Slab avalanche in Kyrgyzstan's Terskey Alatoo mountains, March 2010.
As the sport of backcountry skiing/riding progresses and innovations take root, skiers and riders around the world are increasingly taking bigger chances - seeking bigger lines, dropping bigger cliffs, chasing after the deepest powder.
This trend, however, has led to a spike in avalanche-related deaths, even in regions with solid infrastructure and avalanche resources. In recent years, the US, Canada, and many countries in Europe have reported as many as 20-30+ avalanche fatalities per year. Many of these deaths have resulted from inexperienced skiers/riders seeking out adventure in the backcountry, and also experienced skiers/riders chasing out steep routes in poor conditions.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre (http://www.avalanche.ca/cac) reports from a study of avalanche deaths in Canada over the past 2 decades that the most common mistakes made by backcountry recreationists include:
Poor trip preparation
Lack of knowledge of recognizing avalanche terrain
Inability to assess snow stability
Unskilled backcountry search and rescue techniques
And as the buzz spreads to places with limited infrastructure and resources (that's Russia and other CIS countries included!), more and more people are putting themselves at risk of being involved in an avalanche incident. Also, ski resorts in many of these places do not manage their backcountry or even their in-bounds slopes!
Fortunately, a unique opportunity is now available to anyone in Russia or any CIS country this winter to receive the equivalent of the US AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) Level One Avalanche Certification.