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It is important to be clear about what ATES is applied to, because the scale at which it is applied could affect the category outcome. When an ATES assessment is done of a catchment or mountain range it is likely that the area has in it a mixture of simple, challenging and complex. The finer the scale used, the more definite things will be.
When assessing a large area you should think about what sort of user goes there and the degree of use. If a lot of people use a specific place then this should be looked at separately.
As an example a mountain range may generally be ‘challenging’ but contain areas of ‘complex’. It still meets the definition of ‘challenging’ because people have options for avoiding avalanche paths. If people are using a particular valley in the range where there is no option for avoiding avalanche terrain then that place is ‘complex’.
ATES assessments of the New Zealand back country will occur over a period of time. The initial places done for visitor information should be popular DOC tracks in avalanche terrain and the more heavily used back country areas. Initially many of these assessments will be done as larger scale assessments of catchments and ranges in order to give visitors a general indication of the likely ATES class contained in that area. If other groups and organisations have a need for more detailed analysis to work out where they wish to operate, they will need to take these larger areas and split them into smaller blocks. This information can then be incorporated into information that DOC and the MSC supply to visitors. As guidebooks are written or revised it would be good if they could include the ATES classifications of the routes and trips in them.
Assessing the terrain:
ATES assessments should be done by a small group of people who are familiar with the terrain. At least one person in that group needs to have the stage 2 avalanche qualification. When the assessment is done an assesment form needs to be filled in for each area being assessed.
Displaying the results:
An ATES assessment can be displayed either through marking the classifications onto a map or by the use of a list. When putting ATES assessments onto maps this should be done in a GIS system with the simple terrain in green, challenging in blue and complex in black. Attributes for ATES shape files need to have name of the shape and Class in them. Class data needs to be 1 or 2 or 3.
If the ATES assessment is being done as a text list then the colours should be used if possible either through the lists of each terrain class being in the appropriate colour or through the use of a coloured header bar.
Simple | Challenging | Complex |
Aoraki Mount Cook Village | Upper Tasman Glacier | Grand Plateau |
Tasman Valley Floor | Mueller Glacier | Track to Mueller Hut |
When preparing pamphlets the appropriate terrain class should be used in the text and reference made to the ATES system and where to get more information on it. The use of the terrain class on warning signs should also be encouraged.
Public Information model:
The following table is the public information model. This information will need to go into any web sites giving information on ATESand into ATES pamphlets and visitor centre information along with the accompanying advice on the amount of experience needed.
Description | Class | Terrain Criteria |
Simple | 1 | Exposure to low angle or primarily forested terrain. Some forest openings may involve the run-out zones of infrequent avalanches. Many options to reduce or eliminate exposure. No glacier travel. |
Challenging | 2 | Exposure to well defined avalanche paths, starting zones or terrain traps; options exist to reduce or eliminate exposure with careful route-finding. Glacier travel is straightforward but crevasse hazards may exist. |
Complex | 3 | Exposure to multiple overlapping avalanche paths or large expanses of steep, open terrain; multiple avalanche starting zones and terrain traps below; minimal options to reduce exposure. Complicated glacier travel with extensive crevasse bands or icefalls. |