08/09Avalanche Awareness Classes

Our FREE avalanche awareness classes will start-up in December.  Classes are twice a month and begin at 10:30am in the basement of the patrol building at the top of the mountain.  The classes last approximately 1.5 hours and are limited to the first 12 people to arrive.  These classes cover the affects of snowpack, weather and terrain on avalanche as well as avalanche triggers, route selection, rescue techniques, transceiver and probe usage. 

The dates for the classes are:

• December 6,& 20, 2008
• January:  3 & 17, 31,  2009
• February: 14 & 21,  2009
• March:  7 & 21, 2009

MISSION RIDGE PRO PATROL 2009 LEVEL 1 AVALANCHE COURSE

The Mission Ridge Pro Patrol Level 1 Avalanche Course is the first step towards a lifetime of of safe backcountry experiences.  The course includes two indoor sessions and a field session at Mission Ridge.  Indoor sessions meet at Central Washington Hospital Conference Rooms A&B.  Cost for the course is (tba) including a book and is limited to the first 15 people to sign up.  You can pre-register by calling 663 6543

Tuesday, (tba) 6:30pm-9:30pm
Registration, Introduction, Avalanche Terminology, Statistics, Avalanche Triangle, terrain, snowpack and weather

Thursday, (tba) 6:30-9:30pm
Tools of the Trade -Beacon,Shovel,Probe, Route Selection, Self Rescue, Decision Making, Test Question Review

Saturday, (tba) 10:00am-2:00pm
Meet at outside 1st Aid Room, Transciever Search, Probing, Snow Pit and Stability Evaluation

Download our Avalanche Awareness Brochure

Snow Safety Basics

The ultimate goal of the Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort Snow Safety Program is to ensure the safety of our skiing/riding guests through avalanche hazard reduction within and near the area boundaries and run openings and closures. The need for avalanche hazard reduction is determined by the Ski Patrol on a daily basis. First, the hazard is evaluated using the 3 components of the avalanche triangle:

• Terrain (avalanche paths)
• Weather (snowfall, wind, temperature, visibility)
• Snowpack (weak layers, strong layers, transportable snow, non-transportable snow, depth of snow pack).

Once the forecasting and evaluation of a given slope or area has been done, the process of Snow Safety work or avalanche hazard reduction is two-fold:

• Reduce or eliminate the avalanche hazard on a given slope triggering avalanches with ski cuts or explosives.
• Test a given slope with ski cuts or explosives to see if it will fail (avalanche).

Ultimately accomplishing one of the above may allow a given slope to be open so it can benefit from the affects of skier compaction; one of the best methods in limiting avalanche hazard. Winds and precipitation amounts may vary greatly from area to area therefore openings may be weather dependant. Increased snowfall amounts and or higher winds combined with persistently weak snowpack conditions, require more time and attention to provide acceptable skiing conditions for our guest.

Additional Snow Safety Information

Mission Ridge Ski Patrol utilizes avalanche rescue dogs in our snow safety efforts. The dogs are trained to assist in recovery efforts in the case of an avalanche. The dogs are on the mountain daily so don't be surprised if you see one on a snowmobile, on a chairlift or running along on the slopes.