Avalanche Education and Snowpack Analysis in Bariloche, AR

My studies took place in the Andes Mountains surrounding the town of Bariloche, Argentina.

Patagonia is a unique place to study weather and snow, because it experiences weather patterns unlike any other place in the world. Because there is no significant land mass east or west of Patagonia, the winds are not dampened, and are therefore incredibly strong. Strong winds result in many cascading meteorological effects, which make for an interesting snowpack to study.

More specifically, my studies took place in and around Refugio Frey, one of the many backcountry huts that can be accessed in Bariloche. This hut is central to world class skiing and climbing, attracting professional skiers and climbers every year. This fact, combined with the unique snowpack in the area, made this the perfect place to perform my research.

I worked with Juan Pablo Villagra, the director of the Centro de Información de Avalanchas (CIAV), Argentina's first and only forecasting and avalanche information center. They currently create forecasts for Bariloche and El Chalten. Bariloche and Chalten are famous for their skiing and climbing, hence the need for thorough forecasting and avalanche education.

We dug several snow profiles each day we were out in the field, and I interviewed Juan P., as well as other recreationalists, guides, and hutkeepers at the Refugio about their avalanche education and experience. I was able to interview twenty people at the hut who came from all over the world to enjoy the skiing and climbing in the Frey backcountry.

Shown below is the CIAv website, where users can view the daily forecasts for various elevations, as well as recommendations from forecasters on safe backcountry travel.

One objective of this research was to compare the avalanche education and forecasting between Colorado and Argentina. Throughout my interviews, I gathered the following differences and similarities:

Similarities:

• The avalanche education here in Bariloche is the same as in the United States. Recreational AIARE 1 + 2 courses are taught here, as well as Companion Rescue, and Pro 1 + 2.
• The setup of the forecast is the same - with different avalanche hazard levels being forecasted below, at, and above tree line, as well as the different avalanche problems on each aspect.

Differences:

• In the Colorado, forecasts are separated into individual zones within the state. This likely has to do having more funding and more forecasters. The "Friends of CAIC" organization brings in a lot of money every year to Colorado's forecasting community.

For this portion of my studies, I found that aside from funding differences, the avalanche education is very similar to that carried out in Colorado, and the rest of the United States as well.

We did not have time to dig nearly enough snow profiles to get a proper grasp of the years' snowpack. We did find some general trends that I will outline here:

• The strong wind here in Patagonia creates microclimates, which lead to a very, very different snowpack depending on the aspect of a slope, and/or whether the terrain is sheltered. Of course, this effect happens wherever there is wind, but it is exacerbated here because winds are much stronger and persistent.

• The presence of El Nino this winter in South America brought some warm and wet weather systems, which resulted in the snow/rain elevation line increasing greatly for many of the storm cycles that came through. This means it was raining more frequently in the alpine, creating several rain crusts in the snowpack. Climate change will continue to bring warmer and more erratic weather systems worldwide, which will affect Patagonia specifically due to its unique geographic location. This means variable snowpack for years to come (while there still is snow).

Based on my own limited observations:

• "Alpine starts" are less prevalent here in the springtime, as the sun rises around 8:30AM and the sun sets around 7PM! It generally is more common for people to begin and end a little bit later in the day, unless there are weather constraints. This allowed for a much more relaxed and restful experience.
  • "Frey Style" was to sleep in, have a nice breakfast and wait for the sun to come up, ski until a mid-day lunch break, then head back out to the mountains and ski until dusk.

• People at the hut seemed to be a lot less cagey about sharing their ski locations and experiences. Everybody openly shared where they got their best turns of the day and made genuine recommendations to other groups about where to go. The attitude was that there was plenty of snow and terrain to go around -- and that sharing is caring. This is not at all similar to any experience I have had anywhere in the United States!

• Apres and night life begin late! Most locations do not fill with partiers until around two in the morning. This is not necessarily linked to just South American ski culture -- it is a commonality shared between many regions in the world.

• Climate change will continue to affect snowpacks around the world as global temperatures increase. I am interested in investigating how melting snowpacks/glaciers affect hydrological systems, particularly in South America. I will be performing research regarding glacier melt, snowpack, and hydrology of Torres del Paine National Park through my current study abroad program, The School for Field Studies, in November through a directed research process. I hope to connect my findings with this research.

• I will be visiting El Chalten in one week, and plan to chat with some guides and forecasters there about avalanche education and forecasting. El Chalten is the other CIAV forecast location. I will update this StoryMap with information that I receive in Chalten!

I had a fantastic time carrying out my research. Aside from academic material, I learned a lot from my guide and ski partner about backcountry navigation, keeping my composure in windy and steep terrain, and improving my skinning techniques in tricky/sometimes highly consequential conditions.

I also made many friends along the way that I am very grateful for -- all of the kind folks I met at the hut from around the world, the amazing hut keepers that kept our bellies full and spirits high, and an amazing family in Bariloche that opened up their home to me. I felt incredibly welcomed to this amazing place, and I am so grateful for this opportunity.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Keller Family for funding this Venture Grant. This is an experience that I will remember for a long time to come.