APPLYING THE AVALANCHE TERRAIN EXPOSURE SCALE IN THE SWISS JURA MOUNTAINS

2 topo.verlag, Basel, Switzerland ABSTRACT: The avalanche terrain exposure scale (ATES) was developed by Parks Canada in 2004 as a complementary tool to increase awareness and to communicate the risks encountered when travelling in avalanche terrain. In the meantime, many popular backcountry tours in Canada were rated. More re- cently, ATES has also been applied in some European countries. We review existing ATES applications as well as other alpine tour rating systems. An adaptation of ATES for a new application in the Swiss Jura, a popular area for snow shoeing and ski touring, is presented. The Jura hills are a low mountain range along the north-western border of Switzerland. There are about 60 popular tours in mostly gentle terrain, yet exposure to avalanche terrain also exists in some locations. We elaborate the requirements of a terrain classification in our particular low mountain range environment. As a result, the adapted techni- cal model and public communication model as well as tour examples from the Swiss Jura are shown. A communication strategy is developed to increase the applicability and acceptance of the classification in Switzerland. A potential expansion to the Swiss Alps is discussed.