The Mountain Shop will put on a free avalanche awareness course for backcountry explorers from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Tuesday, December 16.

Experts from the Northwest Avalanche Center will cover how to access local avalanche bulletins and weather reports, how to recognize and avoid danger zones, and how to perform rescues with the proper gear and training.

There will be beer and snacks available at this free event.

The Mountain Shop is at 1510 NE 37th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232.

Anyone thinking of exploring the backcountry or sidecountry once the snow starts piling up should consider attending this class or a similar class. Because avalanches are no joke.

The danger of avalanches grows every season as backcountry skiing and snowboarding grow ever-more popular and more and more people with varying degrees of experience venture further off the beaten path in search of untracked snow and challenging terrain.

For excellent background on snow safety and backcountry strategy, I highly recommend the 5-part series “The Human Factor” by David Page of Powder Magazine.
It is a good read, and it makes you think.

Last modified: November 26, 2014