By Susan Sandys  July 29 2009

Mt Hutt ski patrollers are used to being bowled by avalanches as they work in challenging alpine environments throughout the world.

Snow safety officer Scott Redwood said he had been caught in a few while working on skifields overseas, but had never been fully buried.

 He said some fellow senior members of Mt Hutt ski patrol had also been caught, and one or two had even been fully buried.

 But while avalanches are a terrifying phenomenon to most, Mr Redwood sees them as little more than a challenge.

 He and fellow patrollers have completed avalanche polytechnic courses to varying levels, which cost up to $4500 each.

 They see snow from a scientific point of view, and combine their knowledge with experience to predict and eliminate threats.

 Mr Redwood said new snow was not required for an avalanche, and ‘wind load’ or ‘cold temperatures’ could have a trigger effect.

 Chilly conditions could cause metamorphism in the snow pack, changing the shape of snow crystals to squarish which created a weak point.

 But huge snowfalls can create more risk and last year at Mt Hutt there were well over 100 avalanches.

 But rarely are avalanches at the ski area seen by skiers and snowboarders.

 Mr Redwood and colleagues are out and about on skis early each morning and, when it is snowing, work all night to make sure all avalanches have already rumbled down the slopes.

 There are two main ways of triggering avalanches, by blasting hillsides with explosives and ‘ski cutting’.

 The latter method involves skiing out across the top of a ‘start zone’ thereby dislodging the snow beneath.

 Mr Redwood talks about this job as though it was as ordinary as taking one of the ski area’s avalanche dogs for a walk.

 “Yep . . . it keeps you awake,” he said.

 “It’s a job where you have to trust your buddy,” he said.

 That was because if the ski cutter got caught up in the sliding snow he would have to rely on his fellow patroller to dig him out.

 Mr Redwood admits he finds his job exciting.

 Avalanches were a force to be reckoned with.

 “It’s like watching a whole hillside fall down, it’s pretty impressive,” he said.

Pictured: Methven Search and Rescue members probe snow in an exercise simulating searching for avalanche victims at Mt Hutt at the weekend. Photo Lew Shaw