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The McNab BC safety Mantra
Backcountry safety is all about good judgement and correct decision making. Use the McNab Mantra to help you find your way.
Beyond the boundaries!
When we venture out away from the patrolled ski area into the Backcountry the rules of the game change considerably.
Backcountry booty! 2 weeks later this slope avalanched!
As soon as we leave the relative safety of the controlled area and ride into the Backcountry we are immediately exposed to the dangers associated with this untamed high mountain environment.
As soon as we ride away from the pisted area we move onto a snowpack that we might know very little about and as we leave the relative safety of the marked trail we are at the mercy of our own route finding and our own decision making.
The laws of Nature!
Amongst the high peaks, the laws of nature rule. Here slopes can shed their snow in avalanche, rocks can fall from high above and cornices can collapse without warning.
The rules of engagement here are simple, you follow and respect the laws of nature, you learn from the environment around you and you heed the warning signs and guidance offered all around; and then you make your decisions based upon good judgement and common sense.
From the moment we duck under the boundary ropes we are thrown in charge of our own safety and through our actions and awareness of our surroundings, our own destiny.
The right decision!
Anyone that starts to head away from the ski area will quickly realise that a large part of riding in the Backcountry is all about correct decision making!
The terrain around us, whilst offering us some of the greatest riding that we can hope to imagine, can also be full of hidden natural danger.
With no tracks to follow you make all the decisions!
From the moment we leave the pistes we are put in charge of our every decision, ‘where we go! How we go there! What we do! How we do it’!
All is not lost however! Whilst we can never eliminate the risks around us completely, we can begin to understand them, judge them and work with them and this in turn will help us with the decisions that we choose to make.
The McNab Mantra
I spend quite a lot of time in the Backcountry and most of my day is spent assessing my surroundings, reading the signs given to me by the mountain and making judgements based upon what I know and what I see.
To help me with my assessment I use what I call the ‘McNab Mantra’.
The McNab Mantra is a very simple phrase to remember and repeat in times of uncertainty or when moving into new and unfamiliar ground. I use it in some form or other all the time, it has become my instinct, it is how I take in and evaluate everything that I see.
The McNab Mantra – Look up! Look Down! Look all around!
Look up! - Dangers from above.
Look Down! - Dangers lying below.
Look all around – What is the status of the slope under your feet?
Becoming aware!
Life in the mountain environment is not a very complicated one. For the most part there are many helpful signs to help guide your way and help you assess your surroundings. Most decisions here in the backcountry come down to a moderate amount of mountain awareness and a large dose of common sense.
The first thing to do when venturing into the Backcountry is to tune into your surroundings. Now is the time to open your eyes to the terrain all around you, to tune into that inner voice, find your sixth sense so to speak and feel for your surroundings.
Look for telltale signs of any ‘obvious danger’ such as current and previous avalanche activity or fresh sign of rock fall. Look at the symptoms and try to work out the cause.
Next look for more ‘hidden dangers’. Look for heavily snow loaded slopes, signs of loading from the wind and assess the shape and steepness of the terrain.
Terrain assessment!
Terrain assessment is a key skill to possess in Backcountry decision making.
Try to imagine gravity trying to pull the snow from the slopes all around you. Look for the points where you see the most downward tension and make a mental note of these most at risk areas. Look for those zones that you feel are least stressed, these are now your key safety points.
Next look at the risks posed by this hidden avalanche danger. Where would the snow go in the event of a slope release? Would it be channelled by the mountain and so increase in depth as it came to rest in a terrain trap such as a gully or bowl below? Is there a real danger below such as a cliff or rock band?
Are your most at risk areas above you, below you or all around you?
You are already beginning to play the risk assessment game. Try to notice how nature is playing its hand. Take into account everything around you, look for the clues and listen and learn.
Balance the negatives against the positives!
Now you can begin to weigh the risks against the possibilities. Begin to balance the fore and against, the perfect riding line balanced against the risks involved. You can obviously never eliminate all possible risk but by following the clues given to us by our surroundings we can begin to seriously stack the odds in our favour.
Link the safe zones!
Look at possible lines, search out their hidden dangers, assess the risks involved, safety lines, safe zones, stopping places, escape lines, these should all be high on your list of ticks and play a big part in your choice of line.
A good call and a perfect score!
Roll off’s, convex slopes, concave compressions, all areas of high snowpack stress should be in your list of crosses as should slopes heavy in wind loaded snow and areas with terrain traps below.
Begin to balance your findings and create possibilities before you.
Re-evaluate as you ride!
Learn to re-evaluate and re-assess as you go, keep your eyes open to your surroundings and listen to your instincts. Look up, look down, look all around!
Follow to your instincts!
If at any point the inner warning bells begin to ring, listen carefully and never ignore them.
Follow ‘The McNab Mantra’, repeat it constantly,
Look up! - Dangers from above. (Shape of terrain, Avalanche, Rock fall etc.)
Look Down! - Dangers lying below. (Shape of terrain, Terrain traps, cliff
bands, Avalanche etc)
Look all around – Dangers under your feet. (Snowpack stability, Terrain shape, Snowpack tension.)
Make confident decisions or none at all!
Be confident of your decisions, be responsible for your actions, learn from your surroundings and enjoy the ride!
Look up! Look Down! Look all around!