Avalanche Education – Cameron Pass Avalanche Terrain Avoidance Field Trip

The meetup time and place will be communicated to participants a few days before the trip,  but expect to meet in Northern Fort Collins about 7:30 am to carpool to a trailhead, likely in the Cameron Pass area about 90 minutes from town.

*** To join this Field Trip, you must have previously attended a NoCo Avalanche Terrain Avoidance (ATA) Classroom Session such as this one on the evening of December 10***

This is a free outing to review ATA techniques in the field.  During the trip we will observe actual avalanche terrain from nearby areas while avoiding avalanche risk. Wintertime hazards in addition to avalanches will also be discussed. Estimation and measurement of slope angles will be practiced, and numerous examples of potentially risky (e.g., slopes, gullies, road cuts, cornices, etc.) and avalanche-free areas will be identified and discussed. Clues as to what constitutes avalanche terrain versus non-avalanche terrain will also be discussed. We will finish with a short drive to one or more parking areas to observe the characteristics of various avalanche paths exhibiting historic slide activity and which should be avoided.

Participants may use either snowshoes or skis if conditions permit (Nordic or AT). Whatever equipment is used, field trip participants must be reasonably fit and able to handle deep, ungroomed snow in moderately steep terrain (up to 20-degree slopes).  The field trip will have have a CMC snowshoe rating of 'easy'.

Note for CMC Trip Leaders: This trip is designed to meet the educational requirements of the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) for trip leaders who lead routes in snow-covered terrain that is not avalanche-prone. The full CMC avalanche education requirements for trip leaders can be found here: CMC Avalanche Education Policy Document.