Running Head: ASAP SERVICE LEARNING CONSULTANT PACKET ASAP Service - PDF document

Running Head: ASAP SERVICE LEARNING CONSULTANT PACKET ASAP Service Learning Consultant Packet Cassie Chrisman, Kirsten Juntunen, Tony Romano, Manuel Solis Western Washington University

Table of Contents ASAP Presentation Outline……………………………………………………………….….…..3 Appendices………..…………………………………………………………………...….... 13 - Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………….………13 Appendix A: Workshop PowerPoint Slides……………...……………………………………. Appendix B: Audience Evaluation Sheet…...…………………………………………….……18 Appendix C: Audience Evaluation Comments…………………………………………………20 Appendix D: S.L.A.B. Meeting Agendas and Minutes………………………………………...21 Appendix E: Community Partner Meeting Agendas and Minutes……………………………..44 Appendix F: ASAP Fundraising Packet……………………………………………………......74 Appendix G: Community Partner Thank You Letter…………………………………………102 Appendix H: CD……………………………………………………………………………....104

Appendix I: Team Contract…………………………………………………………………...105 Appendix J: Team Quarter Work Plan………………………………………………………..108 Appendix K: Individual Reflections………………………………………………………….113

ASAP Presentation Outline Title: Avalanche Safety Awareness Program ALPTRUTh Presentation Development: For our presentation, we will be using a PowerPoint, projector, and screen. For the audience we will have chairs, paper and pens, a printout of the PowerPoint, and evaluations for the end. Organizational Pattern: Topical Introduction & Welcome I. (Attention Getter) How many of you here are snowboarders? Skiers? Snowshoers? How many of you have witnessed or been involved in an avalanche? II. (Audience Adaptation) In 92% of avalanches studied, three or more of these observable characteristics in the acronym ALPTRUTh were present. Many of you here today are outdoor enthusiasts who know the dangers that are out in the terrain. According to Ian McCammon in his 2007 article, “An Evaluation of Rule-based Decision Tools for Travel in Avalanche Terrain” from Cold Regions Science and Technology , using primary nonparametric analysis, he was able to find that these crucial decision aids would have prevented between 60% and 92% of historical accidents studied, with the actual proportion of accidents prevented varying greatly among distinct decision aids. III. (Specific Purpose) We are here to give you the base knowledge and tools of avalanche safety to build upon. IV. (Overall Goal & Benefit of Workshop) The goal for this presentation is to provide awareness about avalanche safety and introduce you to the many ways to stay safe on the terrain. You will be able to benefit from this presentation by knowing the ALPTRUTh characteristics that can help you make smart decisions while you are enjoying the snowy outdoors. V. (Learning Outcomes of Workshop) After learning and understanding the basics of avalanche safety, from here, our hope is that you will take the necessary steps to learn more about avalanches and hopefully enroll in avalanche safety courses. ASAP as well as other organizations teach avalanche safety courses that will allow you to expand upon the knowledge that you learn here today. VI. (Preview) Today we will share with you the seven components that make up the acronym ALPTRUTh [see Slide #3 in Appendix A]. A. First, Kirsten will talk about avalanches and loading. B. Next, Cassie will discuss what paths and terrain traps are and how they can be dangerous. C. Manny will then discuss the rating scale of backcountry and how understanding the rating scale can help increase the chances of avoiding avalanche terrain.

D. Finally, Tony will explain the last two letters of the acronym which are unstable snow and thawing snow. Transition to the first point: Ian McCammon, an instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School, studied over 500 avalanche cases. In 92% of avalanches he studied, three or more of these observable characteristics were present. Kirsten will now explain ways to notice if avalanches have occurred. Body I. The first two letters of ALPTRUTh stand for avalanches and loading. A. Avalanches are the simplest term to know and understand in the acronym. 1. If there has been recent avalanche activity, you know it is unsafe to ride. If so, this is a dangerous time for the snowpack. a. 
 Ask yourself, have there been any avalanches in the last 48 hours? It is essential to check the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center website or call the hotline. The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center is also known as NWAC. b. According to Ian McCammon in his 2007 article, “An Evaluation of Rule-based Decision Tools for Travel in Avalanche Terrain” from Cold Regions Science and Technology , using primary nonparametric analysis, he was able to find that these crucial decision aids would have prevented between 60% and 92% of historical accidents studied, with the actual proportion of accidents prevented varying greatly among distinct decision aids. c. 
 Remember to check it before you go, not after you get to your destination. 2. Looking at this picture [see slide #6 in Appendix A], notice to yourself, “have avalanches happened recently?” This slide suggests that one has occurred. a. One way to know if an avalanche has occurred, is to notice if the area has clear defined edges. b. 
 This is how you know that it was a recent avalanche. B. The second question to ask yourself is if there has been loading in the area within the last 48 hours. 1. Loading is the adding of snow to the top of a snowpack from fresh snow, wind, or recent rain. a. Wind is a mini-storm for the snow. b. When the wind is coming from the windward side, it deposits snow on the leeward side. This creates what is known as a cornice which you can see in this picture from Idaho Summits’ website [see slide #7 in Appendix A].

i. A cornice is an overhanging mass of snow often caused by wind. ii. This can break off and trigger an avalanche. 2. On this diagram from the Montana Big Sky Country website, you can see the basics of loading on a mountain [see slide #8 in Appendix A]. a. At the top we have the cornice. Right about here [point] is where the loading occurs. This is the most unsafe part of the mountain. b. The compressive, tensile and shear strength of the individual snow layers within the snow cover vary substantially and the strength of the snow layers depends strongly on the state of stress and the strain rate according to the “Snow mechanics and avalanche information: Field experiments on the dynamic response of the snow cover” article in the Surveys in Geophysics . c. With a falling cornice or someone boarding, this part has the potential to break off [point]. d. For example, in the 2008 Cold Region Science and Technology Journal article titled, “Snowpack observations and fracture concepts for skier-triggering of dry-snow slab avalanches” dry- snow slab avalanche release is generally believed to proceed in three stages. i. The first stage is initiation of a local failure (crack). ii. The second is widespread fast propagation of that fracture beneath the slab. iii. And the final stage is the detachment of the slab from its margins. e. Also Ian McCammon explains in his 2008 journal article from Science , “Anticrack nucleation as triggering mechanism for snow slab avalanches”, snow slab avalanches are believed to be set of often by the gravity-driven shear failure of weak layers in what is known as stratified snow. Transition to second main point: Now that I have talked about the first two letters of ALPTRUTh, Cassie will now discuss the dangers of paths and terrain traps. II. Avalanche paths and terrain traps can be very dangerous contributors to avalanche deaths. A. An avalanche path is a very dangerous zone to be in; even in the deposition zone. 1. Here [see slide #9 in Appendix A] you can see a path on the mountain during the spring time. In the winter, this chute has the potential to foster an avalanche path. a. On the left [see slide #10 in Appendix A] is an unobvious avalanche path from the Lake 22 Avalanche Accident Report on the NWAC website that left three buried and one killed.