New avalanche center tracks dangers in Taos backcountry

When Andy Bond and Graham Turnage dug pits in the deep snow high in the Taos mountain backcountry near Wheeler Peak, they could tell trouble was ahead. Back-to-back snowstorms followed by high wind had left some of the snow slabs unstable and weak, a perfect setup for avalanches.
By 6 a.m. Tuesday, the men, founders of the Taos Avalanche Center, had sent an avalanche warning to the National Weather Service.
“Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist and travel in and below all avalanche terrain should be avoided,” said the warning from Bond and Turnage, two adept backcountry skiers. The high-danger avalanche warning for the Wheeler Peak and Columbine Hondo wilderness areas above 9,000 feet in elevation was set to remain in place until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
The warning didn’t apply to the usual Taos Ski Valley areas, where crews take measures, as they do at most ski resorts, to reduce avalanche risks.
It was the third avalanche warning from the Taos Avalanche Center this winter.
The center opened in 2016, the first in New Mexico. “New Mexico has never had an avalanche center, and there is definitely a need for it, especially in the Taos area with all of our avalanche terrain,” said Bond, who had just come back Tuesday afternoon from digging snow pits and testing the snow.
Unlike similar avalanche centers, which are managed by the Forest Service, the Taos center was established by Bond and Turnage as an independent nonprofit. They work closely with the National Weather Service, the Taos Ski Valley and the Carson National Forest, he said.
Bond and Turnage follow avalanche forecasting procedures laid out by the Forest Service National Avalanche Center. More people die on national forests from avalanches than from any other hazard, according to the agency.
Most deadly avalanches are set off by the victim or someone in their group, according to the American Avalanche Association, which tracks incidents. Avalanches have killed six backcountry skiers and half-buried another in four states since Dec. 10.
Signs pointing to possible avalanche conditions include unstable snow, wind-blown snow, heavy snowfall or rain in a 24-hour period on top of an existing snowpack and sudden significant warming temperatures.
“Any rapid warming, rapid increase in snow, in wind, is a major concern for us,” Bond said.
Avalanches can be triggered by people recreating in the backcountry or by nature.
Bond and Turnage aim to provide avalanche assessments in the Taos mountain backcountry seven days a week. They send warnings to the National Weather Service.
They check weather updates, then go out in the backcountry to dig and measure snow. “We dig a lot of snow pits, assessing the snow on several points,” Bond said.
They start collecting data about snowfall from the minute it starts falling at weather stations and snow telemetry sites near the Taos Ski Valley. They dig precisely cut pits in the snow, looking at the snow crystals and testing the hardness “like can you put a fist into the snow or a finger,” Bond said.
They test the snow slab stability, carving out a column of snow and tapping it to see how easy the slab slides. A hard slab of snow sandwiched between weaker, loose snow above and below is susceptible to wind and vibrations, making it avalanche prone.
For Bond and Turnage, the work is about recognizing the dangers and educating others.
“I’ve lost a lot of friends to avalanches,” Bond said. “For me, just giving back to the community and providing a public safety resource is something I think is really important.”
He’s hoping they can find donors willing to help the center grow so they can eventually test for avalanche conditions in more areas.
For more information, contact www.taosavalanchecenter.org.
To learn more about avalanches, how to avoid setting one off and how conditions are measured, check out a one-hour talk by Taos Avalanche Center forecasters at Taos Mesa Brewing from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday or from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at Santa Fe Brewing Co. at the Bridge, 37 Fire Place.
Contact Staci Matlock at 505-986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com. Follow her on Twitter @StaciMatlock.