Research in Action: Public - University of Calgary

Avalanche research findings
are out to save lives in
Canada’s winter playground.
Understanding why, how and when avalanches are likely to occur is critical to keeping people safe in
Canada’s mountains. Communicating safety tips and risk updates to skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers
is essential to saving lives.
Dr. Bruce Jamieson, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Research Chair in Snow
Avalanche Risk Control, and associate professor at the University of Calgary Schulich School of Engineering,
has invested 24 years into avalanche research, forecasting, hazard assessment, avalanche control and sector
education and communication. His findings and knowledge reach professional backcountry guides, avalanche
forecasters and the general public through ski industry associations, avalanche bulletins, training materials,
academic papers and worldwide presentations. He has published three books on backcountry avalanche safety
that are used as student manuals for the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s avalanche skills training courses for
winter recreationists. His work has the potential to lower the number of avalanche-related deaths in Canada.
Learning, teaching and empowering
In 2003, Canada had twice the typical number of yearly deaths due to avalanches. In response, Jamieson’s team
advanced those areas of research designed to support safer decisions by the public. The team produced a training
CD detailing ‘Pops and Drops’ to help recreationists recognize unstable snow. The CD is used in the Canadian
Avalanche Centre’s two-day avalanche skills training and the more-advanced four-day backcountry programs.
Jamieson has also completed an analysis of Canada’s avalanche bulletins to determine if they might be
improved through changes to the configuration of the areas they report on or adjustments to their distribution
cycles. And he is part of a team that is currently launching the Avaluator, a decision support card to be used by
the public in conjunction with avalanche bulletins to help determine the risk of avalanche in specific areas. “The
multidisciplinary team that developed the Avaluator included social scientists,” says Jamieson. “Reaching the
public with increased avalanche risk information is essential — but understanding backcountry users’ decisionmaking
about proceeding into an area, or not, is critical as we work to increase safety and help save lives.”
Jamieson is entering the third year of a five-year applied research project with combined funding of $1.3 million
from NSERC, 55 companies involved in Canada’s skiing sector and the Canadian Avalanche Centre; the project
also receives extensive in-kind support. The research team led by Jamieson includes U of C graduate students
and colleagues in British Columbia, the U.S. and Europe.
www.ucalgary.ca/asarc/
www.avalanche.ca
“Based at the University of Calgary, Dr. Jamieson leads the largest field
program of snow avalanche research in the world. Knowledge transfer is
exemplary; research results are shared through spring and fall sessions
with practitioners, directly improving our understanding and capacity to
predict avalanches. Jamieson and his team produce world-class research
that will save lives and position Canada to achieve its potential as the
world’s premiere winter tourism destination.”
University of Calgary Research in Action 14
Clair Israelson — executive director, Canadian Avalanche Centre.