Get to Know the Rendezvous
FOWs Sean Zimmerman-Wall and Matt Sterbenz work on their fine search skills. Wasatch Range, UT. Photo: Pep Fujas (@pepfujas)
We run the Rendezvous every year to facilitate better backcountry access for all, with an emphasis on safety, education, and stewardship. Led by Friends of WNDR who specialize in guiding, avalanche forecasting, and backcountry education, the Rendezvous is our way of supplying our community with the knowledge and resources they need to experience the backcountry to the fullest.
Safety & Education
For this year’s Rendezvous, you can choose to attend one of three sessions.
The first two Avalanche Awareness sessions (December 16th and 17th) cover basic understanding of terrain, backcountry hazards, and beacon searches. This is a great way to get your bearings in the backcountry space. The course will leave you with lots of elements to consider and practice as you grow as a backcountry skier.
The third Risk Management session (December 18th) serves as a refresher course for those who already have AIARE 1 or higher. Expect to review elements of the AIARE 1 curriculum, as well as run through beacon drills, discuss route finding, talk about group dynamics, heuristic traps, and more.
Good protocol and technique can save precious seconds during a rescue. FOW Harrison Brickman demonstrates how to dig through dense avalanche debris after a positive probe strike. Wasatch Range, UT. Photo: Pep Fujas (@pepfujas)
Community
We are continually impressed by the quality of characters that show up to WNDR Alpine events. For us, it’s a great way to get to know our local community better. For attendees, it’s a way to meet like minded backcountry explorers and come away with a wider network of potential ski partners.
Get to know likeminded backcountry explorers on the skin track and build your skills together. That’s what it’s all about! FOW: Tori Anderson and Brandon Gulstene // Photo: Marcus Baranow (@confessionsofaskibum)
Etiquette & Stewardship
We want everyone to love and appreciate the natural spaces that we recreate in together. We should all be empowered to treat these spaces - and each other - with respect. At the Rendezvous, we’ll also be talking about how to best interact with other groups in the backcountry and make sure our public lands continue to be good places to recreate for all users. We invite you to join us in our mission to keep the mountains a paradise.
Join the crew! Wasatch Range, UT. FOW: Matt Sterbenz, Sean Zimmerman-Wall, and friends. // Photo: Pep Fujas (@pepfujas)
Spots are filling up! Lock down any pair of 2022 skis for access to the Rendezvous this December!