Backcountry skiing is the ultimate blend of freedom, skill and decision-making.
But even the most experienced skiers can make poor decisions in risky environments. Why? Because risk isn’t just about terrain or snowpack. It’s about how humans interpret both and that’s where it gets messy.
When I started training as a mountain guide, the focus was all about the physical world: snow layers, weather, slope angles. But we quickly realised that avalanches often occur not because the snow failed but because we did. It turns out, humans are surprisingly bad at managing risk.
From aviation to surgery, social science has shown again and again: highly skilled people still make dumb mistakes. Skiing is no different.
And no this isn’t a rant against risk. I love risk. You don’t learn to manage it without taking some. But the key is to recognise the risks you’re taking not blindly charge into them.
Six Mental Traps That Catch Even the Best Skiers
In the early 2000s, avalanche researcher Ian McCammon identified six psychological traps that skiers fall into, based on real avalanche incidents. Together they form the acronym FACETS. Understanding them could be the difference between making a great call or a catastrophic one.
F – Familiarity
“This route is always safe.”
The more familiar we are with a slope or area, the more likely we are to underestimate the risk. This is especially true for those of us with more experience which should make you pause.
How often have you heard (or said), “Let’s head to XXX it’s always fine over there”? Familiarity can lull us into reusing old decisions, based on outdated memories instead of current conditions.
A – Acceptance
“I don’t want to be the one who speaks up.”
Humans crave social belonging. We’ll often take risks to fit in or avoid being the one to object. McCammon found groups with mixed genders or less avalanche training were especially vulnerable to this.
If you’ve ever stayed quiet despite a gut feeling that something was off, that’s acceptance at play. Speak up, your voice could save lives.
C – Consistency
“We’ve come this far, we might as well…”
When teams commit to a goal, a summit, a line, or a route they tend to stick with it even as conditions change. Especially in larger groups.
This is made worse by the Sunk Cost Fallacy, the tendency to “see it through” because you’ve already invested time, energy, or money. But guess what? Avalanches don’t care about your investment.
Pro tip: Always build a solid Plan B or C into your day. That way, when Plan A looks sketchy, backing off doesn’t feel like failure — just flexibility.
E – Expert Halo
“They know what they’re doing.”
Ever followed someone simply because they were more experienced, older, or confident? That’s the expert halo. Even the most qualified leaders can make mistakes and sometimes they do it because they feel they’re expected to lead.
I always tell clients: Challenge me. Ask questions. Watch Solving for Z (search it on YouTube) to see how even professionals wrestle with these decisions.
T – Tracks
“They skied it, so it must be safe.”
The sight of fresh tracks can trigger panic: “We’re missing out!” So we rush in without knowing anything about how (or if) that first team assessed the slope.
I’ve seen slopes avalanche under the eighth team to ski it, while the seven before walked away fine. Were they skilled or just lucky?
Tracks don’t equal safety. Ask yourself: Am I willing to trust my life to their judgement without knowing anything about their process?
S – Social Facilitation
“Everyone else is sending it.”
Social media. Lift-line flexing. GoPro culture. We live in a world where the gnarliest lines get the most love and that adds invisible pressure to perform.
Traps include:
Riding below lifts to show off.
Pushing boundaries for Instagram.
Normalising risky behaviour by watching it in places like Chamonix where elite riders do it daily under conditions they truly understand.
Don’t get caught in the hype. Real skill is knowing when not to drop in.
So, What’s the Takeaway?
Go out and have adventures. Take risks, they’re part of the game. But understand those risks. Learn what affects your judgement. And know that the more skilled you are, the easier it becomes to fool yourself.
It’s not about avoiding danger entirely that’s impossible in the mountains. It’s about recognising your limits, questioning your assumptions, and being smart about when to back off.
If it doesn’t feel right? Trust that feeling. And if you’re the one who speaks up? Good. We need more of you out there.
Here’s to smart decisions and a lifetime of safe turns.
