Opening ceremonies: Welcome by the Deputy Director, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station; Commissioner of Agriculture, State of Colorado; Project Leader, Mountain Snow and Avalanche Project, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station

Session I. Snow-cover stability evaluation and avalanche prediction

Session I A. Monday 13 August 1979 09.00h–10.15h. Chairman: J. D. Ives

Rapporteur: B. Armstrong

Invited paper: R. C. J. Sommerville: Limitations to predictability

H. Björnsson: Avalanche activity in Iceland, climatic conditions, and terrain features

Shi Yafeng and Wang Wenying: Research on snow cover in China and the avalanche phenomena of Batura Glacier in Pakistan

R. G. W. Ward: Avalanche hazard in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland

Session I B. Monday 13 August 1979 10.30h–12.00h. Chairman: K. Lied

Rapporteur: R. G. W. Ward

B. B. Fitzharris and P. A. Schaerer: Frequency of major avalanche winters

Zhang Xiangsong and Wang Yanlong: Preliminary research on the physical and mechanical properties and avalanche of seasonal snow cover at the avalanche station in T'ien-shan, China

A. Judson, C. F. Leaf, and G. E. Brink: A process-oriented model for simulating avalanche danger

Session I C. Monday 13 August 1979 13.30h–14.45h. Chairman: P. A. Schaerer

Rapporteur: K. Williams

H. Gubler: Simultaneous measurements of stability indices and characteristic parameters describing the snow cover and the weather in fracture zones of avalanches

E. R. LaChapelle: The fundamental processes in conventional avalanche forecasting

C. Stethem and R. Perla: Snow-slab studies at Whistler Mountain, British Columbia, Canada

Session I D. Monday 13 August 1979 15.00h–16.00h. Chairman: E. R. LaChapelle

Rapporteur: R. T. Marriott

K. Williams: Credibility in avalanche warnings

J. Montagne: The university course in snow dynamics—a stepping-stone to career interests in avalanche hazards

F. Valla: Avalanche education for skiers

Session II. Snow and avalanche mechanics

Session II A. Tuesday 14 August 1979 08.30h–10.30h. Chairman: T. E. Lang

Rapporteur: R. A. Sommerfeld

Invited paper: Brian Brady: On precise long-term prediction of brittle fracture

M. Martinelli, Jr, T. E. Lang, and A. I. Mears: Calculations of avalanche friction coefficients from field data

O. Buser and H. Frutiger: Observed maximum run-out distances of snow avalanches and the determination of the friction coefficients μ and ξ

G. Brugnot: Recent progress and new applications of the dynamics of avalanches

J. D. Dent and T. E. Lang: Modeling of snow flow

H. Shimizu, T. Huzioka, E. Akitaya, H. Narita, M. Nakagawa, and K. Kawada: A study on high-speed powder avalanches in the Kurobe canyon, Japan

Session II B. Tuesday 14 August 1979 10.45h–11.45h. Chairman: R. I. Perla

Rapporteur: C. Stethem

A. I. Mears: A fragment-flow model of dry-snow avalanches

K. Lied and S. Bakkehøi: Empirical calculations of snow-avalanche run-out distance based on topographic parameters

J. P. Navarre and J. Desrues: Finite-element analysis of snow on slopes

Session II C. Tuesday 14 August 1979 13.00h–14.45h. Chairman: W. St Lawrence

Rapporteur: R. A. Sommerfeld

P. A. Schaerer and A. A. Salway: Seismic and impact-pressure monitoring of flowing avalanches

T. E. Lang and J. D. Dent: Scale modeling of snow-avalanche impact on structures

R. Perla, T. T. Cheng, and D. M. McClung: A two-parameter model of snow-avalanche motion

Session II D. Tuesday 14 August 1979 15.00h–17.00h. Chairman: N. Maeno

Rapporteur: J. D. Dent

W. St Lawrence: The acoustic emission response of snow

R. A. Sommerfeld: Statistical models of snow strength

D. A. Ellerbruch and H. S. Boyne: Snow stratigraphy and water equivalence measured with an active microwave system

W. Fritzsche: Radar for avalanches—measurements and warning

Poster session. Wednesday 15 August 1979 Morning

E. Akitaya: Observations of ground avalanches with a video tape recorder (VTR)

E. Chacho and M. Molnau: Topographical effects of restructured land on snow deposition

H. Frutiger: Swiss avalanche hazard maps

S. W. Hackett and D. Fesler: Informal co-operative state–federal avalanche warning system and public education program for south-central Alaska, U.S.A.

W. Hotchkiss: Lavine—a 16 mm movie; General avalanche safety—a slide tape program

H. J. Körner: The energy-line method in the mechanics of avalanches

E. R. LaChapelle and S. A. Ferguson: Snow-pack structure: stability analyzed by pattern-recognition techniques

M. Martinelli, Jr: Goat Lick Bridge avalanche Qiu Jiaqi and Hu Ruji: The avalanches of December 1966 in western T'ien-shan, China

R. A. Schmidt: Measuring blowing snow

R. A. Sommerfeld: Spectral analyses of acoustic emissions from snow slopes

Y. Yamada: Gear-type glide meter as an instrument for forecasting full-depth avalanches

Session II E. Thursday 16 August 1979 08.30h–10.00h. Chairman: D. Marbouty

Rapporteur: S. Ferguson

R. L. Brown: Propagation of stress waves in alpine snow

D. M. McClung: Fracture mechanical models of dry-slab avalanche release

J. B. Johnson: A model for snow-slab failure under conditions of dynamic loading

Z. Watanabe: Tensile strain and fracture of snow

Session II F. Thursday 16 August 1979 10.15h–11.45h. Chairman: S. C. Colbeck

Rapporteur: D. M. McClung

N. Maeno, K. Nishimura, and Y. Kaneda: Viscosity and heat transfer in fluidized snow

H. Narita: Mechanical behaviour and structure of snow under uniaxial tensile stress

R. L. Armstrong: An analysis of compressive strain in adjacent temperature-gradient and equi-temperature layers in a natural snow cover

Session III. Avalanche zoning

Session III A. Thursday 16 August 1979 13.15h–14.45h. Chairman: M. Martinelli, Jr

Rapporteur: R. L. Armstrong

Invited paper: John Rold: Avalanche hazard planning in Colorado—the State and local government relationships

H. Frutiger: History and present state of legalization of avalanche zoning in Switzerland

L. de Crécy: Avalanche zoning in France—regulation and technical bases

Session III B. Thursday 16 August 1979 15.00h–16.30h. Chairman: H. Frutiger

Rapporteur: R. A. Sommerfeld

E. Hestnes and K. Lied: Natural-hazard maps for land-use planning in Norway

G. L. Freer and P. A. Schaerer: Snow-avalanche hazard zoning in British Columbia, Canada

A. I. Mears: Municipal avalanche zoning: contrasting policies of four western United States communities

J. D. Ives and M. Plam: Avalanche hazard mapping and zoning problems in the Rocky Mountains, with examples from Colorado, U.S.A.

S. W. Hackett and H. S. Santeford: Avalanche zoning in Alaska, U.S.A.

Session II G. Friday 17 August 1979 08.00h–08.45h. Chairman: R. A. Sommerfeld

Rapporteur: D. A. Ellerbruch

S. C. Colbeck: Thermodynamics of snow metamorphism due to variations in curvature

D. Marbouty: An experimental study of temperature-gradient metamorphism

Session IV. Wind transport and deposition in irregular terrain

Session IV A. Friday 17 August 1979 08.45h–10.00h. Chairman: R. A. Schmidt

Rapporteur: D. Alford

D. Fox: On deposition to a forested mountain

J. D. Iversen: Drifting-snow similitude—transport-rate and roughness modeling

R. D. Tabler: Geometry and density of drifts formed by snow fences

R. D. Tabler: Self-similarity of wind profiles in blowing snow allows outdoor modeling Wang Zhonglong and Chen Yuan: Research on prevention of snow-drifts by blower fences

J. D. Bergen: A slip-velocity hypothesis applied to hydraulically smooth wind flow over a snow cover

Session IV B. Friday 17 August 1979 10.15h–11.45h. Chairman: M. Martinelli, Jr

Rapporteur: A. I. Mears

R. A. Schmidt: Threshold windspeeds and elastic impact in snow transport

P. M. B. Föhn: Snow transport over mountain crests

Session IV C. Friday 17 August 1979 13.30h–15.30h. Chairman: M. Martinelli, Jr

Rapporteur: A. I. Mears

D. Alford: Spatial patterns of snow accumulation in the alpine terrain

M. Takeuchi: Vertical profile and horizontal increase of drift-snow transport