Introduction
While avalanche fatalities have remained relatively steady per year, data suggest
a possible increase in sidecountry use and snowmobile fatalities. Limited information
is known regarding the accident details and preparedness among different groups of
backcountry users including snowmobiles, sidecountry, and backcountry skiers, and
what specific factors could contribute to their fatalities.
Methods
Avalanche fatality reports covering all US states posted by the Colorado Avalanche
Information Center available online for 10 seasons (2009–2010 through 2018–2019 seasons)
were analyzed for group size, specific equipment carried, burial depth, burial time,
and other details. Only reports in the 3 following categories were included in the
analysis: backcountry ski/snowboard, sidecountry ski/snowboard, and snowmobile/snowbike.
These aspects were compared among the 3 tourer types using statistical analyses (ANOVA).
Results
Two hundred and five fatalities were analyzed (n=32 sidecountry, n=91 skier/snowboard,
n=82 snowmobile/snowbike). Using 2 preparedness scores, the ski/snowboard group had
the greatest distribution of high scores when evaluated by equipment carried and group
size, with significant differences per group (P<0.01). Of the fatalities that were buried, burial time was related to the tourer
group (P=0.04), with the ski/snowboard group having the highest proportion of burials <15
min. Burial depth was significantly different among the 3 tourer groups, with snowmobiles
buried the deepest on average (P<0.01).
Conclusions
Despite limited data available on fatalities, an analysis of preparedness suggests
that backcountry skiers and snowboarders are more prepared for avalanche accidents
compared to snowmobiles and sidecountry users when evaluated by equipment carried
and group size.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 28, 2022
Accepted:
March 14,
2022
Received:
June 1,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
