Avalanche Canada Webinar Series, October - March 2021-22

We've got a great line-up of webinars for this season! Check out the schedule and be sure to register prior to the event. (All webinars will be recorded and made available post event).

Avalanche Canada is hosting a weekly or bi-weekly webinar series this season. We have presentations focusing on various aspects of avalanche safety, beneficial for all backcountry recreationists. The webinars are free, but preregistration is required! Links to register for these events will become available a few weeks prior to each webinar.

These live webinars will be held in the evening (7–8 pm Pacific Time), but all of them will be recorded and made available from our website after the event if you are unable to attend.

Click on the link within each event to register. We will add links throughout the season.

For past events, clicking on the link will take you to the recording.

Wed. Oct. 20: Avalanche Canada: One-stop-shop. This is a great starting point or a tune-up to get your brain engaged and thinking about avalanche safety. Join Avalanche Canada forecaster, Ilya Storm, to shake out the summer cobwebs. Learn about what's new at Avalanche Canada and get a refresher on all our resources.

Wed. Nov. 3: Recognizing Avalanche Terrain and Trip Preparedness. Are you new to the backcountry or looking for a refresher? We focus on the basics of avalanche terrain, how to recognize and avoid avalanche terrain, what equipment is needed and what resources are available. Join our Avalanche Canada forecaster, Colin Garritty, to decipher the nuances of terrain, recognize hazards and help you safely route-find on your adventures this season. We will also cover trip planning and preparedness with a presentation from BC AdventureSmart. Sponsored by MEC.

Wed. Nov. 10: Powder, Power and Pitfalls: Leveraging social media/MIN for a safer winter. Social Media and the Mountain Information Network (MIN) can be important tools in our backcountry decision making toolbox, but how do we make use of these powerful platforms while avoiding their considerable pitfalls? If we want to build an inclusive, empowered and engaged avalanche community, what information is important to share with others? How do we stay topical, promote learning and avoid trolling when providing comments and feedback in the digital space? Explore these types of questions with South Rockies field technician Jennifer Coulter as she strives to build a resilient avalanche community and improve public safety. Sponsored by MEC.

Wed. Nov. 24: Staying Alive Night. Learn from the experts! This evening focuses on various resources in the Revelstoke area including RMR, Parks Canada, RevSAR, Revelstoke Snowmobile Club and Avalanche Canada. There are many tips to glean that will help you stay safe this winter in the backcountry. Troy Leahey, local guide and long-time patroller from RMR and Nick McNutt, pro-rider of deep pow legend will also present. There will be draw prizes! Sponsored by CBT with support from RMR.

Wed. Dec. 8: Understanding the nature of avalanche problems. What are the various avalanche problems? How do these affect the danger ratings? This webinar digs deeper into the avalanche forecast so you will be better informed and make better decisions in the backcountry. Join Avalanche Canada forecaster, Simon Horton, to understand the nuances and character of these problems - and how to avoid them. Sponsored by The North Face.

Wed. Dec. 15: Ready to rescue? Join Avalanche Ambassador, Chris Rubens, as he shares details on responding to an avalanche involvement in Kokanee Bowl last season. Practice and training created a successful outcome. Avalanche Canada field technician, Drew Nylen will join the conversation and highlight the essential gear and critical training tips so you know how respond if your group, or another group nearby, is involved in an avalanche. Sponsored by MEC with exclusive avalanche footage from Rubens and Forecast Ski Magazine.

Thurs. Jan. 6: Choosing terrain for skiers. Terrain choice is always the answer to having a safe, fun day out in the backcountry. Join Avalanche Canada forecaster, Grant Helgeson, as he leads you through a variety of images and exercises to help hone this skill. Sponsored by MEC.

Thurs. Jan. 20: Getting the most out of the Mountain Weather Forecast: Interested in learning more about the weather, how to predict it, how it will affect the snowpack, and what it means to your riding? Are you a weather fanatic and keen to dig deeper into the complexities of weather? Find out how to best utilize tools found on the Mountain Weather Forecast and related weather apps with guest speaker, Lisa Erven, from Meteorological Services of Canada. Sponsored by MSC and Mammut.

Thurs. Feb. 3: Choosing terrain for snowmobilers. No matter what your preferred mode of travel is, terrain choice is always the answer to having a safe, fun day out in the backcountry. Martina Halik, our avalanche technician from the North Rockies, will do a quick review of avalanche terrain basics and then lead you through a variety of images and exercises to help hone this skill. Sponsored by Ski-Doo and Polaris.

Thurs. Feb. 10: Conditions update Vancouver Island. Join us for a presentation by forecaster and Vancouver Island field technician Colin Garritty on how to get the most from Avalanche Canada's Mountain Information Network. Colin will also be giving an overview and update on the first year of Avalanche Canada's Vancouver Island field program, and will wrap up with a snapshot of the Island snowpack and upcoming local events. Sponsored by BCA.

Thurs. Feb. 17: Avalanche forecasting in Newfoundland. New avy forecasts launching in Newfoundland! Don't miss this if you recreate in this vast eastern province.

Thurs. Feb. 24: Conditions update in the North Rockies and NW Inland. This is a mid-season tune up! Join Avalanche Canada field technicians to hone in on the various snowpack and weather conditions currently in these regions. Half of the webinar will be focusing on N. Rockies and half on the NW Inland forecast region. Sponsored by Garmin.

Thurs. March 3: The spring ski traverse: planning and your daily process. Are you dreaming of a spring ski traverse or backcountry basecamp? Join our Yukon field team as they share tips on how to plan for spring conditions; what the morning meeting entails (decision making!) and utilizing resources and decision-making tools to help keep your days safe. Sponsored by Outdoor Research.

Thurs. March 10: The Daily Mindset. Join our panel of pro-riders from various disciplines talk about how they set their daily mindset prior to each outing. Are they stepping out? Keeping it mellow? Discover what questions they ask and how they weigh various factors to help keep their day fulfilling, fun and safe. Sponsored by Mammut.

Thurs. March 31: Transition to spring. Spring is a dynamic time for the snowpack. Join our Avalanche Canada forecaster to distill the key aspects of the lengthening days and warming temperatures and how these affect your backcountry travel. Sponsored by Arcteryx.