Case Analysis & Practical Application Flashcards

A party is assessing a 32° slope with recent wind loading on the lee aspect. A snowpit shows a score of CT21 (sudden collapse, Q2) on a buried facet layer. How should they interpret this result?

Answer: Moderate-to-high concern — sudden collapse with moderate force indicates an unstable weak layer capable of propagating

A sudden-collapse CT result (SC) regardless of score indicates a reactive weak layer; Q2 propagation in a column test suggests real propagation potential.

During a multi-day winter camping trip, a group camps in a valley bottom surrounded by steep terrain. Overnight, 60 cm of new snow falls with moderate winds. What is the primary hazard upon waking?

Answer: Natural avalanches running into the valley from the surrounding steep slopes

Large natural avalanche cycles are common after significant snowfall events, and valley campsites surrounded by steep terrain are directly in avalanche runout zones.

You are the third person to ski a 36° slope; the first two skiers crossed without incident. What is the risk for the third skier?

Answer: Still significant — each skier adds stress loading and the slope may fracture on any subsequent skier

Human-triggered avalanche accidents frequently involve a later member of a party; previous tracks do not guarantee stability because cumulative loading can cause failure.

A rescue team arrives at a large debris field (200 m wide) with no witnesses and no last-seen point. Two rescuers have beacons in search mode. What is the first priority?

Answer: Conduct a rapid beacon sweep across the entire debris field to locate any signals

A rapid beacon sweep of the full debris field quickly determines whether any buried victims are transmitting, allowing rescuers to prioritize search locations.

A group encounters a terrain trap — a cliff band at the bottom of a 34° slope. The current danger is Considerable (3). What is the safest decision?

Answer: Avoid the slope entirely — terrain traps dramatically increase consequences of even a small avalanche

Terrain traps multiply consequences because even a small slab can bury a victim against a cliff; at Considerable danger the safest choice is avoidance.

A patient extracted from a 30-minute burial is conscious but shivering violently, with slurred speech and impaired coordination. What is the likely medical priority beyond hypothermia?

Answer: Traumatic injuries sustained during the avalanche and burial — assess head-to-toe for fractures and internal injuries

Avalanche victims sustain blunt trauma from the moving snow; a systematic trauma assessment should accompany hypothermia management even in conscious patients.

Two days after a significant rain-on-snow event followed by refreezing, what snowpack problem is most likely on steep shaded terrain?

Answer: A rain crust acting as a bed surface for slabs loaded on top of it

Rain crusts create smooth, low-friction bed surfaces; once the surface refreezes and new snow accumulates, the crust becomes an ideal sliding layer for slab avalanches.