Avalanche Victim Age Rising
One such shifting social factor is the family-career balance, which could affect who visits the winter backcountry when.
For example, [Peitzsch] noted that more people are getting married and having children at comparatively advanced stages of life, meaning a 40-year-old dad sneaking out for a rare Sunday tour might assess risk differently than a 20-year-old with fewer responsibilities and more opportunities to spend in the mountains.
“People who were once saddled with responsibilities in their 30s aren’t now,” he said.
Peitzsch said he hopes the results help tailor avalanche warning services to use a wider range of methods to disseminate avalanche safety information, including products that target older, and potentially more experienced, users.
Peitzch also points out that the “Know Before You Go” program, for example, primarily targets youths, and suggests the potential need for an additional program targeting an older age group.
As for us, we’ll keep searching for another benefit to aging that softens the blow of creaky knees and crow’s feet…. And continue to stay safe no matter how infrequently we’re able to get out there.
