We spend countless hours pouring over avalanche forecasts, analyzing snowpits, and meticulously packing our backpacks. But out in the backcountry, one of the most dangerous hazards doesn’t come from a buried persistent weak layer or a sudden spike in temperature. It comes from inside our own heads.
As human beings, our brains are wired to use mental shortcuts to make quick decisions. These shortcuts—called heuristics—are incredibly useful in everyday life. They help us navigate traffic, recognize faces, and catch a falling cup without doing complex math.
But in the high-stakes, dynamic environment of the backcountry, these mental shortcuts can lead us astray. When we rely on habit or emotion instead of objective data, a helpful shortcut becomes a heuristic trap.
Even with the best training and obvious warning signs staring us in the face, we are profoundly prone to fallibility. Understanding these traps is the first step to avoiding them.
The FACETS of Human Error
In the early 2000s, avalanche researcher Ian McCammon analyzed hundreds of avalanche accidents and identified common heuristic traps. These were later grouped into an easy-to-remember acronym: FACETS.
1. Familiarity
“We’ve ridden this line a dozen times and it’s always been fine.” When we are in familiar terrain, our brains naturally relax. We assume that because a slope was safe yesterday, or last season, it is safe today. This trap blinds us to the reality that snow conditions are constantly changing, regardless of how well we know the geography.
2. Acceptance (or Peer Pressure)
“I don’t want to be the one to ruin the day.” We are social creatures who want to be accepted by our peers. In a group setting, this can manifest as staying quiet when you have a bad feeling about a slope, simply because you don’t want to look timid or spoil the group’s fun.
3. Commitment
“We’ve hiked three hours for this summit, we aren’t turning around now.” Also known as “summit fever,” this trap occurs when we become overly committed to a specific goal. The more effort we put into reaching a destination, the harder it is to abandon the plan—even when new, glaring evidence tells us it’s time to turn back.
4. Expert Halo
“She has the newest splitboard and talked the loudest at the trailhead, she must know what she’s doing.” Groups often defer to an informal leader. Sometimes this leader is genuinely the most experienced, but often, they simply project the most confidence, are the oldest, or are the best rider. We drop our own situational awareness because we assume the “expert” has it handled.
5. Scarcity
“If we don’t drop in now, those guys on the ridge will get all the fresh tracks.” Also known as “powder fever,” this trap is triggered by the fear of missing out. When an untracked line is treated as a scarce resource, groups will often rush their decision-making process, skipping vital safety checks just to beat someone else to the bottom.
6. Social Proof
“There are tracks on the slope, so someone else thought it was safe.” Seeing other people—or evidence of other people—can create a false sense of security. We assume that because another group skied a line without triggering a slide, the snowpack is stable. The reality is that the previous group might have just gotten lucky.
How to Outsmart Your Own Mind
Knowing these traps exist isn’t enough to prevent them. You have to actively build safety nets into your routine.
- Implement Checklists: Pilots use them, and backcountry travelers should too. A checklist forces you to slow down and acknowledge objective data, overriding emotional impulses.
- Establish a “Veto” Culture: Agree at the trailhead that anyone, regardless of experience level, can veto a line at any time, no questions asked.
- Communicate Constantly: Talk about the forecast before you leave, and regroup in safe zones to discuss what you’re actually seeing on the snow. Keep the dialogue open.
The backcountry is wildly indifferent to our goals, our egos, and our assumptions. By recognizing our own mental fallibility, we can make better decisions, ride smarter, and ensure we always make it back to the trailhead.
Further Reading & Resources
If you want to dive deeper into the psychology of backcountry decision-making, check out these excellent resources:
- Ian McCammon’s Original Paper: Evidence of Heuristic Traps in Recreational Avalanche Accidents – The foundational research that defined the FACETS framework.
- Avalanche Canada: Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain – A fantastic breakdown of how to structure your daily planning and execution.
- Book Recommendation: Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper. This is required reading for anyone stepping out of bounds, with entire chapters dedicated to the human factor.
