Using fieldbooks

The Alaska Avalanche Fieldbook

We developed these versatile notebooks for our own fieldwork and courses. They have been refined and extensively field-tested in our demanding Alaskan conditions and courses, as well as in our travels and work in North America, Asia, and Europe.

The book essentially gives you an avalanche course outline and cheat sheet in your coat pocket! The pages are designed to lead you through every step of field snow stability evaluation and recording observations.

The looseleaf format allows you to organize pages, file completed pages safely away, copy or scan them flat, eliminate wasted pages, and lower long-term costs by refilling the binder with replacement pages.

We prefer the looseleaf format for our own use, but because of ongoing demand for a more-compact and lower-priced alternative, we are working on a spiral-bound version. It is currently scheduled for availability in the spring of 2012.

Looseleaf Fieldbook Features

Includes 60 pages, 4-3/4" x 7" (12.0 x 17.8cm)
Refill pages available
6-ring binder, 5-3/4" x 7-1/2" (14.6 x 19.0cm) with printed rulers (centimeters and inches) and metric conversion charts
Printed on weatherproof Rite in the Rain® paper
Complies with the standard US observation guidelines in Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States (SWAG)

Includes the following pages (click to see photo and description):

Title page
Key pages a (1 set): Weather observations, pit profiles, snow grain symbols, snow tests
Key pages b (1 set): Snow tests (continued), shear notes, avalanche classification, decision-making, risk management, and rescue
Key pages c (1 set): Emergency medical cheat sheet,AK Block sizing table
Key pages d (1): Avalanche terrain classification matrix
Snow observations (20 as front side of two-page profile sets)
Profiles (20 two-page sets)
Aspect-elevation rose (10; including snow observations on front of sheet)
Blank level sheet (10 double-sided, plus 20 as fourth side of profile sets)

Cost

$30 plus postage

Ordering

Our shop is small, so all orders receive personal attention. To order, just give us a call or drop us an e-mail and let us know what you want. We can take your credit card and can usually get your books to destinations in the US within a few days to a week.

Using our Fieldbooks

The Stability Evaluation and Keeping Field Notes handout on our Course Resources & Handouts Page contains detailed information and instructions for use of these books, including the most-current draft of any revisions pending for the next printing of our checklist and key pages.

The JL Darling #200 looseleaf binders we use are the best available, but are larger, stiffer, and slipperier than we would like. Skateboard deck tape makes good nonskid, and a little creative work with duct tape can add pencil pockets, but the simplest way to improve them is to add the Cordura nylon zippered covers with pencil pockets that are available directly online from JL Darling as No C9200.

We make our own looseleaf binders more flexible by cutting off the front and back plastic covers, leaving the plastic on the binder spine so the clip rings work, and then hand-sewing velcro tabs on the Cordura covers to hold the spine in place.