ASC Quality Control & Process Improvement 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of an after-action review (AAR) following an avalanche incident or close call?
- To assign blame to the decision-maker who triggered the avalanche
- To identify what went well and what should change to prevent recurrence (Correct answer)
- To satisfy legal liability requirements
- To update the group's insurance policy
Correct answer: To identify what went well and what should change to prevent recurrence
AARs focus on systematic learning by analyzing decisions, communications, and actions so future groups can improve their processes.
Question 2: When two team members disagree on a slope's hazard rating during a Go/No-Go discussion, what quality control practice best resolves this?
- Default to the more experienced member's opinion without discussion
- Vote and proceed based on majority opinion
- Share specific observations and apply a structured decision-making framework together (Correct answer)
- Postpone the tour indefinitely
Correct answer: Share specific observations and apply a structured decision-making framework together
Sharing observable evidence and using a structured framework (such as AIARE's travel protocols) grounds disagreements in data rather than hierarchy or majority opinion.
Question 3: Which root-cause analysis tool is most applicable to identifying systemic errors in avalanche decision-making?
- A flowchart of physical snowpack layers
- The Five Whys technique applied to the decision chain (Correct answer)
- A weather observation log
- A topographic map of the incident site
Correct answer: The Five Whys technique applied to the decision chain
The Five Whys technique iteratively asks why each decision was made, exposing the underlying cognitive or procedural failures that led to the incident.
Question 4: At what point during a ski tour should a mid-route reassessment of avalanche conditions be triggered?
- Only at the summit before descent
- Whenever conditions change from those observed at the trailhead, such as new shooting cracks or whumpfing (Correct answer)
- On a fixed two-hour schedule regardless of conditions
- Only if a team member requests it
Correct answer: Whenever conditions change from those observed at the trailhead, such as new shooting cracks or whumpfing
Dynamic field conditions like shooting cracks, whumpfing, or recent natural avalanches are real-time signals that require immediate reassessment of the travel plan.
Question 5: How does a pre-tour plan contribute to quality control during avalanche travel?
- It eliminates all risk by pre-approving safe routes
- It establishes decision points, escape routes, and thresholds before cognitive load increases in the field (Correct answer)
- It serves only as a legal record for rescue teams
- It replaces the need for real-time terrain evaluation
Correct answer: It establishes decision points, escape routes, and thresholds before cognitive load increases in the field
Pre-planning sets clear thresholds and checkpoints when team members are calm and unhurried, improving in-field decision quality under pressure.
Question 6: Which human factor most commonly degrades decision quality in avalanche terrain and should be monitored as a process control?
- Insufficient clothing layers
- Summit fever and commitment bias overriding objective hazard signals (Correct answer)
- Lack of map-reading skill
- Inadequate caloric intake
Correct answer: Summit fever and commitment bias overriding objective hazard signals
Commitment bias causes groups to discount or minimize hazard signals once invested in reaching an objective, and recognizing it is a key process control in AIARE frameworks.
Question 7: What is the best way for a group to document lessons learned from a near-miss avalanche event for future process improvement?
- Discuss briefly and rely on memory
- Submit a formal report to a near-miss database such as those maintained by avalanche centers (Correct answer)
- Keep the event private to avoid embarrassment
- Post informally on social media
Correct answer: Submit a formal report to a near-miss database such as those maintained by avalanche centers
Near-miss databases aggregate field data from multiple groups, enabling pattern recognition and program-level improvements that no single team could achieve alone.
ASC Quality Control & Process Improvement 3
What is the primary purpose of an after-action review (AAR) following an avalanche incident or close call?