ASC ASC Route Planning & Travel Protocols 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When planning a backcountry route under ASC standards, the PRIMARY purpose of identifying terrain traps is to:
- Determine which slopes are safe to ski
- Understand where even a small avalanche could produce disproportionate burial depth or injury (Correct answer)
- Locate the best areas for snowpit excavation
- Identify zones suitable for client photography
Correct answer: Understand where even a small avalanche could produce disproportionate burial depth or injury
Terrain traps — gullies, cliff bands, trees, creek beds — amplify consequences by increasing burial depth or trauma even from small slides.
Question 2: Under ASC travel protocols, 'exposure time' in avalanche terrain refers to:
- The duration of UV radiation risk at high elevation
- The cumulative time a person or group spends in a zone where they could be caught by an avalanche (Correct answer)
- The period during which wind slab formation is most active
- The time between beacon signal detection and victim excavation
Correct answer: The cumulative time a person or group spends in a zone where they could be caught by an avalanche
Minimizing exposure time is a core travel protocol strategy — the longer a group is in hazard terrain, the greater the probability of a dangerous encounter.
Question 3: Which terrain feature is considered a PRIMARY indicator that a slope may be wind-loaded and therefore at elevated slab avalanche risk?
- Convex rollover at the top of a slope
- Pillowed or rounded surface snow shapes on lee aspects (Correct answer)
- Presence of surface hoar crystals
- Uniformly tracked ski terrain
Correct answer: Pillowed or rounded surface snow shapes on lee aspects
Pillowed, rounded, or scalloped snow on lee aspects indicates wind-deposited slabs that may be poorly bonded to underlying layers.
Question 4: ASC route planning protocols require that travel routes through avalanche start zones be evaluated for all of the following EXCEPT:
- Slope angle
- Aspect and solar radiation exposure
- Trailhead parking capacity (Correct answer)
- Recent loading events (snow, wind, rain)
Correct answer: Trailhead parking capacity
Trailhead parking capacity is a logistical factor irrelevant to avalanche hazard evaluation of start zones.
Question 5: When selecting a safe travel corridor through avalanche terrain, guides prioritize ridgelines and valley floors primarily because these zones:
- Offer the most reliable cellular communication
- Represent areas below avalanche start zones or above runout paths (Correct answer)
- Are preferred by clients for photography opportunities
- Provide the flattest terrain for beacon searches
Correct answer: Represent areas below avalanche start zones or above runout paths
Ridgelines sit above most start zones and valley floors below runout zones, placing travelers outside the primary avalanche path.
Question 6: The ASC standard for group spacing while traversing beneath loaded avalanche slopes recommends that each member maintain separation to:
- Maintain radio communication range
- Ensure no more than one person is in the hazard zone at a time (Correct answer)
- Reduce the overall weight load on the snowpack
- Allow the guide to observe each client's skiing technique
Correct answer: Ensure no more than one person is in the hazard zone at a time
Spacing ensures that a single avalanche event can expose only one person at a time, maximizing both survival odds and effective rescue by remaining members.
ASC ASC Route Planning & Travel Protocols 1
When planning a backcountry route under ASC standards, the PRIMARY purpose of identifying terrain traps is to: