Routefinding On Snow
By Don Graydon.
Mountaineers read the snow surface and terrain features to determine a safe, efficient route. Dangers often lie beneath the surface: moats, creeks, or glacier crevasses hidden by a thin snow cover. Minimize the frustrations and dangers of snow by studying the medium. Mountaineers let the snow work for them.
The best snow is snow that is safe from avalanche and that will comfortably support your weight for easy stepkicking. Such snow exists, but you have to seek it out. Location of the best snow varies from day to day, even from hour to hour. If the snow is slushy in one spot, or too hard or too crusty or too something, look around: there may be better snow a few feet away.
Tips for making the best use of the snow surface:
Major terrain features present both obstacles and opportunities. Some you use, some you avoid, but they all have to be reckoned with.
A good routefinder uses a variety of tools to stay on route or reach a destination, including a compass, a map, an altimeter, wands, cairns, the sun, and visual landmarks. The creative use of several methods becomes especially important when visibility is poor.
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