I'm still pretty new to backcountry snowmobiling. That was very evident when Ski-Doo's Steve Martin (no, not Father of the Bride Steve Martin) took me into the woods near my house and absolutely destroyed me on a fairly non-technical blast. But one of the things that I took seriously was the possibility of an avalanche, as Martin himself drilled into my head.
Avalanches bury folks each and every year throughout the West, as people don't pay attention to weather, snowpack, how that snow fell, the varying temperature changes throughout the season, or even to the hillside's faces and facets telling you exactly what could or couldn't happen. Basically, they go out unprepared, which inevitably leads to injuries, search and rescue calls, and potentially fatal accidents, all thanks to snow calving off a mountainside.
It's scary. And it's why folks buy avalanche beacons, which Steve and I had in our pockets that day. But those are last-case pieces of gear, along with avalanche inflatable jackets. What you really want is better predictors, better maps, and better ways to figure out when or if an avalanche could occur before you go out. That's especially true now with all the cuts to the Forest Service and its avalanche mitigation teams.
Thankfully, the good folks over at onX Backcountry have everyone covered by some major updates to its avalanche tools just in time for snowmobile season.
The update to onX Backcountry includes over 15 million new acres of ATES coverage, with ATES standing for Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale, which "used to categorize the severity of avalanche exposure, strictly based on the landscape, regardless of snowpack conditions," according to Avalanche.org.
The non-profit then breaks the scale down, stating, "The Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) classifies terrain into five categories based on slope angle, forest density, slope shape, terrain traps, avalanche frequency/magnitude, starting zone size and density, runout zone characteristics, interaction with avalanche paths, and route options for managing exposure." Those five categories include Class 0 through Class 4, with the latter representing the most extreme terrains that can be the most deadly of the classifications.
onX Backcountry's update, however, includes new spots to that coverage, including spots in Washington, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, California, and Oregon. Two such standouts include 838,180 acres in California’s Eastern Sierras, and 581,831 acres around Sonora Pass and Ebbets Pass, also in California.
Speaking on the update's release, onX Backcountry's Senior Content Manager and Beacon Guidebook Founder, Andy Sovick, stated, "As backcountry skiing and snowboarding participation continues to grow, onX is on a mission to equip people with the best possible tools to make smarter decisions. In a sea of ever-changing variables like weather and snowpack, there’s only one variable that remains consistent throughout the season: terrain. By expanding our ATES coverage to some of the most popular terrain across the country, we’re giving skiers and snowboarders one more tool to make better decisions."
onX also added a layer for the lowest classification, allowing folks to enjoy the backcountry in spots where there's no likelihood of an avalanche, with Sovick adding, "This is a bold move because we are now literally drawing a line on the map, saying ‘you won’t get into an avalanche here.’ This can be extremely helpful for Nordic centers, municipalities, utility companies and ski areas. And of course it’s reassuring for people who want to get outside in the winter, yet want to avoid avalanche terrain at all costs."
As for price, for those without onX Backcountry, it ain't bad at all and, in my experience with both Hunt and Off-Road, they're worth their weight in gold, but Backcountry by itself will only set you back $29.99 a year. And with all the cuts I mentioned earlier to the Forest Service and avalanche forecasting and mitigation services this year, having the ability to pull this data up could very well save your bacon.
