ASC Route Planning & Travel Protocols Flashcards

When is it MOST appropriate to use a ridgeline travel route even when it requires significantly more elevation gain?

Answer: When valley and mid-slope routes expose the group to sustained avalanche terrain

The additional effort of ridgeline travel is routinely justified when alternative routes place the group in prolonged exposure to avalanche start zones or runout corridors.

During a guided trip, the ASC-recommended protocol when a group member triggers a small, non-injurious sluff is to:

Answer: Stop, reassess conditions, discuss the observation, and decide whether to continue or retreat

Any triggered snow movement is a real-time stability signal; ASC protocols require immediate collective reassessment rather than dismissing small events.

The ASC protocol for 'travel in avalanche terrain at night' primarily requires professionals to:

Answer: Restrict travel to confirmed safe corridors identified during daylight reconnaissance

Night travel eliminates visual terrain assessment, making pre-identified safe corridors from daylight reconnaissance the essential substitute for real-time observation.

Which factor most significantly increases the avalanche hazard on a previously safe slope during the afternoon hours?

Answer: Solar radiation warming the snowpack on sun-exposed aspects

Afternoon solar warming weakens the snow surface on south and west-facing slopes, increasing wet slab and loose wet avalanche potential during spring and clear-weather conditions.

Under ASC travel protocols, a 'safe island' during route travel is defined as:

Answer: A protected location outside avalanche runout zones used as a staging point between exposed sections

Safe islands are pre-identified staging points where the group can assemble outside exposure zones between individual member crossings of hazard terrain.

When evaluating a route that crosses multiple avalanche paths, the ASC standard requires that each path be treated as:

Answer: An independent hazard requiring individual evaluation of aspect, angle, recent loading, and consequence

Each avalanche path has unique aspect, angle, loading history, and terrain trap characteristics that cannot be generalized from the regional forecast alone.