Avalanche educators weigh pros, cons of social media on safety

As social media continues to grow in popularity, Canadian avalanche educators say it can have both pitfalls and benefits for skiers and snowboarders heading into the backcountry.

In October, avalanche experts from around the world met in Colorado for the International Snow Science Workshop.

It included discussions on how social media can influence decision making because it can lead to a culture of competitiveness on Instagram feeds and in YouTube videos.

Officials in Alberta and British Columbia, however, said there have always been outside factors on how skiers and snowboarders make decisions in the backcountry.

“Social media’s influence is obviously growing but the concept of ‘Kodak courage’ is nothing new,” said Mary Clayton, a spokeswoman for Avalanche Canada who attended the workshop. “Research into the effect of human factors on decision making in avalanche terrain has been around since the early 2000s and has been a core component of our work since then.

“Both recreational and professional avalanche education in Canada has a strong focus on this.”

They also started a new approach last year by having a team of Avalanche Ambassadors, mostly high-profile athletes who have a big social media networks, to promote training and safe backcountry behaviour.

Both Clayton and officials with Parks Canada said that they believe social media can also be beneficial because it helps backcountry users become more informed.

“When I started writing avalanche forecasts, we used to drive it to the trailhead and post it, and read it on a phone line,” said Lisa Paulson, a visitor safety specialist with Parks Mountain Safety. “I remember at the time thinking I wonder how many people get this? I don’t wonder that anymore.

“I think it’s wonderful how we can get out an avalanche forecast and we know it has this targeted reach of so many people.”

These days, avalanche forecasts are immediately available online on the Mountain Conditions Report with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and through the public reports on Avalanche Canada’s website.

“You have to put your filter on when you read some of those,” Paulson said of the public reports, “but it allows people to get information more immediately and more information that can be quite credible, influencing their decision in a good way.

“Overall, we’re seeing more people being educated in how to use terrain, what equipment to pack and bring. There’s been a lot of forward strides.”

They include the avalanche terrain rating system and the daily avalanche bulletins.

“The way those are both readily available on social media and on websites, you don’t have to dig very far to get good tools to help you make a wise decision,” said Paulson. “Any of us can fall into decisionmaking traps. That’s human.”

Overall, we’re seeing more people being educated ... There’s been a lot of forward strides.