Members of K8 Mountaineering on last year's AST 1 courtesy of the MEC Avalnache Safety Grant. 

Avalanche Canada is happy to announce four recipients of the MEC Avalanche Safety Grant, which provides funding for an Avalanche Skills Traininng 1 course to organizations serving marginalized communities. The recipients exemplify the values needed to support diversity and foster a culture of safety in avalanche terrain.

“The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant helps support groups who face disproportionate barriers in accessing winter backcountry pursuits,” explains Gilles Valade, Executive Director of Avalanche Canada. “We are very impressed with the work being done by these four organizations and are grateful to partner with MEC to provide them with a course from the Avalanche Canada Training program.”

Indigenous Backcountry Skills Training is committed to empowering Indigenous riders with the knowledge and skills to safely navigate avalanche terrain. Through a mix of cultural teachings and modern avalanche safety training, they’re creating pathways for more Indigenous people to connect with and explore the backcountry.

The Lil'wat Nation’s Xet̓ólacw Community School is advancing avalanche education among its youth and community members. By blending traditional knowledge with modern avalanche safety, they’re fostering a deeper connection to their land while prioritizing safety in mountainous environments. They’re practicing nt’akmen (our way) and providing their students the opportunity to learn on the land.

Open Mountains provides avalanche education to people in the 2SLGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, prioritizing people with multiple intersecting marginalized identities. Open Mountains is making the backcountry more inclusive by focusing on equipping participants with the knowledge and confidence to enjoy winter sports safely, and breaking down barriers to access in the process.

Take a Hike combines outdoor education with mental health support for youth, using the backcountry as a classroom for personal growth and resilience. With the MEC grant, they’re enhancing avalanche safety education for their participants, ensuring safe and transformative experiences in the mountains.

The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant is an integral part of Avalanche Canada’s commitment to making the backcountry safer for everyone. This year’s recipients are not only educating their communities but also creating opportunities for underrepresented groups to engage with avalanche terrain safely and confidently. Thanks to MEC's generous support, each organization can organize an AST 1 course with the provider of their choice for up to eight of their members. 

We’re proud to partner with MEC to support these inspiring projects. As we head into another winter season, these initiatives remind us of the power of education to save lives and transform experiences in the mountains.

Four organizations awarded 2024-25 MEC Avalanche Safety Grant 

2024-25 MEC Avalanche Safety Grant Winners

Avalanche Canada is happy to announce the MEC Avalanche Safety Grant for the fourth consecutive year. The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant helps non-profit organizations serving marginalized communities provide avalanche safety training. 

We recognize that there are many people in marginalized communities who may not have access to avalanche training. These communities may be Indigenous, Black, people of colour (IBPOC) or other communities (e.g. LGBTQIAS2+, neuro-diverse, or other marginalized groups) who may face disproportionate barriers in accessing winter backcountry pursuits in Canada. Avalanche Canada and MEC have partnered to reduce some of these barriers by offering the MEC Avalanche Safety Grant. Thanks to MEC’s generous support, this grant will fund four AST 1 courses with up to eight students from each organization. If you would like to apply or are aware of any organizations that would benefit from this program, you can find the application form here. The application deadline is November 1, 2024. 

“Avalanche Canada recognizes that some communities face disproportionate barriers in accessing winter backcountry pursuits in Canada,” explains Gilles Valade, Executive Director of Avalanche Canada. “We are grateful to partner with MEC to inspire, engage, and empower recreationists to enjoy Canada's winter backcountry safely.”

The Howl Experience (Bow Valley, AB): Providing transformative, barrier-free learning experiences for Indigenous, low-income, and marginalized youth.

Indigenous Women Outdoors (Pemberton, BC):  An all-Indigenous organization dedicated to igniting a spirit of empowerment, resilience, and connection among Indigenous women by providing them with the opportunity to explore and excel in outdoor sport activities.

Incluskivity (Squamish, BC):  Aiming to create an inclusive and psychologically safe space for IBPoC women and gender-diverse people to recreate in the backcountry with their peers.

 K8 Mountaineering Club of Alberta (Calgary, AB): A Filipino-Canadian Mountaineering Club aiming to support Filipino immigrant mountaineers through the healing power of the mountains.

“I really appreciated being able to do the course with just our IWO crew because it definitely made the whole experience much less intimidating. Since it was a group I felt super comfortable with, I had no hesitations about asking any and all questions I had which I think is super valuable for a course like this. It was a super positive experience and I'm super grateful to have had the opportunity to do my AST1 with IWO.”

Backcountry Access also contributed to this initiative by providing two boxes of safety gear, each with eight sets of avalanche transceivers, shovels, and probes for use on these courses. Thanks to Backcountry Access for their generous support. 

The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant is an integral part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that our programs and services are welcoming to all of Canada’s diverse population.

Avalanche Canada partners with MEC to make AST courses more accessible to all Canadians.

MEC Avalanche Safety Grant 2024-25

The 2023-24 Annual Report is now available!

The annual report for Avalanche Canada and the Avalanche Canada Foundation is now online. Click here to learn more about our accomplishments and highlights from the past year. We delve into communications stats, field teams, grassroots support, education and outreach, financials, the public avalanche warning service, and more. 

Online access to the annual reports of Avalanche Canada and the Avalanche Canada Foundation

Avalanche Canada and Avalanche Canada Foundation 2023-24 Annual Reports Available Online

Our Executive Director Gilles Valade was recently in Vancouver to present the Gordon Ritchie Service Award to MEC for their decades-long support for public avalanche safety. Since 2009, the award has acknowledged individuals or organizations who show exceptional commitment to public avalanche safety. In its 15-year history, MEC is only the second organization to win this award. 

Later this fall, Avalanche Canada celebrates twenty years of service in public avalanche safety, and MEC has shown loyal, unwavering dedication since the very beginning. MEC's mission in the outdoors has always gone beyond supplying gear for getting people outside. They're also dedicated to providing programs and initiatives that teach crucial outdoor skills and safety training in the backcountry. As the presenting sponsor of Avalanche Canada’s Avalanche Skill Training (AST) program, MEC provides funding to keep the curriculum updated with the latest in avalanche research, tools and techniques and helps more than 10,000 students per year learn critical avalanche safety skills.

As well as supporting AST training, MEC also hosts avalanche awareness outreach events in their stores. They also provide valuable gear for our staff and for outreach and fundraising initiatives. 

MEC also funds Avalanche Canada's MEC Avalanche Safety Grant every year for nonprofit organizations that serve racialized communities and help to support more people gaining access to winter backcountry safety training. We’re grateful to partner with MEC to reduce some barriers in accessing winter backcountry pursuits and enable even more Canadians to safely pursue outdoor adventures. 

MEC is also a proud supporter of our online avalanche safety tutorial AvySavvy. MEC is an enthusiastic collaborator bringing great ideas to the table and our partnership has saved lives. Over the last two decades, MEC has had a significant impact on the safety of Canadians travelling in avalanche terrain and we are honoured to call MEC a partner in our mission of improving public avalanche safety in Canada. We’re excited to see what we can achieve together in the years to come!

Avalanche Canada honoured MEC with the 2024 Gordon Ritchie Service Award for exceptional commitment to public avalanche safety

MEC Receives 2024 Gordon Ritchie Service Award

For the past several years, the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) has provided a daily Mountain Weather Forecast on our website all year round. The Mountain Weather Forecast is a real asset to site visitors, who use it to make informed decisions about how and where to recreate in the backcountry. 

Starting May 1, the Mountain Weather Forecast will look different as the MSC shifts its focus to a dedicated weather product for the emergency planning and management community, rather than a daily weather forecast for mountain recreation. The written blog content will continue for BC until May 21, and then take a hiatus until the fall. This means that there will not be a daily Mountain Weather Forecast on our website this summer, but the model graphics, current condition loops, and meteograms will remain live through the off-season to support decision making in the mountains. The Mountain Weather Forecast will come back as usual before the start of avalanche forecasting season.

We appreciate MSC and the weather products they provide to both our users and our avalanche forecasters. We look forward to the return of the Mountain Weather Forecast in November 2024.

This summer, the Mountain Weather Forecast will look different as the Meteorological Service of Canada focuses on the emergency planning community. 

Summer changes to the Mountain Weather Forecast

This April, Avalanche Canada field technician Drew Nylen visited the town of Hopedale, NL to deliver avalanche awareness and training. The community contacted Avalanche Canada to ask for support in increasing public avalanche awareness for people in Hopedale and they wrote a successful grant to make the initiative happen. We were thrilled to visit.  

Located in Nunatsiuvut, the north of Labrador, Hopedale is bordered by avalanche terrain and experiences avalanches near and within their townsite. Many of the town's residents interact with avalanche terrain as they work and recreate in the area, including youth.

Drew met with the town council, search and rescue, firefighters, the RCMP, and held a general meeting for anyone interested in attending. Drew also presented to high school students and got them outside for hands-on avalanche safety equipment training with transceivers, shovels, and probes. Part of the grant was the delivery of two avalanche tool boxes, each with eight sets of avalanche safety equipment.

Elected Hopedale official Marjorie Flowers championed for this project and we’re grateful for her enthusiasm and support. She planted the initial seed with the federal government grant and hosted Drew throughout his stay in Hopedale. “We absolutely enjoyed having Drew here with us! He is an awesome presenter and all groups he met with were educated well by his knowledge and keen interest in avalanches. He certainly sparked an interest in some residents to train more on this topic and what to do should an avalanche occur in our community. We are very interested in further training in avalanche education.”

We hope to continue this collaboration in avalanche awareness and training with Hopedale, and other northern communities who live in or near avalanche terrain.

Avalanche Canada field technician Drew Nylen recently visited Hopedale, NL for avalanche awareness and training

Avalanche Awareness Outreach in Hopedale

We’ve made some exciting improvements to the forecast layout. These changes aim to streamline information and enhance accessibility by consolidating how information is presented and adding images to the forecast.

Users can now simply scroll to read all sections of the forecast, including the avalanche, snowpack, and weather summaries without having to navigate multiple tabs. By combining all the information into one scrollable format, we hope to see an increase in the number of people who read all the available information, particularly among our less experienced users.

In addition to streamlining the layout, photos are now included in the forecasts when relevant. We know that visual information can be helpful, and this addition will help enhance the experience of using the forecast for many. The inclusion of photos allows forecasters to highlight avalanche problems, terrain and travel advice, and weather information in a clear, concise, and easy-to-understand way.  

Watch the video here to learn more about the updated forecast layout. 

New forecast layout streamlines information and features photos

Improvements to the Avalanche Forecast Layout

Avalanche Canada’s School Program received an early gift this holiday season, thanks to a significant donation from Coastal GasLink. TC Energy’s pipeline project has generously given 50 sets of avalanche safety gear along with 50 winter backpacks to Avalanche Canada.

 Each set of gear comprises an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel. This equipment had been allocated to workers exposed to avalanche terrain during construction of the Coastal GasLink project. It is now decommissioned but still in perfect working order—and perfectly suited for the school program. 

 “Coastal GasLink is thankful that this life-saving equipment can be used beyond our project’s needs,” says Tanner Moulton, Coastal GasLink Public Affairs Advisor. “This equipment was used by our workforce to keep them safe during construction in incredibly challenging terrain and now Avalanche Canada can utilize this same equipment to provide important life-saving education to youth in Western Canada. Partnerships like these are extraordinary and we look forward to the education and benefits that these will provide for years to come.”  

 Avalanche Canada’s School Program delivers free in-class presentations to grades K to 12 students in Alberta, BC, and the Yukon. These in-person presentations are complemented by a toolbox program.  Each toolbox contains 15 – 20 sets of avalanche safety gear, along with guidance for instructors to lead demonstrations on their use. 

 Toolboxes are shipped to youth groups and classrooms throughout the school year, increasing the reach of avalanche safety education. Each box allows valuable hands-on experience, introducing students to the function of each tool and enforcing the idea that this equipment is essential for winter backcountry travel.

 “The toolboxes have been a great success since they were first implemented in 2010, and each season they are fully booked throughout the winter months,” explains Shannon Werner, Avalanche Canada’s Youth Education Coordinator. “This generous gift allows us to double the number of toolboxes we have available for classrooms and youth groups, and I know they will be greatly appreciated for many years.”

 Thanks again to Coastal GasLink for this generous gift to Avalanche Canada’s School Program.

 Avalanche Canada's Northwest Field Team with the generous donation of 50 sets of transceivers, probes, shovels, and backpacks. From left: Emily Jones, Lucas Holtzman, Martina Halik.

Coastal GasLink Donates to School Program

School Program Receives Generous Donation of Safety Gear

Avalanche Canada is proud to be working with Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing on two new initiatives to help support youth accessing the backcountry safely. 

As backcountry use increases, so does the number of young people exploring the mountains outside of managed riding areas. We know that young people often face financial barriers to entry in getting the gear and training they need to make safe choices when they recreate. In a bid to reduce these barriers, Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing have generously donated funds and resources to facilitate a free youth AST 1 course in Revelstoke, and a youth grant open to people under 30 across Canada. 

The AST 1 course has 10 places. Five places were allocated during our successful Staying Alive avalanche safety event. The remaining five will be filled by students of Revelstoke Secondary School. The course will be held at Revelstoke Mountain Resort and taught by Selkirk Tangiers’ own guides. 

The youth grant will provide four young people with a transceiver, probe, and shovel, and an AST 1 course with an Avalanche Canada Training provider of their choice. This will be open for applicants until December 3.  

These initiatives are only made possible by the generous support of Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing and will make a significant impact on the young people who receive them. Working together, we’ll help young people make safer choices in the backcountry. 

Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing Help Youth Access Avalanche Skills Training. 

Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing Youth Initiatives

Avalanche Canada’s Sled Mentorship Program is back for the upcoming winter, providing a unique opportunity to snowmobilers aspiring to pursue a career in the avalanche industry. Through the mentorship program, two recreational riders will gain practical experience in hazard analysis, field observations, risk communication, trip planning, and much more from the working professionals on one of Avalanche Canada’s field teams.  

 The Sled Mentorship Program was initially launched in 2020 in the South Rockies. Our field team members there recognized the lack of mentorship options for sledders and created this initiative. In addition to helping to nurture future avalanche professionals, the program allows Avalanche Canada to build strong relationships within the local snowmobiling community. 

 Mentorship is a vital component in avalanche education but there are few avalanche safety operations that involve snowmobile use. Avalanche Canada has six field teams throughout Western Canada, all of which use sleds extensively. The Sled Mentorship Program is available to riders who live in or near the communities where our teams are based:

North Rockies field team in Prince George, BC

Vancouver Island field team in Campbell River, BC

 The two successful applicants will be allowed to shadow our avalanche professionals as they plan and debrief their field days. In addition, these lucky riders will participate in at least one field day each month throughout the winter season. In return, they are encouraged to contribute their observations to the Mountain Information Network and share their experiences via their social media platforms.

 Click here to apply to the Avalanche Canada Sled Mentorship Program. 

Mentorship available for sledders interested in professional path

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