Snow Sense: A Guide to Evaluating Snow Avalanche Hazard

by Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler

Book Overview

The fifth edition of a best-selling classic. Snow Sense is the leading primer on how to avoid getting caught in an avalanche. Written by the experts, Snow Sense focuses on the critical terrain,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0964399407
• ISBN13: 9780964399402
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Alaska Mountain Safety Center, Incorporated
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 10.1" x 11.7"

Customer Reviews

A "big little book"

As a longtime Alaskan, I feel fortunate to have had both Doug and Jill in many courses. The book Snow sense is now the required reading material for all Nat'l Ski Patrol avalanche courses, and rightly so. I read it at the begining of every season. True avalanche professionals. If you ever have the chance, come to Alaska and take one of their courses.

From Backcountry Magazine #19, 1999

Used by avalanche professionals as a base for avalanche education classes. Small size but HUGE on concise information for learning to recognize, evaluate, and avoid potential avalanche hazards.

Review from Outside Mag.,The Outside Canon:A Few Great Books

"Avalanches are not acts of God. This valuable book details how to read terrain, snowpack, and weather variables to determine the possiblities of avalanche and how to save yourself in case of one.

Review in Powder Magazine, March 1999

"Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler are the best avalanche instructors in North America, period. No other teachers have more credibility or put as much effort into the curriculum, presentation, and teaching methods...Their book "Snow Sense" is by far the best material available on staying alive in avalanche country."

Review in Backpacker Magazine, May 1995

"Here's a book you should have. I know, I know, everybody says that but this is different. This book lays out what avalanches are and how they happen, and it will save your life. Now notice I didn't say this is a book you should have on your bookshelf. This one should be in the top pocket of your pack. Simply put,"Snow Sense" is a pocket guide to safe snow travel, whether you're hiking, backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing, or mountaineering in high risk areas.Avalanches don't simply explode out of nowhere. The ones that kill people are usually started by the victims. This book will teach you that such catastrophes are avoidable. You can learn to recognize and evaluate avalanche hazards. You can learn to "read" the snowpack, "read" the mountains, and save your skin. "Snow Sense" is a hands-on, explicit, clear-thinking, hard-hitting field guide that teaches you how. By studying the book's "bulls-eye" clues to snowpack stability, hardness tests, shear block tests, weather analysis, simple physics, and hazard checklists, you'll come away with all you need to know about avalanches and how to avoid being caught by one.Read it once. Read it again. Take it into the field and practice the skills it teaches. Every time I hear of another avalanche-caused death in the Rockies, I wish the victim had read this book. The survivors must read it.