Real-Life Communication
Most people choose to become avalanche technicians because they
love to be close to nature and involved in the great outdoors. Even those
who only work as avalanche technicians during the winter choose summer jobs
as rock climbing or hiking guides so that they can be around nature.
You
are no exception. One of the things that is so appealing about being an avalanche
technician is that you get to spend most of your time outside -- and you get
to blow things up once in a while.
Your least favorite part of the
job is writing up the reports and advisories that must go out. Luckily for
you, though, the advisories can be creative and fun. Anything that gets the
attention of those who hear the advisories as they are planning their outing
is good.
Today, you've only got one advisory to issue. There are avalanche
conditions on the Pikes slope. The wind is at 15 knots and loose snow is moving
slowly across the slope. It probably won't be a major avalanche. But the heaviness
of snow makes any avalanche dangerous. And it looks like this one could be
triggered by a ski cut if it happens in the right place at the right time.
You've
got to write a short advisory to go out to skiers and hikers that were planning
to use that slope today. Write the advisory so it's fun but informative. Try
to balance the danger of the situation with enough fun to get listeners' attention.
"Most
of the communications skills that we need are for public forecasts that are
issued for skiers and climbers," says Mark Klassen. He is an avalanche technician.
"But overall, written communications is very important in this position."