Item: "SAFE UNTIL IT ISN'T": PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVES ON RIDING STEEP COULOIRS IN THE BACKCOUNTRY
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Title: "SAFE UNTIL IT ISN'T": PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVES ON RIDING STEEP COULOIRS IN THE BACKCOUNTRY
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Tim Dassler [ CARE Center for Avalanche Research and Education, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ] [ Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ]
- Tarjei Westerlund [ CARE Center for Avalanche Research and Education, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ] [ Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Steep couloir riding concentrates multiple hazards, such as avalanches, cornices, rock-fall, and fall risk, into terrain leaving little room for error. Despite this, couloir riding is growing in popularity, driven by social media, advancements in equipment, sources of information and increased accessibility to suitable terrain. However, this specific backcountry activity receives little attention in both recreational avalanche education and research. We examined how experienced practitioners approach planning, decision-making, and execution of steep couloir riding; which knowledge and skill sets they consider essential, and how avalanche education contribute to these essentials. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 experienced couloir riders from Scandinavia, the European Alps, North America, and the British Isles, ranging from 2 to 25+ years of riding couloirs. Data were analyzed using Systematic text condensation, a thematic cross-case method conducted stepwise during data collection. Results are presented as condensates: synthesized first-person accounts that retain practitioners' voices while representing patterns across the sample. Five themes emerged: reading and timing terrain; habituation and unreliable feedback; partners and personal capability; the draw and its shadow; and the limits of formal education. Practitioners did not describe seeking risk, but waiting: watching lines for seasons until the mountain grants opportunity, with maximal control, not to conquer conditions but to stay responsive to terrain and conditions that cannot be made safe. Drawing on the concept of resonance, we interpret the fascination drawing riders to the practice as a meaningful relationship with the uncontrollable (German: Das Unverfügbare). Predictability nurtures alienation, and resonance cannot arise unless some elements extend beyond our control. For education, participants converged: courses are necessary but structurally insufficient, because couloir judgement is grown through participation and mentorship rather than delivered content in a learning environment where outcomes do not reliably track decision quality.
Object ID: ISSW2026_O12.5.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098539
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Tim Dassler
Keywords: steep riding, couloirs, qualitative research, avalanche education, risk communication, mentorship
Page Number(s): 1805 - 1812
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