This year, FREESKIER is teaming up with BCA for a full digital takeover focusing on safety, education and awareness in the backcountry. Get ready for a week chock-full of educational backcountry content including Q&As, How-Tos and videos that round up the most up-to-date information on how to keep you and your friends safe while exploring out of resort boundaries. Starting today, get ready to follow along on our social channels and website for daily updates.
But before we dive into this week’s onslaught of backcountry safety content, we’re kicking things off with a radical giveaway designed to get two avid skiers prepped for backcountry adventures this season. Enter the official FREESKIER Safety Week BCA Sweepstakes for the chance to win a Tracker4 Rescue Package that includes an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe. But that’s not all—a second winner will also receive a FREE AIARE Level 1 Avalanche course courtesy of Colorado Mountain School. Enter now for your chance to win!
T4 Avalanche Rescue Package
After getting avalanche rescue and safety training—the first priority if you want to ski in the backcountry—having top-of-the-line gear is the next most important safety measure. BCA’s most advanced rescue package, the T4 Avalanche Rescue Package has you covered whether you’re just starting out in the backcountry or you’re a seasoned veteran looking to replace your gear. The package comes with the industry-leading Tracker4 avalanche transceiver, an extendable B-1 EXT avalanche shovel and quick-deploying Stealth 270 avalanche probe. Keep reading for a closer look at each product.
Tracker4 Avalanche Transceiver
The Tracker avalanche transceivers earned their position as BCA’s signature product by being rated the fastest and most easy-to-use beacon in the industry, but the Tracker4 takes it one step further. Its light and easy composition, along with a rubberized over-molded case, large LED display and the same trusted interface as the original Tracker makes this beacon a must-have when you’re seeking peace of mind, knowing that you have one of the best products on the market to find your companions if tragedy strikes.
Product Highlights:
- Bombproof industrial design with rubberized over-molding
- Instantaneous real-time LED distance and direction display
- Upgradable software to optimize performance
- Motion-sensing auto revert-to-transmit mode—so you go back to transmit mode if buried while searching
B-1 EXT Avalanche Shovel
The B-1 EXT avalanche shovel is BCA’s longstanding best-seller. Its construction is both lightweight and extendable for weight-conscious skiers that prefer the comfort and functionality of an adjustable shovel. A mainstay in the Bomber line, it boasts an off-the-chart strength-to-weight ratio, while taking up minimal storage space in your pack. Remember, the excavation process in an avalanche rescue is where the most time can be lost or gained!
Product Highlights:
- Oval shaft to prevent breakage when digging through hard debris
- Ergonomic T-grip handle and extendable shaft
- Packable, low profile blade
- T-6 heat treatment for maximum strength
Stealth 270 Avalanche Probe
BCA’s Stealth 270 avalanche probe features one of the easiest and fastest assemblies on the market–and no loose cables to get snagged or whip you in the face while probing. The top segment stealthily nests inside the next probe section, reducing the size of the probe bundle when disassembled in your pack. Stealth probes are built to last and save valuable seconds during an avalanche rescue when time matters.
AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course
Brought to you by Colorado Mountain School and BCA, the AIARE Level 1 Course is an immersive three-day avalanche course that will teach you how to make better decisions in avalanche terrain and is taught by some of the world’s most experienced AIARE instructors. The course begins at Colorado Mountain School’s exclusive lodge in Estes Park where you’ll undergo a comprehensive prep day, followed by two full days in the field. This course provides essential training for skiers looking to adventure into avalanche terrain and will help you develop a solid foundation in how to prepare and carry out for a backcountry trip, understand basic decision-making while in the field and learn avalanche rescue techniques required to locate and dig up a buried person. By completing this course with Colorado Mountain School, you will receive an official qualification from AIARE, joining tens of thousands of other AIARE 1 trained graduates, as well as access to CMS’s season-long avalanche education membership, The Snow Pack, which includes coursework, bonus education and student perks.
CLICK HERE to enter the giveaway!
