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Help groups teaching avalanche safety

As an avid outdoorswoman, I moved to Durango last summer both for the amazing community of outdoor enthusiasts here as well as for the unbeatable year-round access to mountains, rivers and rock. As soon as I got here, I immediately began looking for partners and opportunities to get outside in our public lands and am grateful everyday to be a part of a community that is so willing to invite and include new friends in adventures.

For example, I just recently started backcountry skiing and was elated to receive a scholarship for an Avalanche 1 course through the Joe Philpott & Peter Carver Avalanche Scholarship Fund and Friends of the San Juans. Both of these local nonprofits are intent on keeping our community safe as we venture into the mountains. This winter, through a series of free avalanche-awareness classes, on-snow sessions, scholarships and partnerships with local businesses such as Pine Needle Mountaineering, the two groups have made crucial snow-safety information more accessible to everybody in town. For that I am thankful, as are many of my friends who’ve attended these programs over the past few months.

During my avalanche course on a recent weekend with Kling Mountain Guides, I was able to expand upon what I’ve learned through these classes so far, and now feel much more confident in my ability to make smart decisions for myself and my friends this winter. I urge readers to consider making a donation to the scholarship fund or to become a member of Friends of the San Juans, so these groups can continue providing great opportunities for our community to learn how to stay safe doing what we love most – enjoying the outdoors, together – for many winters to come.

Micha Rosenoer

Durango



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