Media Release

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For immediate release
January 4, 2007

Latest expert advice, tools, and techniques featured at
Avalanche Awareness Night

Sunday, January 14, 7:30 p.m.
Max Bell Auditorium, The Banff Centre, FREE

Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre, the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA), Parks Canada, and Canadian Pacific Railway present Avalanche Awareness Night January 14, an annual community event aimed at helping make skiers and boarders aware of the avalanche risks associated with backcountry and out-of-bounds travel. The evening includes presentations by snow safety experts, films from the Banff Mountain Film Festival, door prizes, and a trade show highlighting the latest tools and techniques for avalanche safety.

This event is just one of many organized as part of the CAA’s National Avalanche Awareness Days. Events are planned at ski resorts and snowmobile areas across Canada, from Crowsnest Pass to the Yukon. This year’s activities will focus on the CAC’s new decision-making tool — the Avaluator.

More than ever young people are attracted by the lure of the backcountry just beyond the boundaries of resorts, or the bowls that beckon above well-travelled trails. These “out-of-bounders” are the fastest growing users of avalanche terrain in Canada, and are also the group most in need of the knowledge and skills for using the backcountry safely.

The ninth annual Avalanche Awareness Night takes place Sunday, January 14, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Max Bell Auditorium.

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