International Snow Science Workshop · Oct 1 2018
The cognitive work of making sense of risk in avalanche forecasting is an under explored area in the field. This study examines the formal descriptions of how work is conducted in a Canadian ski operation and the ‘as practiced’ cognitive strategies employed by expert practitioners to success-fully manage avalanche hazards in practice within a complex and changing mountain environment. The three key findings were: 1) Much of the cognitive work required for forecasting is hid-den in the explicit protocols; 2) The cognitive effort needed to manage avalanche risk is a near continuous activity in season and; 3) It is an inherently distributed cognitive task across both individuals, teams and the broader industry. These findings have important implications for the de-sign of work systems and management of professional avalanche forecasting activities in ski re-sort settings.
ResearchGate