![[EDGE]ucation - Do I Really Need to Dig Snowpits? @BackcountryAccess](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/npFXYz_8zXw/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 6 minutes ago
How often do you really need to dig snow pits? As a recreational backcountry user, the answer is... Not often. BCA Co-Founder Bruce Edgerly's strategy? Leave the digging to the avalanche forecasters. Bruce recommends reading the avalanche forecast in the morning, and digging hasty pits and hand shears tests to verify what he saw in the avalanche bulletin.
Digging snow pits a few times throughout the season is a great way to identify and track weak layers over time. On a regular basis, however, there is so much variability in the snowpack that no one snow pit should be used as a green light to travel on a particular line.
Learn more and shop all the tools you need for examining the snowpack and avalanche safety:
backcountryaccess.com
How often do you really need to dig snow pits? As a recreational backcountry user, the answer is... Not often. BCA Co-Founder Bruce Edgerly's strategy? Leave the digging to the avalanche forecasters. Bruce recommends reading the avalanche forecast in the morning, and digging hasty pits and hand shears tests to verify what he saw in the avalanche bulletin.
Digging snow pits a few times throughout the season is a great way to identify and track weak layers over time. On a regular basis, however, there is so much variability in the snowpack that no one snow pit should be used as a green light to travel on a particular line.
Learn more and shop all the tools you need for examining the snowpack and avalanche safety:
backcountryaccess.com
![[EDGE]ucation - Do I Really Need to Dig Snowpits?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/npFXYz_8zXw/mqdefault.jpg "[EDGE]ucation - Do I Really Need to Dig Snowpits?
How often do you really need to dig snow pits? As a recreational backcountry user, the answer is... Not often. BCA Co-Founder Bruce Edgerlys strategy? Leave the digging to the avalanche forecasters. Bruce recommends reading the avalanche forecast in the morning, and digging hasty pits and hand shears tests to verify what he saw in the avalanche bulletin.
Digging snow pits a few times throughout the season is a great way to identify and track weak layers over time. On a regular basis, however, there is so much variability in the snowpack that no one snow pit should be used as a green light to travel on a particular line.
Learn more and shop all the tools you need for examining the snowpack and avalanche safety:
https://backcountryaccess.com")
![BCA [EDGE]ucation Season 2 - Avalanche Transceiver Beacon Range Checks: Backcountry Access](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ofb7HwRieZI/mqdefault.jpg "BCA [EDGE]ucation Season 2 - Avalanche Transceiver Beacon Range Checks: Backcountry Access
Backcountry Access [EDGE]ucation is back and better than ever—with a second season of no-frills backcountry education tips from BCA co-founder Bruce “Edge” Edgerly. In a series of thirteen concise, easy to digest videos, Edge and expert guests break down key takeaways from their continuing avalanche education, with lessons on everything from identifying red flags in the snowpack to group searching techniques, transceiver interference, applying the avalanche forecast to terrain choice, and much more. [EDGE]ucation is here to refresh and reinforce your existing avalanche education and to keep your skills sharp and up to date when preparing to enter the backcountry. Learn more at www.backcountryaccess.com")
![[EDGE]ucation S3 Field Notes - Instantaneous real time display on the BCA Tracker beacons](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qf68l6HVTDE/mqdefault.jpg "[EDGE]ucation S3 Field Notes - Instantaneous real time display on the BCA Tracker beacons
BCA Co-Founder Bruce Edgerly shares his favorite strategies for conducting a fine search using instantaneous real time display.
Learn more at www.backcountryaccess.com/blog")
![[EDGE]ucation S3 Field Notes - Marking vs. signal suppression during a transceiver search](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r4-F3daARhk/mqdefault.jpg "[EDGE]ucation S3 Field Notes - Marking vs. signal suppression during a transceiver search
Ever wondered about the difference between marking and signal suppression? Edgerly breaks it all down and explains how to put signal suppression to use in a 1-2 burial scenario.
Learn more at www.backcountryaccess.com/blog")
