At Heli we ski and bring clients to a lot of backcountry terrain, and safety is always at the forefront of what we do. With that in mind, we want to give big ups to the Utah Avalanche Center and Know Before You Go for creating this online avalanche course, which should be treated as a precursor to Avy 1.
Utah Avalanche Center and KBYG set up the course in 5 main parts.
1. Get the gear – Equipment you need to safely travel in avalanche terrain.
2. Get the training – Learn how avalanches work and how you can avoid them
3. Get the forecast – Learn to understand your local avalanche forecast in order to guide decision-making in the backcountry
4. Get the picture – Recognize the clues of what makes something ‘avalanche prone’
5. Get out of harm’s way – Understand the when, where, and why of appropriate safe zones.
There are also a few great cameos from Jimmy Chin, Jeremy Jones, Angel Collinson and Travis Rice, who share a little about their experiences in the backcountry and dealing with avalanches.
Also, check out this video of Tobin Seagal as he explores the face where he once encountered one of the biggest avalanches you’ll ever see.