Avy Classes? - Washington, Kelowna, Golden, Revelstoke, Red Deer

[zacs]

I am doing a little fishing this weekend....

We have had phone calls from sledders in various communities asking about possible avalanche training in March and April. Anyone else interested??
If so, which dates and which communities. Thanks!
lori@zacstracs.com or 403-850-3042

Easter weekend is out and I am taking a course in Vancouver from April 1-5 so this weekend is unavailable as well.


What about next season?? We hope to start developing a training schedule for 2008-09. Your suggestions are welcome!

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A great free resource ==>
Karl Klassen, a forecaster with the CAC, has posted a detailed 10 page report to help backcountry users make decisions during this freaky snow year.
http://www.avalancheinfo.net/Media/Persistent%20Weak%20Layers%20and%20the%20Winter%20of%202007-08.pdf

ORIGINAL PAPER
What’s the problem?
Where is the problem?
How do this year’s layers look and feel?
How long will these layers persist and what will make the problem go away?
If the layer is dormant, when will it wake up?
How do I manage risks associated with PWLs and deep slab instability?
FEBRUARY 27 UPDATE
What’s happening with the October, November, and December persistent weak layers?
Are Jan 26th and Feb 25th performers?
What is surface hoar?
The potential for step-down avalanches.
How do I manage my risk with these new persistent weak layers and the potential for step-down avalanches?

If the above link doesn't work, just go to www.avalanche.ca and look at the left hand side bar for a link to this .pdf

 

[zacs]

Thanks for your replies everyone. I have had calls for the Tacoma area and Kelso/Longivew.

Please keep adding to this thread to help us keep the it to the top. Thanks.

In order that we can identify the community with the most chance of filling a class, please email me (lori@zacstracs.com) with your contact info and the names of those that are interested in attending. Please identify the community and dates preferred.

The available dates for Washington are:

1) April 11-13 - this weekend will likely be near Enumclaw
2) April 18-20 - groups from Washington, Golden and Kelowna are considering this weekend.

The challenge is on...the first community to sign up 20 people confirms the weekend.

 

[BroT]

Zacs -

I appreciate the work you do in avalanche training and thank you for getting the word out. I am not trying to hijack your thread, but the sledders in Washington do have local options they can consider as well.

Other options those of us in Washington might consider:

Washington State Snowmobile Association - contact Mick Steinman, or

Alpine Safety Awareness Program (www.asap.org), which is right in Bellingham offers a snowmobile avalanche specific course. You can contact Mike Jackson at powderhino@aol.com.

BroT

 

[zacs]

No problem BroT. That is a great change in recent years. There are more training options for sledders all the time. Good timing too, as more and more riders are recognizing that safety training carries real value.

We were contacted by an avalanche educator from the Greenwater area. Don and I met in a CAA training program many years back. Don was hoping to host a program geared more directly to the snowmobile community. He works with 'Gary Brill Avalanche Education' and has his own company of Ridge Explorations. You can follow these links for more info.
http://www.avalancheeducation.com
www.tx3.net/~drlang/RidgeExplorations.htm

We are looking at the weekend of April 11-13 in the Enumclaw area. Hopefully the date and location are convenient for some riders and we can look forward to learning a little more about your area of the world!

I will post a registration form for this course on our website soon.

 

[zacs]

The group near Enumclaw is pushed until next season.

There is potentially a group from the White Pass / Rimrock, Washington interested though. If you would like to join this group on April 11-13 please PM me or lori@zacstracs.com and we can try to build a core group.

Here is our schedule. Take advantage of completing or updating your avy training yet this spring and save the powder days of next season for riding!

Mar 25 & 26 – Calgary, AB – AST1 Evening Classroom Sessions

Mar 29 & 30 – Vernon, BC – AST1 Class & Field

Mar 30 & 31 – Vernon, BC – AST1 Field Sessions

Apr 11-14 – OPEN WEEKEND – AST1 Class & Field Session

Apr 15 & 16 – Red Deer, AB – AST1 Evening Classroom Sessions

Apr 18-20 – Golden, BC – AST1 Evening Classes & Field Session

Apr 18 & 19 & 21 – Golden, BC – AST1 Field Sessions

For details related to all these classes please follow this link to Zac's Tracs - Course Details.
**NOTE** There are 20% discounts for groups of 6 or more. Get the guys trained up that ride with you....ride with assets...not liabilities.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre is promoting the use of the AVALUATOR as a decision making tool for backcountry users. Part of the AVALUATOR system requires the user to obtain terrain ratings for their desired riding areas. As sledders have access to a large amount of terrain that is not yet rated, I believe that it is important for us to learn to develop an eye for terrain.
For a discussion of the avalanche slope shown in the pictures CLICK HERE to be redirected to www.zacstracs.com

 

[zacs]

March Newsletter

Click HERE to be redirected to Zac's Tracs latest newsletter.

These are some of the topics included in the March issue:

• Zac's Tracs posts our first YouTube video.
• Check out your skills at rating terrain.
• Discussion about a 7 foot avalanche fracture that involved 5 snowmobilers
• The Bulletins are getting so complicated?! Help!

Please note - the Calgary course has been moved to Apr 8&9 and the location is now Okotoks (approximately 15 minutes south of Calgary).

 

[zacs]

The Washington classes have been pushed to next season. We will try to combine them with our class scheduled for the Cavanaugh Bay Resort at Priest Lake in 2009.