Planning on venturing into the backcountry this season? Lucky for you, we’ve partnered with Avalanche Canada and Avalanche Québec to host some free backcountry safety workshops this January and February to get you prepped for adventures in avalanche terrain.
Avalanche Canada Forecaster Colin Garritty will be at the Vancouver MEC store on January 25, between 11:00 am—4:00 pm. In addition to making two scheduled presentations, Colin will be available to answer questions on anything related to winter backcountry safety.
Workshop # 1 Avalanche Basics (12PM-1PM)
Are you new to the backcountry? Join the Avalanche Canada forecaster who will share what essential equipment you should bring, how to check and understand the avalanche forecast details, and how to look at terrain, weather, and snowpack factors you need to understand to make safe decisions in the backcountry. Even if you want to avoid avalanche terrain on your winter hike, you will need to know how to recognize it.
Workshop # 2 Winter Hiking Safety (2PM-3PM)
The North Shore has amazing winter hiking opportunities. But many of those trails head into avalanche terrain. Join the Avalanche Canada forecaster to learn how to safely enjoy your winter hikes, whether walking, running, micro-spiking or snowshoeing. We’ll cover what essential gear you should carry, how to check the avalanche forecast, and we’ll home in on a couple “hot spots” on the North Shore where there have been avalanche incidences and SAR call outs.
Everyone is welcome – we can’t wait to see you there!
Please note, these workshops are not equivalent to any avalanche training certification or programs.
About Avalanche Canada
Avalanche Canada is a non-government, not-for-profit organization dedicated to public avalanche safety. They issue daily avalanche forecasts throughout the winter for much of the mountainous regions of western Canada, providing this free information via their website and their app: Avalanche Canada Mobile. They also coordinate and deliver avalanche awareness and education programs, provide curriculum and support to instructors of Avalanche Canada training programs, act as a central point-of-contact for avalanche information and work closely with many different avalanche research projects, both at home and abroad.
For more info visit: https://avalanche.ca/
