Sierra Journal » Avalanche

KQED – The Science of Snow

Matthew DiPietro — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:21:49 +0000

I listen to KQED daily as I drive into work in the morning. Today I was pleasantly surprised by a solid piece, “The Science of Snow,” featuring Squaw Valley ski patrollers and the Sierra Avalanche Center. It’s definitely worth a listen. Good work KQED!! QUEST on KQED Public Media.

Sierra Avalanche Center Ski Days – A Win-Win

Matthew DiPietro — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:07:38 +0000

My mornings go like this: I wake up, shower, eat breakfast, then check the Sierra Avalanche Center (SAC) advisory and forecast. Reading the advisory has become a daily habit for me - whether I'm skiing that day or not. Reading it daily gives you a

Dumb Luck Saves Colorado Snowboarder from Avalanche at Loveland Pass

Matthew DiPietro — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:25:00 +0000

On the surface, this is a simple and happy story. A snowboarder at Loveland Pass in CO got caught in an avalanche and luckily survived. He was carried down the slope and ended up buried up to his waist - right-side up. Thank goodness. But watch th

Sierra Nevada Avalanche Education, Advisory and Forecast Resources

Matthew DiPietro — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:34:48 +0000

With the start of the ski season, I thought it prudent to do a roundup of avalanche resources available online and in the Sierra Nevada region. Now you have no excuse. Go take that avalanche course you've been putting off. It'll make the backcount

Video Series: Avalanche Awareness Training Course (Lesson 1 of 7)

Matthew DiPietro — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:42:50 +0000

Thanks to BCA (makers of great backcountry gear including the most-used avalanche beacons) and Teton Gravity Research (the venerable media company responsible for AMAZING films like the recently debuted Re:Session) for this 7-part video series on ava

Video: POV Avalanche Burial – Yikes

Matthew DiPietro — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:54:11 +0000

I'm not sure about the history of this video. It says it was shot in April of 2008, but the Vimeo page says it way uploaded just a few weeks ago. So many of you may have seen this already. But if not, watch it! It shows the entire sequence of a Ta

Mt. Shasta Casaval Ridge This Weekend

Matthew DiPietro — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:47:58 +0000

My climbing buddy (known in some circles as Peerzat) is flying in from Minneapolis tomorrow morning. We're gonna head up to Shasta for a climb/ski descent. This is one of my favorite ski descents anywhere - 7000 vertical feet of awesomeness

Video: Wet Slide Avalanche in the Tetons

Matthew DiPietro — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:16:42 +0000

Wow this is sobering. All those warm spring days when you figure... eh, there's no real avy danger today, right? Well... this reminds you to never ever let your guard down. Via TetonAT: