The hardest part of any backcountry enthusiast's day is just trying to decide which section of the glorious mountains to shred. Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the Avaluator gives skiers and snowboarders something we've never had before: a systematic way of calling the shots. For first-timers, this little card can arm you with a series of excellent questions to ask your buddies before you blindly follow them into the abyss. Questions about loading, terrain traps and thaw instability may either confirm travel plans or bring up some factors that may have been overlooked. By using the trip planner you can take an even more active role in the decision-making process despite the fact that you may have just been laughed at for putting your skins on backwards. Again.

Many seasoned backcountry aficionados may scoff at this new tool based on the feeling that the terrain ratings may be considered too conservative, or that if the trip planner was taken as gospel you would never shred many of the lines you have started to refer to as your bread and butter. But the Avaluator can still provide you with a perspective of how your situation compares with past avalanche activity. This alone is immensely helpful regardless of how much experience you have. Pascal Haegeli of Simon Fraser University explains that The card is intended to be used as a guideline and the way that it's used will vary depending on your experience.

The Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) along with National Search and Rescue have compiled a staggering amount of data from past snow profiles, danger ratings, as well as patterns in past avalanche accidents. They have also gone so far as to investigate psychological factors including the social science behind risk perception and group decision making processes.

When you use the Avaluator along with the CAA website all of this information becomes readily available in a manner that is relevant to your day in the backcountry. While you remain in the driver's seat when it comes to decision making, the Avaluator can be like your driver's ed teacher riding shotgun. He has plenty of tips and good directions but now you get to decide whether or not you want to listen.

For more information about the science behind the Avaluator and general information, please visit www.avisualanche.com.