Normally we relate experience with a level of proficiency. The more experience one has, the better qualified they are to make the right decisions. It is proven that humans make decisions more readily if they have made similar decisions beforehand. As we recognize patterns through firsthand experiences we see which decisions lead to favorable outcomes and which ones do not; we develop intuition for future actions. In relation to making decisions in avalanche terrain then, how

It has been well documented that backcountry travelers, even with formal training, still are not impervious to avalanche incidents. In fact, clues of avalanche danger are often blatantly obvious, but somehow information gets overlooked all too often and greater risk is taken than was perhaps initially intended. Is it that if we want to do something enough that we will find a way to rationalize it? If so, then how can we put the odds better in our favor? Gordon Graham, a polic