Item: SNOW CREEP AND GLIDE FIELD MEASUREMENTS: IMPROVEMENTS FOR DESIGN OF GAS-BASED REMOTE AVALANCHE CONTROL SYSTEMS
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Title: SNOW CREEP AND GLIDE FIELD MEASUREMENTS: IMPROVEMENTS FOR DESIGN OF GAS-BASED REMOTE AVALANCHE CONTROL SYSTEMS
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Adam Davis [ Park City Mountain Resort, Park City, UT, USA ]
- Anton Avchyan [ Wasatch Geotech, Murray, UT, USA ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Snow creep and glide forces in alpine environments contribute to structural damage and midwinter failure of remote avalanche control systems (RACS), particularly affecting near-land-surface components such as gas lines. Models that describe sustained gravitational forces in slowly deforming snowpack exhibit notable regional bias and rely on limited field validation in North America. Although some validation exists for large structures such as snow-supporting structures and lift towers, significantly less attention has been paid to forces acting at the snow-ground interface, where land-cover properties strongly influence creep and glide behavior. This gap is critical for gas-based RACS, where gas lines extend through starting zones, exposing large segments of near-surface infrastructure to snow pressure. This work reviews the current literature on snow creep and glide in engineering design, including foundational European and American guidelines, and recent advances in field instrumentation and monitoring. The review identifies key limitations in existing models, particularly the uncertainty associated with ground-surface coefficients, the need for standardized treatment of surface conditions, and the lack of direct force measurements at the snow-ground interface. These limitations suggest that current design practices may not adequately represent real-world loading conditions for near-surface infrastructure. To address this gap, the study proposes a field-based conceptual framework to directly measure basal creep and glide forces and evaluate the influence of ground surface characteristics.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P1.47.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098821
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Adam Davis
Keywords: Planning and Engineering, RACS Installation and Maintenance, Snow Creep, Glide
Page Number(s): 1821 - 1829
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