Avalanche forecasting and risk mitigation for specific objects at risk

Abstract

Objects and individuals can be exposed to different levels of avalanche hazard. For objectspecific avalanche forecasting and risk mitigation programs, the general danger scales, such as the European and North American Avalanche Danger Scales, are of limited usefulness because they provide no indication of the actual risk to an object. To ensure that avalanche forecasting is useful at the object level, a quantitative description of the avalanche probabilities of reaching threatened objects with required follow-up actions is proposed. This article discusses the proposed procedure and gives examples of two highway projects in western Norway where local object-specific avalanche forecasting was done.