Ladies avalanche workshop a success

I was fortunate to have participated in an all ladies Avalanche Awareness Workshop Feb. 11, 12 and 14 held at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Six women volunteered their time to teach the first all women avalanche course, Susan Purvis, owner of Crested Butte Outdoors, Big Mountain Ski Patrol; Amy Moore, Flathead Nordic Patrol; Jenny Cloutier, Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center (FOFAC); Kim Corette, avalanche/outdoor educator; Kate Atha, Big Mountain Ski Patrol, Flathead Nordic Patrol; Jen Carpenedo, Flathead Nordic Patrol.

We had two evenings of lecture and an all day session in the field at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The resort donated lift tickets and allowed us to use their beacon park and the mountain for snow pit digging and rescue simulation. Twenty-five women ages 24-60 participated. So many women signed up that a waiting list was necessary.

Sunday I was scheduled to do a snowshoe hike in Glacier National Park and, because of my recent avalanche course, checked the Flathead Avalanche Advisory, www.flatheadavalanche.org. Conditions had changed considerably from the previous day due to high winds and the advisory was moderate for wind slab slides above 5,000 ft., human-triggered avalanches possible. This prompted me to change my plans and ski locally instead.

I would encourage everyone to donate to FOFAC so that future avalanche classes may continue to be offered. They need funds in order to offer these classes. I would also urge everyone who recreates in the backcountry to sign up for an Avalanche I class and to strongly consider gifting a class to your adventurous teens.

Thank you, volunteers, Erich Peitzsch, director of the Flathead Avalanche Center, Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center, Whitefish Mountain Resort, Big Mountain Ski Patrol, Whitefish Wave, Flathead National Forest and Marmot for a wonderful event.

— Carolyn Remmel, Whitefish