By Madeline Dunnett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE DISCOURSE
Are you planning on going backcountry skiing or snowboarding this winter? You香蕉视频直播檙e not the only one.
There has been a huge increase in winter backcountry recreation since the COVID-19 pandemic began according to Jan Neuspiel, director of Island Alpine Guides, based in the Vancouver Island community of Cumberland.
香蕉视频直播淟ike so many things in the outdoors, the pandemic was a big bump,香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said.
Neuspiel has been guiding for more than three decades and began Island Alpine Guides with fellow Association of Canadian Mountain Guides certified guide Cliff Umpleby in 2006. Since then, the mountain school and guide service has provided Vancouver Islanders with courses such as avalanche training, mountain weather forecasting tutorials, ski mountaineering, multi-pitch climbing, rock rescue and more.
Despite Island Alpine Guides always working towards reducing the chances of mishaps, Neuspiel said that when the number of people getting into the backcountry increases, the chances of accidents also increase.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e training more and more people in avalanche safety and in backcountry skills in general. And the rise in the number of people wanting to take courses is obviously accompanied by a rise in people actually going out and doing stuff,香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd the pure numbers would mean that there香蕉视频直播檚 going to be more people getting into trouble when they go out there.香蕉视频直播�
With more people showing interest in travelling the backcountry in the winter, Neuspiel is offering tips on where and how to get started to ensure people have safe journeys.
For those who want to learn to backcountry ski or snowboard 香蕉视频直播� which is often done out of bounds and involves skiing uphill and sliding down on backcountry skis or a splitboard 香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said the best place to start is an Avalanche Skills Training 1 course, or AST1.
These courses can also be useful for snowshoers and snowmobilers to increase their knowledge and safety.
In the 2013/2014 season, Island Alpine Guides had 200 students sign up for their Avalanche Skills Training courses, and in the 2022/2023 season there were 350 students who signed up, Neuspiel said.
The AST1 course educates people about how to assess risk and learn what avalanche terrain is and isn香蕉视频直播檛. With Island Alpine Guides, it takes place over two days 香蕉视频直播� one classroom day and one field day.
The course also teaches skills such as understanding the snow pack, route planning and risk assessment. During the field day, students learn how to use their equipment and look at snow samples, different terrain and practice finding buried avalanche transceivers.
香蕉视频直播淎valanche Canada has done a really good job of giving people the notion that the starting point is to take a basic entry level avalanche course,香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said, adding that the AST1 is 香蕉视频直播渁 logical entry point, because before doing that a lot of people wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 know what香蕉视频直播檚 avalanche terrain and what isn香蕉视频直播檛 avalanche terrain.香蕉视频直播�
Avalanche Canada is a non-profit organization that provides avalanche safety information, education, and forecasting for backcountry users in Canada.
In an interview with Lys Morton for Sun Peaks Independent News, Avalanche Canada executive director Gilles Valade said the organization aims to prevent a need for emergency response. In other words, it aims to equip anyone interacting with Canada香蕉视频直播檚 mountains and backcountry with the tools to safely explore and recreate. This helps build a population that requires fewer rescue resources.
Avalanche Canada香蕉视频直播檚 online map also contains ratings for different avalanche conditions in areas where ski touring is popular. Avalanche Canada added areas on Vancouver Island to its ratings and forecasts in the 2021-2022 winter season.
Neuspiel said in Canada, the AST1 course has become widely accepted as the entry point into understanding how to stay safe in the winter backcountry, but it香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播渞eally only a starting point.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚f people are going to really start to engage with avalanche terrain in a way other than just avoiding it, then it gets a little more complicated than that, and a mixture of gaining experience in the mountains and further higher level training would both be the appropriate path,香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said.
There are other courses such as the AST2, which go into more details, but Neuspiel explained that having the required knowledge to traverse the backcountry is about much more than just taking the courses.
The bigger portion is gaining hands-on experience moving through terrain and making decisions in the backcountry while also learning what impact those decisions have.
There are online resources, too. Avalanche Canada has an online tutorial called Avy Savvy, which is an accessible place for people to learn more about assessing avalanche terrain.
Neuspiel recommended three different ways to gain experience after taking an avalanche course: going on trips with similarly inexperienced peers, more experienced peers and/or with professional guides. Each option, he said, has pros and cons.
Going on trips with similarly inexperienced peers can help new winter backcountry explorers learn to contribute to decision-making equally, and gain experience making choices in the backcountry. The disadvantage to this, he said, is that because everyone is inexperienced, this means they will be making conservative terrain choices to maintain a reasonable risk margin, so there is a limit to where they can go.
The next option is doing trips in the backcountry with more experienced peers.
香蕉视频直播淚n this case, the advantage is that maybe you香蕉视频直播檇 be willing to undertake things .125that are.375 a little bit more risky than what a totally inexperienced group might, which would make trips more interesting.香蕉视频直播�
The other advantage of going on those trips would be the ability to learn from more experienced peers. But Neuspiel also warns that amateur leaders can overestimate their own abilities, and that accident statistics back this up.
香蕉视频直播淚 really caution people that even if you香蕉视频直播檙e really inexperienced on trips like that, don香蕉视频直播檛 hesitate to speak your mind and to hold your ground in terms of your own risk tolerances,香蕉视频直播� he said.
The third option is going on trips with professionals. This gives newcomers a chance to learn from certified guides who are experienced and up-to-date with international standards due to continuing professional development they must participate in.
香蕉视频直播淚f you have big objectives in mind that you don香蕉视频直播檛 really have the skill level to make the judgements as to whether it香蕉视频直播檚 the right time to do them or not, a guide can be really helpful there. So you can achieve some goals in the mountains that way,香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said.
The downside, however, is that going on trips with experienced guides costs money.
At the end of the day, Neuspiel said the most important thing to do is get out there and gain experience.
香蕉视频直播淵ou can take more courses if you want, but it香蕉视频直播檚 not going to replace going out.香蕉视频直播�
Backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers are going to have to put some money down to get out there, but there are things to do to keep the costs low if you香蕉视频直播檙e on a budget.
香蕉视频直播淭he first one on the gear is to buy used. Blue Toque Sports in Courtenay is a great example of a place to buy used. You can get some great deals there,香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said.
He said gear swaps online are good too, and Facebook groups such as Vancouver Island Ski Touring Society and Vancouver Island Climbing and Mountaineering are other options where many people will sell their old gear for a reduced price.
Club trips, such as the ones offered by the Alpine Club of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Vancouver Island section, are another good place to start as long as backcountry recreationists are taking those cautionary steps Neuspiel touched on.
Neuspiel suggests finding like-minded friends who are in a similar stage in their learning to pitch in together to hire a guide.
香蕉视频直播淎nother thing to remember is that when you go backcountry skiing, you香蕉视频直播檙e not having to buy lift passes, so you香蕉视频直播檙e saving some money there,香蕉视频直播� Neuspiel said.
Neuspiel himself has been caught in avalanches before.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檝e never been fully buried but I香蕉视频直播檝e been caught in avalanches four times, and I香蕉视频直播檝e been up to my neck once,香蕉视频直播� he said.
But he said he views those moments as learning experiences.
香蕉视频直播淎s I said to my kid all the time when he was growing up when he香蕉视频直播檇 say, `Oh, Dad, I blew it. I got it wrong. I made a mistake.香蕉视频直播� My answer was always, `dude, it香蕉视频直播檚 not a mistake if you learn from it, it香蕉视频直播檚 a learning opportunity,香蕉视频直播澫憬妒悠抵辈 Neuspiel said.
香蕉视频直播淭he risks associated with backcountry travel in the winter are real. Having said that, it香蕉视频直播檚 also a truly manageable risk and with a systematic approach to your learning and your decision making, you can go a long way.香蕉视频直播�
