Olympia Snowshoe Committee
WINTER TRAVEL COURSE
The Winter Travel Course is designed to prepare the winter outdoor enthusiast for snowshoeing and/or skiing with a group or independently in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. This course occurs annually during the month of January, and it consists of both a snowshoeing and a cross-country skiing course. These two courses may be taken separately or together.
The Winter Travel Course consists of four lectures and one field trip. Lecture topics include backcountry travel, avalanche awareness and safety, route selection, cold weather ailments, clothing, and equipment. Students also receive training in beginner snowshoe and/or cross-country ski techniques during the field trip.
Even if you already know how to snowshoe or ski, it is well worth taking the class for the training in avalanche terrain recognition and avalanche avoidance. These skills can improve your safety in the backcountry.
Students may choose to only take the snowshoe course by itself, or they may choose to take both the snowshoe and the cross-country ski courses together. If taking both courses, both field trips are required. A discount can be applied if you pay for both courses at the same time, and this one-time discount code is available on the course registration page.
Eligibility: This course is open to anyone.