News
Avalanche Safety
A major snowfall last week created excellent learning conditions for a group of Shawnigan students to take part in the Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 program at Mount Washington.
Outdoor Education Coordinator Ms. Jessica Dick took eight students in grades 9-12 to Mount Washington for the program, facilitated by Mr. Brian Jones, the owner of Canada West Mountain School, who travelled from the Mainland to provide instruction. The students — including five members of the Search and Rescue 360 — chose to take part in the course in order to improve their knowledge about avalanche terrain, snow safety, rescue skills, and general backcountry trip planning.
“These skills can be used in a wide array of experiences, including ski touring, winter camping, snowshoeing, and general backcountry adventures,” Ms. Dick related. “They were provided with a plethora of resources to allow them to be able to view avalanche bulletins, weather forecasts, potential avalanche problems, and conditions of travel. Now that they are equipped with these skills, these students have the ability to safely plan an excursion into the backcountry to further extend their regions of exploration and adventure.”
Avalanche safety training helps give recreational backcountry travellers the confidence and skills to evaluate the terrain they are entering, Ms. Dick noted.
“A focus of the course teaches practical methods of understanding, recognizing, and avoiding avalanche hazards, including terrain evaluation, effective decision-making, group management, safe route finding, snowpack structure, weather, and, lastly, avalanche rescue techniques,” she said. “Rescue is last in this list as there is an emphasis on avoiding avalanche terrain and keeping oneself safe and out of danger, rather than being proficient at rescue techniques only.”
The Shawnigan group spent two nights at a hostel in Cumberland, having the whole place to themselves on the second night after sharing it with one other couple the first night.
“Staying in this hostel environment allowed us to prepare our own meals, have access to a classroom learning environment, play games of pool or chess, and a large common room to relax and connect further in,” Ms. Dick said.
The students spent two days in snowshoes on the mountainside, and heavy snowfall created interesting avalanche-related problems for them to evaluate. Another 12.2 cm of snowfall overnight on Thursday created a practical learning environment.
All-in-all, it was an excellent experience for the students, and Ms. Dick got a lot of positive feedback.
“The hands-on learning in combination with the resources that we studied created a positive learning environment,” she said. “By introducing the experience of the subject to the students with books, websites, the instructor, and being exposed to the environments captures the intrinsic value of the learning involved.”
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
