Avalanche Aware

This avalamche education short is primarily geared toward those looking to enter the backcountry for the first time. We’re here to highlight Avalanche Aware, a new free online resource billed as an “accessible starting point for anyone interested in heading into snow-covered mountains.” This resource was developed by AIARE, NWAC, and the CAIC—so it is safe to say it is professional and meets its intended goal: serving as a primer for those new to avalanche education. The course is broken into six discrete modules. There’s a brief intro, and then learners get into the thick of it. The course evolves as follows: Intro to Avalanches, Identifying Avalanche Terrain, Recognizing Unstable Snow, Managing Triggers, and Continuing Your Avalanche Education. Each module is populated with slides, interactive elements, and videos to help support the learning objectives. Screenshot: Avalanche Aware Screenshot: Avalanche Aware Needless to say, this is not a replacement for formal on-snow education, practice, or formal continuing education. It is, however, an early-season spark for anyone interested in sliding on snow this winter (which, it seems, also happens mid-Autumn, too). For those more experienced among us, a simple review of the avalanche awareness basics and a primer on avalanche forecasts never hurts. Kudos to the groups for developing this resource.  You will need to provide a name and email to register for the course. Beyond that, the program suggests setting aside 60 minutes to run through the modules. Our resident THR reviewer took 45 minutes, which amounted to one cup of pre-sunrise coffee and time well spent resetting the brain for winter that already seems among us.