowledge and humility before heading into the backcountry or as a refresher to keep your growing confidence in check over the years.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read, studied and re-read over and over again by anyone planning on spending any time in the backcountry; whether that be snowboarding, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, bird-watching, etc... I plan to read this again, and again... and again. It would be wise to couple the knowledge from this book with avalanche education courses... and it is important to practice what you learn in a controlled environment so you know how to react if/when (hopefully never) it hits the fan.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smoother, chattier read than Snow Sense. Covers more ground, particularly with stability analysis, but because it is much longer the information's also less dense (and less pointed). I do think it did a better job of teasing apart the various, almost contradictory, ways snowpack can evolve in response to weather. Unfortunately this edition came out as they were in the process of revising the North American avalanche conditions, so it's already a bit dated. Nevertheless, this book's reputation as "the other book to get" is well-deserved.

[Dorian Hodorogea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would consider it the bible of snow analysis. With everyone going out in the backcountry, it is important to read this book, understand and practice. It will save your life. I cannot stress more that information is power and there is a ton of it in this book. If you ski/snowboard out of bounds or just what to understand snow, read it!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am only 16 pages in, but Tremper's story of getting caught in an avalanche is gripping and this quote is great: "Earthquakes, meteor impacts, and love may strike without warning, but avalanches usually have obvious signs."

[Niklas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who is interested in touring the backcountry. Ridiculous amount of avalanche knowledge in this one. I mostly feel just more stupid after reading this and realizing how little I just know.

Do yourself a favour and keep reading this through your whole life!

[HDubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has had some experience in the backcountry, mostly skiing in the Alps, this book opened my eyes to how ignorant I've been and just how careless I've been. Although I *always* go out with my shovel, probe, and beacon, I didn't really know about the conditions that make avalanches more likely to be caused (by me).

This book is a great reference for those who are going into the backcountry, or are thinking about it. Always read your local bulletin, if you're in Tirol, please look at the Tiroler Lawinenwarndienst! This report breaks down the conditions according to the "Danger-Patterns" outlined in the book Lawine, from the Austrian Alpine Club.

Always do an avalanche course--books don't replace practical experience.

[Nick Gerritsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an indispensible guide for making sound decisions in avalanche terrain, whether you are a skier, splitboarder, snowshoer, alpinist, sledder or professional. I will be aiming to read this every season, as well as using it for reference. I read it in preparation for an avalanche course (AST2) and it added a TON of value. It seems to touch on every aspect to consider when recreating in the backcountry, written by collaboration of the entire community. Thank you Bruce Tremper for putting this together and updating it as necessary to keep it current! You truly are making a difference.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is kind of a textbook of “everything to know about avalanches by reading a book.” It accomplishes that mission well. As the author himself would say, nothing can replace going and taking a good avalanche course and experiencing snow and snow layers. This book is a fire hose of information that is meant to be combined with practical courses and then practice itself by going out into the snow.

It’s an excellent book, but a difficult read.

[Jacob Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reading goals are now about the best combinations of books for the fullest effect, and this book paired with Deep Survival and Thinking: Fast and Slow make for a slammer of risk management, group management, and decision making literature!

I read this after my AIARE course and got so much out of it, even if you don’t take an avalanche course but you work or play outside, this book should be required reading.

[Traian Stancescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a few books you need to read if you go backcountry skiing; this is one of them, and I found it helpful and sufficient in terms of information coverage.

Reading this book is not a substitute for taking an intro to ski touring course e.g. as provided by AIARE. But doing both would help remember that knowledge when you actually need it.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 3rd edition (most recent one). What an excellent book! Written very clearly and honestly with plenty of visual aids. Would recommend to absolutely anyone planning to set foot in backcountry terrain. Excellent to read cover-to-cover and then refer back to when continuing your avalanche education (which, truly, will never end!).

[John Gearig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title describes the book. The graphics, charts & drawings are engaging, and it's an interesting read, but the 'science' of avalanches is far from a real science. It seems to lack deeper logical nor does it converge on fundamental truth. It reads as a series of general guidelines and conditioned truths, but makes you realize how much is still unknown about snow science.

[John Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a solid job of breaking down avalanche safety into digestible pieces while avoiding oversimplifying. Reading it left me with a clearer path towards becoming a confident snow safety practitioner. I often feel like the way forwards in snow safety learning is unclear, so that is a welcome change.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about some of the physical processes and the decision making around avalanche forecasting. It would have been good to have a glossary of terms somewhere in the book.

Also, I did not like the font chosen for the text and the images did not look good in my paper copy. I am guessing the photos would have been much more impressive with better processing.

[Sofia Lewerin · Rating 4 out of 5]

great

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much information! Had to take a couple breaks because it's so dense. Definitely will come back to this one and freshen up my snow sense.

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read a lot like a text book, but was super informative! I really liked the intense usage of graphs and images, and I felt like it really will be a handbook-type thing for me and backcountry skiing.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a solid reference and well worth the read for any backcountry traveller.
I personally found the snow science a bit simplistic and the constant use of analogies a bit annoying.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

preddy darn good refresher for AST - not a replacement for AST

[Andris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Respect the mountains, it's not as safe as it looks out there.