January 7, 2005

“Learn, and Live” at Avalanche Awareness Night

Sunday, January 16, 7:30 p.m. – Max Bell Auditorium – The Banff Centre – FREE

If you’re a skier, boarder, sledder, or climber who plans to venture into the backcountry or out-of-bounds this winter, make a point of attending Avalanche Awareness Night at The Banff Centre January 16.

Presented by Canadian Pacific Railway, Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre, and the Canadian Avalanche Centre, this evening of speakers, high-adrenaline films from the Banff Mountain Film Festival, and a trade show featuring the latest information and equipment is held in an effort to prevent avalanche accidents and to help people make good decisions in avalanche terrain.

Avalanche Awareness Days is the most important public avalanche safety outreach program for the Canadian Avalanche Centre, based in Revelstoke, BC. Taking place annually at over 35 communities across Canada (and several in the US), these events offer a mix of on-site demonstrations, opportunities for the public to learn from avalanche experts, and fun avalanche safety activities for the entire family. This year, the national event will be held in Lake Louise.

Justin Trudeau, a long-standing supporter of the CAC and a Director of the Canadian Avalanche Foundation, plans to take part in the weekend of events at Lake Louise Mountain Resort because, as he says, “winter in Canada’s mountains is part of our national heritage and I believe that with respect for nature and the right backcountry know-how, we can enjoy it safely for years to come.”

More and more people venture out-of-bounds in the Canadian Rockies every winter in search of the steepest and deepest powder to ski and ride. In doing so they encounter avalanche terrain. Some will apply their avalanche safety skills and experience to stay alive and others, with little or no training, will expose themselves to potentially lethal danger.

In Banff, the seventh annual Avalanche Awareness Night takes place Sunday, January 16, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Max Bell Auditorium. Last year’s show was packed — so get there early.

Made possible in part by a grant from the Banff Community Foundation.

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