A book so useful it can predict avalanches! Not really, but it'll help you be more likely to spot unstable conditions when testing and watching for signs of danger.

When I am "out of bounds", I normally rely on others as I don't have the necessary tools. I actually read this book just to make sure I knew what to do if/when crisis time happened. If you are going to put yourself out there and "do the deed", take the time to at least read this book if you aren't going to do the training.

Avalanche training or at least basic knowledge of how to handle yourself in an avalanche is a must for those of us that break off the monitored runs and have our own fun.