This Challenge Lets Skiers Support Avalanche Safety and Win Free Gear

In the market for some new ski equipment, and wondering how to support your local avalanche forecasters? 

You might want to participate in a challenge hosted by Weston and the Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the CAIC’s nonprofit arm. 

The premise is simple. 

One submission to the CAIC’s observations tab equals one entry into a monthly prize draw. From now until April, at the end of each month, the FoCAIC will select one submission, with whoever made the submission receiving a prize package featuring Pomoca skins, Rocky Talkie radio, Gordini, and more.

At the end of the challenge, one grand prize winner will take home a pair of Weston skis or a board, along with a Glade helmet and goggles.

Here's how to submit.

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How Observations Help the CAIC

To those unfamiliar, the observations tab is a vital part of the CAIC’s forecasting and data-gathering process. While some of these observations are made by snow science professionals, any skier or snowboarder can submit notes and photos of what they see in the backcountry, from cracking snow to avalanche activity.

Public observations assist the CAIC, which is responsible for issuing avalanche forecasts across approximately 28,000 square miles of terrain across Colorado, in making sense of the snowpack. They also benefit the broader public, who can view the observations before heading into the backcountry.

“With just 30 field staff covering a massive and complex mountain environment, we depend on information from the backcountry community to help us see the full picture,” said Ethan Greene, director of the CAIC, in a news release. “We truly couldn’t do this work without the support of our community.”

The challenge meets another aim, too: encouraging backcountry skiers and snowboarders to be more observant of their surroundings.

“If you’re paying attention to the snowpack and conditions and you submit a field report, you are doing two things: keeping yourself and your partners safer, and giving the rest of the backcountry community better information to make smarter decisions,” said Aaron Carlson, executive director of the FoCAIC.

Worried about blowing up your secret backcountry spot? We get it, but you don’t need to be. When making an observation, you can make the location generalized so that only the forecasters can see it.

Click here to learn more about the observation challenge.