An interesting article appeared in The Watch section of the Telluride Daily Planet last week which we thought showcases the enormous challenge of geotechnical engineering. Here in Colorado, we at Thorcon Shotcrete and Shoring love a good slope stabilization story, and since this one comes to us from Silverton Mountain, within our home state, we’re particularly excited to share it. Our offices in Littleton, Colorado (near Denver) might be a few hours away from Silverton Mountain, but we know all about slope stability engineering in this area and the surrounding states, and this one is much older than any of our technologies.
The article we’re referencing discusses a unique method to prevent avalanches and stabilize slopes known as “boot-packing”. Boot-packing is an ancient compacting technique which stabilizes the snow on a slope by literally stamping down the snow step by step. To execute this process, teams of volunteers hike up to avalanche starting zones throughout the mountains and stomp down the snow on areas too steep for machines to climb and too deep for skis to penetrate.
According to the writer, this boot-packing is just one step to cutting down on avalanche deaths, which have come to 270 since the fifties and account for “more than a quarter of all U.S. avalanche deaths.” So these boot packing expeditions are not only an interesting way to utilize an ancient technique, but they can also save lives.
Thorcon Shotcrete and Shoring doesn’t use boot packing as a slope stabilization method, but we do offer soil nails, micropiles, slope erosion control, shoring solutions and more to keep slopes throughout the region stable and safe. Get in touch with us today to get started on your own geotechnical engineering project, done the right way by Thorcon Shotcrete and Shoring.