Breckenridge Ski Patrol Avalanche Education Series
On Monday, Dec. 29, Breckenridge Ski Patrol held their second meeting in their avalanche education series. These meetings are held about once per month in the Ten Mile Room at the conference center in the Village at the base of Peak 9.
The event is free and comes with a plethora of incredible perks. To start off the night, free pizza is provided to all attendees, which in our opinion, makes the seminar worthwhile all on its own.
There is also beer available for purchase once inside for those over 21, as well as T-shirts and other merchandise for which all proceeds go to charity. As if it could not get any better, Breck’s Ski Patrol also gives away a handful of free gear and swag to first timers and raffle ticket holders. This month’s prizes included, free Breckenridge beer glasses and even Black Diamond avalanche probes.
For such a chilly evening, the event had a great turnout. To start the seminar off, Breckenridge Snow Safety Director, Will Barrett provided some information on Breck’s use of backcountry access points, where to find them, and the knowledge that is expected of skiers and snowboarders before crossing through them. The main points that were stressed were that backcountry users need to have an understanding that the resort does not provide and snow safety or avalanche mitigation beyond those boundaries and that once riders cross through those access points, they are completely on their own. Backcountry users should also never travel alone, and always be equipped with a beacon, shovel, and probe, as well as thorough knowledge of the terrain they are entering, at a minimum.
The night ended with additional snow science for attendees to wrap their heads around and to aid in better understanding how to assess snowpack and better gauge where avalanches are likely to occur.
The next meeting will take place on the third Thursday January, 15th, from 6pm to 8pm in the Ten Mile room in the Village of Peak 9. Come out, get some free pizza and other swag, and learn some useful information about the terrain we all love to play in.
Upcoming Avalanche Education Series Events in Breckenridge:
-Nick Pease
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