鈥淪o you guys are lucky to be alive: congratulations,鈥� said Dave Smith joking; but only kind of.
Smith, the emcee at the Avalanche Awareness Night Jan. 21, had just asked the audience if any of them had ever been buried in an avalanche, to which a few raised their hands.
Backcountry enthusiasts spend a lot of time teetering on the line between flippant self-deprecation and serious respect for the dangers they encounter on a regular basis.
At the Avalanche Awareness Night that attitude was evident, as presenters flipped between sending jabs at one another and sternly lecturing the audience on the seriousness of traveling in avalanche country.
The event was put on by Parks Canada, with help from Jasper Life, and was hosted at the Jasper Legion. The primary intention, according to Parks鈥� Kevin Gelding, was to arm new Jasper residents with the knowledge to approach winter recreation in the park more safely.
Case and point was rescue expert Max Darrah鈥檚 presentation on traveling in avalanche country, which gave the approximately 60 attendees 鈥渢hree ways to hedge [their] bets in avalanche country.鈥�
Avalanches, he said, 鈥渁re tricky, and dynamic, and sneaky, and they kill the pros.鈥� To keep as safe as possible, one of the most important things thrill seekers can do is carry the proper gear.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have the avalanche gear, you鈥檙e not doing yourself any favours,鈥� Darrah said, referring to the probes, shovels and transceivers all backcountry enthusiasts are familiar with.
However, 鈥渘ot only do you have to have it, you have to know how to use it.鈥�
As well as carrying and understanding how to use the proper equipment, Darrah also warned adventurers to know the terrain they travel on.
But perhaps the most intriguing tip he gave was to 鈥渟tay humble.鈥�
Maybe talking more to the vets in the room than the newbies, Darrah cautioned adventurers to be patient, and wait until the conditions are the most safe before tackling their favourite areas.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of hard-charging athletes in this town 鈥� but part of what鈥檚 great about living right in Jasper is that it gives us an opportunity to wait,鈥� he said.
If Darrah鈥檚 presentation didn鈥檛 key people in to the dangers of avalanches, park warden and dog master Darian Sillence shared his two cents. He and his rescue dog Starsky, who鈥檚 trained to search out people buried in slides, are one of only a handful of such teams employed by Parks Canada.
Along with the presentations, Parks, Marmot Basin and Jasper Life also had booths set up around the Legion, with staff fielding questions about the park鈥檚 new winter recreation offerings, as well as mountain and avalanche safety.
Between presentations, attendees munched on free Famoso pizza and perused the booths, filling out questionnaires to win one of the many door prizes donated by the Canadian Avalanche Association and Marmot Basin.
On Saturday, the ski hill will pick up where the event left off during Avalanche Awareness Days, one of the final Jasper in January events.
Trevor Nichols
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