Bells ringing for avalanche school

Summary: No precipitation throughout the week, with high temperatures bottoming out at 89° on Thursday.

Currently

55°

Weather data from The Durango Herald and darksky.net

Tue

High: 92°
Low: 51°

Clear throughout the day.

2% chance of precipitation

Wed

High: 89°
Low: 56°

Partly cloudy throughout the day.

14% chance of precipitation

Thu

High: 89°
Low: 54°

Partly cloudy throughout the day.

12% chance of precipitation

Fri

High: 90°
Low: 54°

Mostly cloudy throughout the day.

4% chance of precipitation

Sat

High: 90°
Low: 53°

Partly cloudy throughout the day.

5% chance of precipitation

Sun

High: 93°
Low: 53°

Partly cloudy throughout the day.

3% chance of precipitation

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Bells ringing for avalanche school

Silverton class schedule opens

By Herald Staff Report

Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 2:17 AM

It's back to school time.

The Silverton Avalanche School has a full schedule of courses and workshops this winter.

The school will offer a new Level I refresher course this year on Dec. 18-19 at the St. Paul Lodge on Red Mountain
Pass.

The refresher is designed to give students who have taken a Level I class in the past five years a chance to get an
update on the latest techniques in avalanche science.

In addition, the Silverton Avalanche School will offer a Level I class on Jan. 22-24 and a Level I class on Jan.
29-31.

The Level I school is geared to current and aspiring backcountry travelers. It will provide an introduction to
terrain evaluation, safe-travel protocols, route finding, decision making and companion rescue.

It also will cover mountain weather and recognition of instabilities in the snowpack. Snow pit profiles also will be
examined.

The Silverton Avalanche School will stage a Level II course on Feb. 4-7.

The Level II is a four-day workshop for those who have completed a three-day Level I avalanche course.

This course is geared toward backcountry travelers who have applied their Level I skills and are either aspiring
professionals or recreationists who are ready for more advanced knowledge and skills.

The Level II course will focus on technical and scientific aspects of avalanche study and hazard assessment.

Students should come to the course after having spent time in the backcountry, practiced with their beacons and
reviewed their Level I materials.

The course is not a Level I refresher.

Also new this year, the Silverton Avalanche School will sponsor a Level I Babes in the Backcountry course on Feb.
19-21 for women only.

Through the guidance and expertise of the professional female instructors, students will acquire the knowledge and
skills to become more educated travelers in the backcountry.

Since 1962, the Silverton Avalanche School has educated skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, ski patrollers, search
and rescue personnel and law enforcement officers about the hazards of avalanches.

More than 4,300 students have gone through school avalanche programs.

The curriculum of the Silverton Avalanche School adheres to the avalanche course guidelines of the American Avalanche
Institute.

For registration information, contact the Silverton Avalanche School at "http://www.silvertonavalancheschool.com">www.silvertonavalancheschool.com or call 799-3406.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com

Avalanche Awareness Benefit set Wednesday

The annual Avalanche Awareness Night Benefit for the Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, hosted by Pine Needle Mountaineering, will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Main Mall adjacent to Pine Needle, 835 Main Ave. There will be talks from local professionals involved in avalanche awareness, as well as a slideshow/video.

There also will be a raffle and silent auction to raise money for the local office of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. All proceeds will be donated to the Friends of the CAIC. For more information, call 247-8730.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com