Mid-Winter Avalanche Reminders for Climbers

This winter has been full of close calls and bad falls. A number of climbers have been caught in avalanches and are lucky to have survived. With the recent heavy snow falls and high winds, climbers need to be vigilant and choose their routes wisely.

If climbers are heading into avalanche territory, no matter the conditions, they should consider wearing an avalanche beacon, bring a shovel and a probe. Many slides have happened on the approach to climbs, having the proper equipment to find your partner if they have been buried is a good idea.

For an interview with climbers caught in an avalanche on Polar Circus see here and for other avalanches in Canada involving climbers see here. Below are online resources for checking conditions.

Western Canada Avalanche Conditions
West Coast Ice on Facebook
Rockies Ice on Facebook
Rockies Ice Conditions from Gravsports-ice
Ontario Ice Conditions Forum on Facebook
Northern Ontario Ice Conditions from ACC
Ontario Ice Conditions from Andriy Kolos
Quebec Ice Conditions Forum on Escalade 
Ice Conditions Eastern Canada on NEIce

A little throwback Thursday action to our Polar Circus adventure the other week. Each time I look at the frames from this sequence I just can't stop thinking about how @quentinlroberts some how managed to stay alive up there. If you haven't already be sure to read the full interview with Quentin over at @grippedmagazine (link in my profile). It's a true tale of Human survival! @avalanchecanada @petzl_official

A photo posted by Alex Ratson (@aratson) on Feb 9, 2017 at 8:15am PST