Educational Opportunity To Increase Safe Recreational Use of Mount Washington

2013-09-13 17:51:10.000 – Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Putting my weather & avalanche knowledge to use.

Being the Educational Specialist, I am always excited when I can promote educational material. Three years ago, the White Mountain Avalanche Education Fund was established by the White Mountain National Forest’s Mount Washington Avalanche Center to educate kids in the Northeast about avalanches. Focusing on students who look to take their sport into avalanche terrain, this year’s Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop (ESAW) on November 9th has the opportunity for 15 scholarships.

For the rest of us, the workshop still has an incredible amount of information to provide. This is not an avalanche class, but a higher-level, one day symposium that encompasses new science, useful practical skills for the field, and interesting presentations about avalanche problems around eastern North America. As an added bonus, when you sign up for ESAW 2013, they are offering a $10 gift certificate if you are a member of one of their selected organizations; and the Mount Washington Observatory happens to be one of them! Even if you are not a member of the Observatory, it isn’t too late to join prior to the workshop.

I myself have been to and presented at ESAW and know the value of the information that is provided during this workshop. Understanding the weather and making a safe assessment prior to an outdoor adventure is only half the battle in the winter. The other half is understanding the risk of avalanche prone areas around the mountain. This conference brings what we work so hard to distribute and educate on to the next level in promoting safe recreational use at the ‘Home of the World’s Worst Weather’ and beyond.

Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist