A micromort (from micro- and mortality) is a unit of risk defined as a one-in-a-million chance of death.
For the first time in a long time, I am having to ask myself how much my life is worth. I've fallen in love with the backcountry, but the pursuit for the perfect trip brings risk. "No pain, no gain". As I start to explore the backcountry in winter, I am faced with a fun new challenge: Avalanches
Learning about avalanches has been very humbling. They are fickle, nebulous, and utterly relentless. Their presence is ever-looming in the snowy mountains, so we take training to not die to them. Except we do die to them. Just yesterday, a 67-year-old man was killed in an avalanche. Three people were killed in avalanches earlier this month in the US, all within less than a week. At the start of this season an ice climber died in Kananaskis when an avalanche struck them from above. To think that I could never be one of them would be delusional.
One of the most interesting things that I noticed during my avalanche safety training was the emphasis on human behaviours. Knowing precisely how avalanches are formed and how they react to triggers is great, but lacking the maturity to overcome mental biases completely undermines that. Take a moment to appreciate this data:
| Activity | Risk (micromort) |
|---|---|
| Centerpunching 10 slopes/day at High Danger without risk reduction measures | 500 |
| Centerpunching 10 slopes/day at Considerable Danger without risk reduction measures | 300 |
| Backcountry skiing at Considerable Danger without risk reduction measures | 200 |
| Backcountry skiing in Canada using normal risk reduction measures | 4 |
Risk reduction isn't as sexy as crushing huge lines in waist-deep snow, but it has a lot more longevity. Overcommitment to a goal or trying to show off is what will kill my partners and me, so we must make smart choices and limit hubris. By acknowledging the risks that we take, we can make educated decisions and give ourselves the best chance to spend another day doing what we love.
When risk is required, it must be worth the micromorts.