Backpacking Light Podcast Episode 140 | Winter Storm Decisions
Dec 9, 2025
Discover a structured six-question framework for making crucial decisions during winter storms. Learn how to assess terrain hazards, evaluate weather intensity, and check your gear's capabilities. Understand the importance of considering consequences and the group's state. Ryan discusses monitoring trends over time to ensure safety in the backcountry. This insightful guide is perfect for adventurers wanting to navigate precarious situations while enjoying the winter wilderness.
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Assess Terrain First
- Anchor your decision first in terrain: identify avalanche paths, terrain traps, cliffs, and overhead hazards before considering anything else.
- Then compare how those hazards affect staying versus moving to choose safer locations based on objective danger.
Beartooth Night Move To Lake
- On a Beartooth ski trip, Ryan's team moved camp at night into the middle of a frozen lake to avoid avalanche runouts on surrounding slopes.
- They used GPS to position camp so avalanche debris passed on both sides and heard slides during the night while remaining safe.
Weather As A Dose
- Think of weather as dose: intensity multiplied by duration to calculate true exposure risk over time.
- Short intense gusts and long steady winds can both produce high doses with different operational consequences.