How to make avalanche bulletins more effective? Lessons from studying user practices

While it is well established in the risk communication field that an in-depth understanding of the target audience is critical for effective communication, research on avalanche bulletin users has so far been limited. Over the past three winters, the avalanche research team at Simon Fraser University has conducted a series of qualitative and quantitative studies to better understand backcountry users’ avalanche bulletin perceptions, skills, and practices. This presentation will summarize the main results of this research and discuss opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of avalanche bulletins by linking them to avalanche awareness education.