Snow & Avalanche Science
__Outdoor Education__________
Snow & Avalanche Science
January – April
Instructors will take students to a trail in Summit County where they observe the snowpack. Students may dig a snowpit and measure temperature, hardness, or observe snow grain crystals. They may perform a test to determine snowpack stability.
This curriculum explores avalanche science, and does not provide tools for safe travel or decision making in the backcountry. We encourage students to pursue recreational avalanche training before venturing into the backcountry.
Exploration
Exploration based learning involves observation making, then asking questions or playing a game about their observation. If teachers choose an exploration lens, they may want their students to focus on one of the following topics within Snow Science.
Snow Metamorphosis
After making observations about the snow grains, students will be asked to make inferences about the stability of the snowpack. For a deeper understanding, students may be asked to explain how weather affects the formation of snow grains in the snowpack over time.
Avalanche Dynamics
Students will dig snow pits and perform tests to show how the different layers of the snowpack interact with one another. They will be asked to predict how weather patterns, type of terrain, and shape of snow grains lead to an avalanche.
Program Standards:
NGSS-MS-ESS3-2 NGSS-HS-ESS3-1