Item: LEARNING FROM AVALANCHE ACCIDENTS: THE IMPACT OF THE WILSON GLADE PUBLIC ACCIDENT DEBRIEF
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Title: LEARNING FROM AVALANCHE ACCIDENTS: THE IMPACT OF THE WILSON GLADE PUBLIC ACCIDENT DEBRIEF
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Laura M.D. Maguire [ Cognition in the Wild, Wenatchee, WA, USA ]
- Dave Richards [ Avalanche Risk Solutions, Alta, UT, USA ]
- Drew Hardesty [ Utah Avalanche Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA ]
- Paige Pagnucco [ Utah Avalanche Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA ]
- Morgan E. Reynolds [ Trace Cognitive Engineering, Louisville, KY, USA ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: On February 6, 2021, two backcountry skiing groups totaling eight people converged on Wilson Glade in the central Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah. A large hard-slab avalanche captured seven skiers; despite extensive rescue efforts, four people were killed. After the accident report and public forum were released, we surveyed Utah Avalanche Center users to understand what readers remembered and whether the event influenced later behavior. The 2021 survey produced 334 responses; 200 agreed to follow-up, and 74 responded in 2026. This paper compares immediate and five-year follow-up responses to identify durable learning, recall gaps, and reported behavior changes connected to accident reporting. The findings suggest ways accident reports and related outreach can better support long-term learning and safer backcountry decision-making.
Object ID: ISSW2026_O3.1.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098563
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Dave Richards
Keywords: Avalanche Accident, Education, Human Factors, Behavioral Change
Page Number(s): 137 - 144
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