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Steep ground - What is it?

teep ground is terrain – either traverses or climbs up or down - that is potentially deadly due to one or a combination of the following four factors:

A slippery surface: all snow is slippery, but if the track we’re skiing is glazed ice, covered in avalanche rubble or thin snow cover with rocks and bushes exposed, then this is clearly going to be harder to stay in control on if we’re still on our skis. If we’re ascending or descending a couloir or slope on our feet that is steep, icy or rocky, then we are now climbing, not skiing. Different skills and a fresh mindset is required.

A nasty unforgiving run-out: by run-out we mean where you’re likely to stop if you fall. For example:
· Will you slide down a glazed couloir and over the cliff at the bottom, or into a pile of boulders?
· Will you slide down into a gaping crevasse?
· Does the slope eventually flatten out into a deep snow bowl that will cushion a fall – (but if it’s a long slope what injuries will you sustain as you cartwheel down)?

The human factor: be careful that there isn’t a queue of people ready to slide up your backside (on their skis) or fall on you or kick rocks/ice down on you higher up the couloir.

The nature factor: is the steep slope threatened from above by icefall, rock fall or avalanche? In this case you have the pressure of moving quickly out of harm’s way and staying secure on dodgy ground.