Winter Trip Planning - Basic Backcountry Preparedness

COVID AND CARPOOLING POLICY:

There are currently no restrictions in place. The lectures will be held 'in person'*. Masks are optional. 

We encourage participants to carpool for the field trips, as parking can be limited. We do not facilitate carpooling, however, course emails will include information on ways participants may arrange carpooling amongst yourselves.

*As this course could bring individuals from different backgrounds together, to maximize the outcome of the lessons learned, some of the fundamental components will be hosted on the 'coassemble' platform for asynchronous learning to get all on the same page.

This COURSE HELPS YOU TO BE BETTER PREPARED FOR YOUR WINTER ACTIVITIES IN THE BACKCOUNTRY.

RECOMMEND TAKING THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FOLLOWING CLINICS TO IMPLEMENT YOUR ONLINE LEARNING IN THE FIELD BY OBSERVING YOUR SURROUNDINGS AGAINST YOUR UNDERSTANDING/PLANS AND TO PRACTICE MAKING DECISIONS AS A GROUP TO TRAVEL SAFELY AND ENJOY THE WINTER WONDERLAND IN OUR BACKYARD - PACIFIC NORTHWEST:
1. practicing avalanche rescue drills
2. practicing terrain choices on snowshoes

COURSE OUTLINE:

• Asynchronous online learning on fundamentals of using reading maps and use of online maps tools like Caltopo, and GAIA.
• Asynchronous online learning to understand the basics of avalanches, interpret avalanche forecasts and gather more accurate weather information, and estimate route conditions beforehand.
• Kickoff Social: We will use the first 45 mins to socialize and then go on with a Q&A session on implementing map fundamentals learned online. Individuals will be asked to share their questions and difficulties, prior to the lecture and if time allows during the lecture, to help me drive the content.
• In-person Lecture 1: Exploring various online resources that can be used to plan your routes such as GAIA, Caltopo, OnX, FATMap, and Google Earth. A walk-through of the planning of a route for a trip using maps, weather, snow conditions, and avalanche forecast.
• In-person Lecture 2: Before this lecture, the students will submit their trip plan with the given information. The differences with the submissions will be explored anonymously, and tips will be shared to improve the work or compliment it. This lecture will have a component where students would form small groups and plan their own trip after learning trip planning skills and sharing them with the group.

THIS COURSE DOES NOT REPLACE AIARE'S LEVEL-1 OR AVALANCHE RESCUE COURSE.