projects

The American Avalanche Association cited 37 fatalities and the deadliest week for avalanches in US history for the 2020-2021 ski season. With backcountry travel becoming more popular, the importance of accessible avalanche safety information is crucial. Not only are we working to increase the accuracy of avalanche start zone hazard maps by incorporating more highly detailed terrain and vegetation parameters, but we are also shifting cartographic emphasis from the hazard of the avalanche starting to the risk to a human traveling in the terrain. This involves iterative runout modeling with RAMMS software and mapping of connected slopes. These maps will focus on readability, representation of uncertainty, and risk.