Avalanche Resources Library

Books & Media

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain

The third edition of the classic, must-read avalanche safety text by Bruce Tremper

Avalanche Essentials: A Step-by-Step System For Safety and Survival

A condensed companion to Companion to Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain

Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering

Learn trip planning, navigation, fitness, and avalanche safety information

Snow Sense: A Guide to Evaluating Snow Avalanche Hazard

Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler help backcountry travelers learn to recognize, evaluate, and avoid snow avalanche hazards

The Snowy Torrents (1986–1996)

Spencer Logan and Blase Reardon examine more than 150 avalanche accidents

The Snowy Torrents (1996-2004)

Knox Williams and Spencer Logan analyze eight years of avalanche accidents in the United States

The Avalanche Review

Four issues each winter feature the best in avalanche writing, science, and photography

The Avalanche Hour Podcast

Creating a stronger community through sharing stories, knowledge, and news amongst people who have a curious fascination with avalanches

Interactive Online Learning

Avalanche.org Tutorial

New to avalanche safety? This is a great place to start. Presented by the National Avalanche Center and the Colorado Avalanche Center

Know Before You Go

A four-step process to help users stay safe and make good decisions in the backcountry

AvySavvy

Avalanche Canada’s online avalanche tutorial

Case Studies

Rescue at Cherry Bowl

An extraordinary story of rescue, and a timeless avalanche education piece

The Renshaw Avalanche Tragedy

Avalanche Canada worked with survivors, SAR members, and the BC Coroners Service to reconstruct this incident and better understand how the avalanche happened and why so many people were caught

The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times article on the 2012 avalanche in Washington’s Cascade Mountains

A Dozen More Turns

A documentary about a tragic backcountry ski trip in Montana’s Centennial Mountains in 2005

Wilson Glade Avalanche Report

Utah Avalanche Center’s report of an avalanche fatality in the Utah backcountry in 2021

Ride Another Day

Public service announcement about the 2008 Canyon Creek avalanche that claimed two lives

Avalanche In Revelstoke Backcountry With Chris Rubens & Noah Morrison

After triggering an avalanche while filming in the Revelstoke backcountry, these professional skiers turn a near-miss into an educational opportunity

Nick McNutt Avalanche Rescue

A professional skier triggers an avalanche while wearing a malfunctioning beacon

Off Piste: Tragedy in the Alps

Ski racers Bryce Astle and Ronnie Berlack had no idea of the danger of in-bounds avalanche terrain

Snowmobiling Resources

Ski-Doo Safety Series

Videos focusing on different aspects of avalanche preparedness for snowmobilers

10 Commandments for Mountain Snowmobilers

Know more, go farther, come home. Developed by Avalanche Canada and the Valemount & Area Recreation Development Association

How to Practice Avalanche Rescue

Snowmobile edition from AIARE

Choosing Terrain for Snowmobilers

Terrain is always the answer for backcountry fun and safety. This webinar focuses on snowmobile specific characteristics and route finding

Human Factors and Avalanche Avoidance

Frozen Pirate owner/operator Curtis Pawliuk in Mountain Sledder Magazine

Backcountry Ascender

Earn points for completing self-directed lessons to level up your backcountry skills

Avalanche Rescue

Essential Rescue Equipment

This video from AIARE covers the equipment every backcountry traveler must carry every time

Companion Rescue Series

Educational videos from BCA focused on avalanche beacons

Transceiver Interference Guidelines

Practical guidance on how to avoid problems with interference

Terrain & Trip Planning

Am I in Avalanche Terrain?

How to determine whether you are in or below avalanche terrain

Where is the Unstable Snow?

NWAC avalanche forecaster Dallas Glass on assessing terrain for unstable snow

Choose Terrain to Reduce your Risk

When avalanches are a problem, terrain is the solution

Avalanche.org Travel Advice

Encyclopedia entries related to travel advice that you might see in the avalanche forecast

CalTopo

Free online mapping app with slope angle shading, custom terrain shading, wind plot layer, and more

How to Use onX Backcountry

Learn tools and tricks for this GPS navigation app

Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES)

Categorize the severity of avalanche exposure based on the landscape, rather than snowpack conditions

Human Factors

The Human Factor

This blog post from the American Avalanche Institute is a great place to start learning about how human factors influence decision-making in the backcountry