Improper snow pit

From BearWiki

Claim: Bear bungles the digging of a snow pit to assess avalanche risk.

It is noticable that, in the Scotland episode, Bear had received better advice about avalanche safety than in his previous alpine episodes. When he mentions digging a snow pit to evaluate avalanche danger, that is probably the best way to evaluate avalanche danger. He seems to actually be getting the advice right.

Then he blows it.

He scrapes about 6 inches deep in the snow in roughly square shape and tugs on it. This is not a snow pit.

When you dig a pit, you're trying to assess the stability of the various snow layers that have accumulated. There are a lot of variables, including temperature, wind, types of snow, amount of snow, degree of the slope, etc.

He got the term right, but totally missed the actual technique. It's an important safety thing that is again treated very casually.[1][2]

[edit] Analysis

Support: It's called a snow PIT for a reason - you dig an actual PIT in the snow, as far down as you can (4-6feet) so you can assess the strength of the different snow layers, and can identify any weak layers.

Support: He may have climbed Everest and may know how to rock climb, but the boy's no alpinist. The most basic alpine travel skills are a mystery to Bear, and he can't even follow his consultant's advice to describe them to his viewing audience.