Mountain Safety Education is a significant part of Mountain Rescue Aspen’s mission. Our website has several educational links providing valuable information on avalanche awareness, mountain peak awareness, safety information for hunters and hikers along with backcountry specialty skills. We invite you to explore our website.
Each year Mountain Rescue Aspen offers a two-day Avalanche Awareness Program for the public. This program provides safety information on the hazards of avalanches and has educated over 3,000-backcountry enthusiasts with valuable information on techniques and strategies for avoiding winter hazards.
In 2009, Mountain Rescue Aspen invested in a sophisticated avalanche beacon park located at the Snowmass Ski Resort. Working closely with The Aspen Ski Company, Mountain Rescue Aspen has opened this park to the public for avalanche beacon practice. Our goal is to have backcountry users practice single and multiple burial scenarios.
Recently, Mountain Rescue Aspen initiated a program called Peak Awareness,
which compiles information for mountaineers visiting the Elk Mountain Range.
This program gathers local knowledge from the Roaring Fork Valley and shares
information on the hazards encountered while climbing. The program is geared
towards mountaineers seeking local knowledge and safety tips.
Several Mountain Rescue Aspen members work closely with local schools and
share information on safety. Our Hug-A-Tree program teaches children what
to do if they are lost. The team has worked with older students demonstrating
rescue techniques and showing students how these techniques interface with their academic programs.
Unlike other emergency response agencies, there is no tax base for Mountain Rescue. We are 100% unpaid volunteers who raise the funding needed each year through public donations and grants.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” Benjamin Franklin
