The frigid winter season is upon us and all I can do is daydream about palm trees gently swaying in the warm breezes somewhere south of here. My car, born and raised in Southern California, has no idea what to think of the snow and ice. Of course for others this is the season that they dream of all year to challenge the forbidding back country high in the mountains. By now a good deal of fresh snow has accumulated on top of some older ice and the threat of avalanches is mounting. Why do we find it necessary to take this sort of risk? Maybe because we got bored with our other hobby of Russian Roulette. For mountain climbing and skiing in the remote, pristine landscapes you go with the assumption that you could fall victim to a slip in the snow pack and you might be buried alive under tons of snow and debris. With that assumption there is training and equipment that will improve your odds of surviving an avalanche. First of all you should be out there alone, and second every member of your team must have a solid understanding of the techniques for dealing with the catastrophe. If your group is hit by an avalanche it’s not possible to know who is going to be left to rescue everybody else.