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Helping Kids Make Safe Backcountry Decisions
By Michelle Macullo
While friends don’t let friends ski or ride junk in the Bow Valley, sometimes friends don’t stop friends from carving turns out of bounds. Smells like teen spirit? Indeed it does. So when Julie Timmins realized her teenage sons lacked a basic understanding of the safety considerations when reaching the powder behind the verboten line, she decided to do something about it. And she was recently awarded for her efforts.
This past summer, Julie travelled to Quebec City to receive Parks Canada’s CEO Award of Excellence (in the category of Engaging Partners) for the creation of Avi-Smart—a unique avalanche-safety school outreach program offered to Bow Valley kids in the Grade 7-to-10 range.
Her idea was beautiful and simple—give teens the knowledge they need to help them enjoy Mother Nature’s playground safely. Drawing on her experience as a mother, long-time Parks Canada employee, teacher and Association of Canadian Mountain Guides’ assistant ski guide, Julie realized that despite her extensive outdoor travel skills, her sons didn’t share her knowledge. And that’s when the light went on—how could they be expected to know if no one shares that information? Clearly, if her kids didn’t know, then other kids weren’t getting the message either.
“From my experience, it’s usually the age of 12 when kids want to ditch their parents and ski/ride with their friends,” Timmins shares. “They agree to meet up with their parents, but no one knows what they do in the meantime. My son, at the age of 13, told me that he and a buddy had decided to go out to Wawa Bowl (Sunshine Village) because they saw some skiers out there, and it looked like fun. They turned around when they realized hiking out there was difficult, and the day was almost over. They had no idea they were heading off to uncontrolled avi-terrain, nor did they know what they would have to do to be safe.”
Julie’s approach is informative without being preachy. The result is a group of converted teens who spread the message well beyond the confines of the classroom.
“Avalanche awareness is a life-skill for kids who live and recreate in the mountains, where winter sports can expose them to avalanche hazards,” Timmins explains. “Even if some of the kids don’t do winter activities, they will have many friends who do. They can encourage their friends who do these activities do to it safely. In addition, when friends and family from other parts of the country come to the mountain parks to ski, these kids can pass on what they’ve learned, which could reduce the number of potential avalanche involvements.”
“My goal is to give the kids the info and have them come up with the conclusion that it is better/safer to stay in-bounds until they can take some avalanche training.”
And while the Avi-Smart program is for informational purposes only, Timmins hopes it will encourage teens to speak with their parents about what they’ve learned and what their interests are. In turn, she also hopes parents will support their children by signing them up for courses and helping their kids to purchase appropriate rescue gear.
And thanks to Timmins’ efforts, it’s not just the kids in the Bow Valley benefitting from the program. Avi-Smart has caught on in other mountain communities including Pincher Creek, Invermere and Revelstoke, and reaches roughly 1,000 students annually.
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