By Ron Simenhois, Doug Chabot, Karl Birkeland and Ethan Greene
Technical Articles about Snow Science authored by GNFAC forecasters
By Ian Hoyer, Ethan Green, Doug Chabot, Karl W. Birkeland
ABSTRACT: Knowing the Extended Column Test’s (ECT’s) effectiveness at different slab thicknesses is critically important for practitioners. To better understand the limitations of the ECT, we used the SnowPilot dataset to investigate the utility of ECTs for providing an index of crack initiation and propaga-tion on varying weak layer depths. The database currently contains 5013 ECTs conducted by 386, pri-marily professional, users worldwide between 2007 and 2016. The broad range of observers and snowpacks in the dataset allow us to examine variations in ECT results with changing weak layer depth across seasons and locations.
By Doug Chabot, Mark Kahrl and James Earl
ABSTRACT: SnowPilot (www.snowpilot.org) is open-source, free software that allows users to graph,
record and database snowpit information. New for this year is an online version of SnowPilot.
By Karl W. Birkeland1, Edward Bair and Doug Chabot.
Conducting stability tests in avalanche terrain is inherently dangerous since it exposes the observer to the potential of being caught in an avalanche. Recent work shows that such exposure may be unnecessary since the results of extended column tests (ECTs) and propagation saw tests (PSTs) are largely independent of slope angle, allowing for data collection in safer locations.
By Karl Birkeland and Doug Chabot. Paper presented at the 2006 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2006 ISSW, Telluride, CO. You can also view an online video of this presentation.
By Doug Chabot. Poster presented at the 2004 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2004 ISSW, Jackson, Wyoming.
By Ron Johnson and Karl Birkeland. Paper presented at the 2002 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2002 ISSW, Penticton, British Columbia.
By Doug Chabot. Paper presented at the 2002 ISSW, and published in the Proceedings of the 2002 ISSW, Penticton, British Columbia.
A few years ago I was climbing in the Alaska Range. My partner and I were stuck 26 pitches up the first ascent of a mixed face five days into a seven-day storm. As I looked down the face covered with rockbands, couloirs and pockets of snow....