Those tempted to take the road less travelled and tour through the backcountry this winter are being asked to pause and click through Avalanche Canada’s new program Avy Savvy before they go.
“It’s not an avalanche course. It’s only to create awareness and if anyone is going to recreate in the backcountry they should or they must take an avalanche skills training course,” said Gilles Valade, Avalance Canada executive director.
The online education course couldn’t be more timely. Search and rescue had a busy summer as people explored their own backyards as travel restrictions were put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Clearly, that was going to carry over into the winter season and on top of that we can’t do any in-person outreach like we usually do,” said Valade. “So we retooled our programs and did a few things online so we have weekly online webinars and Avy Savvy.”
While an avalanche warning issued for much of Western Canada has ended, the danger in many areas remains considerable.
The interactive course helps users learn how to plot a safe course, read the avalanche forecast and learn about what tools they need to pack just in case.
“We don’t want to discourage people from going outside and into the backcountry but we want people to do it with the knowledge they need and make the decisions that are appropriate given the conditions and avalanche conditions change every day,” said Valade.
Discover Avy Savvy by visiting Avalanche Canada’s website.