Winter is Coming — Are you Ready?

With most group activities on hold last winter because of the pandemic, heading out into the wide-open Canadian outdoors held even more appeal for youth like Vincent and their families. Even if most never venture into avalanche terrain, some basic planning will help ensure everyone’s comfort and safety outdoors. “Like you would with any trip you’re planning, you need to research where you’re going and what kind of hazards you’ll encounter,” says professional Avalanche Specialist and Scouter with the Pacific Coast Council, Cam Campbell. 

When it comes to avalanche terrain, Campbell strongly advises that youth avoid it, while recommending standardized Avalanche Skills Training courses for those 18 or older. Nonetheless, there are a lot of basic safety measures that apply to travel through any sort of outdoor terrain, even those as flat as the proverbial pancake. These will prepare youth to manage the risks out on the trails, help prevent emergency situations and most apply as much in summer as they do in winter.  

1. Research your route or trail to understand the terrain. Choose something appropriate to your skill level and identify and plan for potential hazards. 
2. Monitor weather conditions before you leave on your trip. In the event of extended heavy rain or snow, for example, you may want to reassess your route if it involves a trail that meets or runs along a waterway. 
3. While travelling, maintain a heightened awareness of the conditions and monitor changes that could make travel riskier. This is known as situational awareness and prepares you to turn around if conditions present any kind of unexpected risk. 
4. Learn about your equipment and how to use it. Whether it’s an emergency transceiver or a canoe, get instruction in how to use it properly in case you need to use it to rescue someone. 
5. Finally, do not forget to Plan, Do, Review. Take what you learn and share it with others for future trips.  

For those who are interested in learning more about winter safety, Campbell recommends Avalanche Canada’s online safety centre at www.avalanche.ca. In addition to tons of fascinating information about snow, it provides information about local avalanche skills courses as well as conditions on ski, snowshoeing and snowmobiling routes right across the country.  

As for Vincent, he feels a keen interest in following up on his brief introduction to avalanche safety when possible, even if he usually sticks to local ski resorts and trails. “I do want to take an avalanche preparedness course. Maybe we can do it through Scouting as a Venture company. Our company does quite a bit of hikes and skiing in the wintertime, so I can apply those skills. I also go hiking with my family, so I can transfer those skills outside of Scouts.”  

1. Ensure that everyone in the group has access to an appropriate winter sleep system. Groups can provide winter sleeping bags with sleeping bag liners or rent them at their local gear depot. Sleeping bag liners not only help to keep the sleeping bag clean but also add warmth to the sleeping bag.  Putting one smaller 3 season sleeping bag inside another can also add warmth. Groups may invest in an overbag: a lightweight rectangular sleeping bag that is specifically cut to go over a regular bag and can add 8 – 11 degrees Celsius of warmth to the bag’s rating. You can also use a  bivy sack to add warmth. Bivy sacks are waterproof outer shells that add 8 to 9 degrees Celsius to the rating of a bag. 
2. Ensure that everyone in the group has a proper clothing layering system. Stress to parents that some of the best winter gear is passed down intergenerationally or bought second hand at the thrift store. Keeping a stock of basic extra gear with your Group can be helpful when doing a gear check both for youth that own limited gear as well as those who may have forgotten an item. Ask Scouting families to donate cold weather gear to the Group when their youth outgrow it. By telling caregivers to let you know if their child is missing something, you can often solve gear shortfalls before they become problematic, or the child becomes self-conscious because they do not own the appropriate gear.
3. If your Section decides that they want to do a mobile winter camp, but you have Scouts with mobility challenges, look for routes that can be accessed in alternative ways. This may involve letting a member snowmobile in, ensuring that the campsites are accessible through roads, using a sled or pulk, or having the Section come up with other creative means of ensuring that the member can participate.

Everyone should know what winter has to offer, especially Scouts. It starts with Scouts!