By Madeline Dunnett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE DISCOURSE

Are you planning on going backcountry skiing or snowboarding this winter? YouB次元官网网址檙e not the only one.

There has been a huge increase in winter backcountry recreation since the COVID-19 pandemic began according to Jan Neuspiel, director of Island Alpine Guides, based in the Vancouver Island community of Cumberland.

B次元官网网址淟ike so many things in the outdoors, the pandemic was a big bump,B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said.

Neuspiel has been guiding for more than three decades and began Island Alpine Guides with fellow Association of Canadian Mountain Guides certified guide Cliff Umpleby in 2006. Since then, the mountain school and guide service has provided Vancouver Islanders with courses such as avalanche training, mountain weather forecasting tutorials, ski mountaineering, multi-pitch climbing, rock rescue and more.

Despite Island Alpine Guides always working towards reducing the chances of mishaps, Neuspiel said that when the number of people getting into the backcountry increases, the chances of accidents also increase.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e training more and more people in avalanche safety and in backcountry skills in general. And the rise in the number of people wanting to take courses is obviously accompanied by a rise in people actually going out and doing stuff,B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said. B次元官网网址淎nd the pure numbers would mean that thereB次元官网网址檚 going to be more people getting into trouble when they go out there.B次元官网网址�

With more people showing interest in travelling the backcountry in the winter, Neuspiel is offering tips on where and how to get started to ensure people have safe journeys.

For those who want to learn to backcountry ski or snowboard B次元官网网址� which is often done out of bounds and involves skiing uphill and sliding down on backcountry skis or a splitboard B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said the best place to start is an Avalanche Skills Training 1 course, or AST1.

These courses can also be useful for snowshoers and snowmobilers to increase their knowledge and safety.

In the 2013/2014 season, Island Alpine Guides had 200 students sign up for their Avalanche Skills Training courses, and in the 2022/2023 season there were 350 students who signed up, Neuspiel said.

The AST1 course educates people about how to assess risk and learn what avalanche terrain is and isnB次元官网网址檛. With Island Alpine Guides, it takes place over two days B次元官网网址� one classroom day and one field day.

The course also teaches skills such as understanding the snow pack, route planning and risk assessment. During the field day, students learn how to use their equipment and look at snow samples, different terrain and practice finding buried avalanche transceivers.

B次元官网网址淎valanche Canada has done a really good job of giving people the notion that the starting point is to take a basic entry level avalanche course,B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said, adding that the AST1 is B次元官网网址渁 logical entry point, because before doing that a lot of people wouldnB次元官网网址檛 know whatB次元官网网址檚 avalanche terrain and what isnB次元官网网址檛 avalanche terrain.B次元官网网址�

Avalanche Canada is a non-profit organization that provides avalanche safety information, education, and forecasting for backcountry users in Canada.

In an interview with Lys Morton for Sun Peaks Independent B次元官网网址, Avalanche Canada executive director Gilles Valade said the organization aims to prevent a need for emergency response. In other words, it aims to equip anyone interacting with CanadaB次元官网网址檚 mountains and backcountry with the tools to safely explore and recreate. This helps build a population that requires fewer rescue resources.

Avalanche CanadaB次元官网网址檚 online map also contains ratings for different avalanche conditions in areas where ski touring is popular. Avalanche Canada added areas on Vancouver Island to its ratings and forecasts in the 2021-2022 winter season.

Neuspiel said in Canada, the AST1 course has become widely accepted as the entry point into understanding how to stay safe in the winter backcountry, but itB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渞eally only a starting point.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚f people are going to really start to engage with avalanche terrain in a way other than just avoiding it, then it gets a little more complicated than that, and a mixture of gaining experience in the mountains and further higher level training would both be the appropriate path,B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said.

There are other courses such as the AST2, which go into more details, but Neuspiel explained that having the required knowledge to traverse the backcountry is about much more than just taking the courses.

The bigger portion is gaining hands-on experience moving through terrain and making decisions in the backcountry while also learning what impact those decisions have.

There are online resources, too. Avalanche Canada has an online tutorial called Avy Savvy, which is an accessible place for people to learn more about assessing avalanche terrain.

Neuspiel recommended three different ways to gain experience after taking an avalanche course: going on trips with similarly inexperienced peers, more experienced peers and/or with professional guides. Each option, he said, has pros and cons.

Going on trips with similarly inexperienced peers can help new winter backcountry explorers learn to contribute to decision-making equally, and gain experience making choices in the backcountry. The disadvantage to this, he said, is that because everyone is inexperienced, this means they will be making conservative terrain choices to maintain a reasonable risk margin, so there is a limit to where they can go.

The next option is doing trips in the backcountry with more experienced peers.

B次元官网网址淚n this case, the advantage is that maybe youB次元官网网址檇 be willing to undertake things .125that are.375 a little bit more risky than what a totally inexperienced group might, which would make trips more interesting.B次元官网网址�

The other advantage of going on those trips would be the ability to learn from more experienced peers. But Neuspiel also warns that amateur leaders can overestimate their own abilities, and that accident statistics back this up.

B次元官网网址淚 really caution people that even if youB次元官网网址檙e really inexperienced on trips like that, donB次元官网网址檛 hesitate to speak your mind and to hold your ground in terms of your own risk tolerances,B次元官网网址� he said.

The third option is going on trips with professionals. This gives newcomers a chance to learn from certified guides who are experienced and up-to-date with international standards due to continuing professional development they must participate in.

B次元官网网址淚f you have big objectives in mind that you donB次元官网网址檛 really have the skill level to make the judgements as to whether itB次元官网网址檚 the right time to do them or not, a guide can be really helpful there. So you can achieve some goals in the mountains that way,B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said.

The downside, however, is that going on trips with experienced guides costs money.

At the end of the day, Neuspiel said the most important thing to do is get out there and gain experience.

B次元官网网址淵ou can take more courses if you want, but itB次元官网网址檚 not going to replace going out.B次元官网网址�

Backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers are going to have to put some money down to get out there, but there are things to do to keep the costs low if youB次元官网网址檙e on a budget.

B次元官网网址淭he first one on the gear is to buy used. Blue Toque Sports in Courtenay is a great example of a place to buy used. You can get some great deals there,B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said.

He said gear swaps online are good too, and Facebook groups such as Vancouver Island Ski Touring Society and Vancouver Island Climbing and Mountaineering are other options where many people will sell their old gear for a reduced price.

Club trips, such as the ones offered by the Alpine Club of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Vancouver Island section, are another good place to start as long as backcountry recreationists are taking those cautionary steps Neuspiel touched on.

Neuspiel suggests finding like-minded friends who are in a similar stage in their learning to pitch in together to hire a guide.

B次元官网网址淎nother thing to remember is that when you go backcountry skiing, youB次元官网网址檙e not having to buy lift passes, so youB次元官网网址檙e saving some money there,B次元官网网址� Neuspiel said.

Neuspiel himself has been caught in avalanches before.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e never been fully buried but IB次元官网网址檝e been caught in avalanches four times, and IB次元官网网址檝e been up to my neck once,B次元官网网址� he said.

But he said he views those moments as learning experiences.

B次元官网网址淎s I said to my kid all the time when he was growing up when heB次元官网网址檇 say, `Oh, Dad, I blew it. I got it wrong. I made a mistake.B次元官网网址� My answer was always, `dude, itB次元官网网址檚 not a mistake if you learn from it, itB次元官网网址檚 a learning opportunity,B次元官网网址滲次元官网网址� Neuspiel said.

B次元官网网址淭he risks associated with backcountry travel in the winter are real. Having said that, itB次元官网网址檚 also a truly manageable risk and with a systematic approach to your learning and your decision making, you can go a long way.B次元官网网址�