I am attending an winter course during the weekend of Feb21. It is a 3 day A.I.A.R.E. Qualified Level 1 Avalanche Course. I am really looking forward to learning the basics of this topic and I do have plans to continue with the Level 2 course next year; apparently, the San Juan Mountains display unpredictable avalanche occurances. That being said, the San Juans are a center of attention regarding study by avalanche experts.
Learning about avalanches includes identification, avoidance, and rescue. All of which results in relative safety while exploring the backcountry! I feel this education will enable safer further exploration with friends and family deeper into the backcountry while skiing, snowshoeing etc! This class is the tip of the iceberg regarding future opportunities for whatever the future may hold!
And, I am told by a reliable source, the ability to Zen-out when exploring the backcountry is spectacular!
Here is a link to the company and course I am taking. South West Adventures . Here is a common website used as another indicator before travelling in the backcountry. Avalanche Site click on the regions to read reports of that area.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
On the first day you should tell the instructors that you would feel more comfortable if they would blare propaganda over loud speakers during the course like they did in SERE school.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, is this a winter thing or are avalanches a problem year round? Also have you considered exploring on horseback or is that more trouble than it is worth? I know that you would rather hoof it yourself but it seems like horses would extend your range. I guess though that you would then have to take care of the horses as well as yourself so you would have an additional set of potential problems.
I can yell "Get Sandy", but that would not apply too well with so much white gold around me! The course is not meant to be physically nor mentally intensive but more learning.
ReplyDeleteYou can horse it, and Durango has a HUGE horse community! I am not sure if horses can survive a night in the backcountry during winter. As for the summer, I am sorta anti-horse due to mountain bikes not being allowed to venture into official wildnernesses; however, horses are. Ultimately, I am deathly alergic to the dumb beasts.
This course will allow me to approach goals such as winter mountaineering(climbing to peaks, backpacking, camping), skiing, snowshoeing in areas were no other swinging dicks are around(except for the trusted group I am with) allowing the Zen deal to occur.
The mountains are only 14k; the summer months melt all snow so the avalanches are only an issue during the winter.