Barbara Lawlor, Peak to Peak.   Colorado has the most dangerous snowpack conditions in North America. The layers of snow are unstable causing more fatalities than in any other snowpack area.

Colorado, and especially our back yard, the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, is also one of the most appealing places to back country ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or hike. All too often however, people head into the back country unprepared for the surprises that nature can throw at them.

Last week, Shaun Nauman, a Level 4 Avalanche Instructor, spoke to a group of experts, novices and many in-between levels of back country enthusiasts at the Nederland  Community Center. He presented the film “Know Before You Go,” a graphic, informative film showing what a full-speed, full power avalanche looks like; and in a couple of cases, the film showed what a person caught in the path of an avalanche looks like, as he is tumbled down the hill along with the rocks and trees that are swept up in the wall of snow.

The film makes one realize the importance of knowing the potential danger and the immense power of a slab of snow sliding off a layer that can no longer hold it.

Nauman says there are two messages that the mountains send: “Come on in” or “Get Out of Here,” but one has to know how to read the signs.

“Avalanches don’t discriminate; they are equal opportunity killers,” said Iain Irwin-Powell, a Nederland Fire Protection District firefighter who introduced Nauman. He said a lot of people have misconceptions about avalanches. There are many ways to get caught in one and people have to understand and plan before they head out to the high country.

Nauman began teaching avalanche safety about two years ago, teaching a new way to look at avalanches. He promotes education as a way to reduce the number of fatalities attributed to avalanches.

“Colorado has the most dangerous snowpack in Colorado because of our variable weather. It is unstable creating a wedding cake effect, layers of different snow types stacked on top of each other, ready to slide off after a thaw. The wind, the light snow, and the solar conditions can make the snow look fine on the surface but be different underneath.”

When one stands on the side of an inviting, unmarked field of snow, he has to understand what is going on under that pristine snowfield. That sparkling hoar frost that creates diamond dust on the snow is not really snow, it is a crystalline structure that doesn’t bind with the snow, a weak layer that is silent, waiting for a trigger.

This is caused by the hoar that is near the surface of the ground where the sun’s rays are trapped under the first layers, melting the snow which then freezes at night. This snow sets up like ball bearings that will fracture over a large area.

In 2013, five people were killed in an avalanche at Loveland pass. They tried to cross a field that fractured and came crashing down on them.

“We are getting into the slab season now, says Nauman. “We have to be aware of the terrain above and below the surface. We also have to know that following the summer trails on snowshoes is not safe in the winter.”

He says snowshoers, skiers, or snowboarders should always travel an area one at a time. When a 0-60 mph avalanche hits, there have to be people who can help get those who were caught in the raging snow wall to get out. Snow sets up like concrete, Nauman explains. Another safety ‘must’ is staying within boundaries, because 90 percent of avalanches are triggered outside of a boundary where mitigation has taken place.

Making a mental checklist is the best way to be prepared. It is a rigid, analytical way of thinking. One must have the gear, the training, the weather forecast, the picture of where they are going and the knowledge of how to get out of harm’s way.

Nauman says, “Eighty percent of people who get caught in an avalanche have had training, but they decided to take a shortcut.”

He also says that high tech equipment is great but one has to know how to use it. Back country adventurers have to practice using their gear. Nauman also warns people to pack overnight things, just in case.

It was a serious, startling presentation that gave, in some cases, a real-life situation in which a hapless person is caught up in the indefensible power of an avalanche. The right equipment and knowledge are the only weapons one has to save themselves.

For more information, contact Know Before You Go, Colorado.org/avalanche.