Student's winning essay focuses on backcountry education

Living in Alaska has provided me with many opportunities for outdoor recreation in the summer and winter. I live about 15 minutes from Hatcher Pass and the Talkeetna Mountains. I spend a lot of time in the backcountry. During summer my travel through the mountains is limited by how much energy I have, but in the winter, my lack of avalanche gear severely limits the terrain I can travel through.

An avalanche beacon is very important when traveling across or beneath slopes that can avalanche. Most importantly, everyone is a party needs a beacon or the beacons are worthless. Some of my friends I go to the mountains with have beacons, but since I don't, we have to stay off of slopes steeper than 30 degrees. I hope to eventually be able to ski more terrain in the mountains through a combination of avalanche training and a beacon.

The beacons are useless if no one has a probe pole or a shovel. Without a probe pole, the exact place to dig is impossible to find. Without a shovel the avalanche victim cannot be dug out. Skis, snowboards or hands cannot dig a person out of avalanche debris.

The best way to prevent avalanche fatalities is through education about what causes avalanches, which is why I am enrolled in the February avalanche workshop at Hatcher Pass. Even education will not keep people safe all the time, so a beacon, probe and shovel are necessary for me to safely enjoy the backcountry.