EVENT: State of the Snowpack #1 with Anna Keeling & Noah Sievers

Every winter, Canterbury backcountry users head into the mountains armed with the daily avalanche forecasts and their own gut feel.

But there's a layer in between — the local snowpack knowledge held by the guides, patrollers and forecasters who are out there every day — and that's exactly what this event is designed to share.

State of the Snowpack Aotearoa is several evenings over winter, of honest, practical avalanche intelligence from people who spend their winters digging pits, reading terrain and keeping others safe. Local professionals will break down what's happening in the Craigieburn's, Arthur's Pass and surrounding Canterbury ranges — not in textbook terms, but in the kind of plain language that helps you make better decisions when you're standing at the top of a slope.

This first evening for the winter will open with a deep dive into the Craigieburn snowpack from Anna Keeling — IFMGA mountain and ski guide, Craigieburn local since childhood, and current President of the New Zealand Mountain Guide Association. Anna has spent decades guiding and skiing in these ranges. She brings the kind of area-specific knowledge that goes beyond the forecast. A second localised snowpack analysis will cover other Canterbury touring zones for those heading further afield.

The evening closes with a window into what it looks like to work in avalanche terrain day after day. Noah Sievers — a Colorado State University graduate in Watershed Science with a specialist focus on snow hydrology and avalanche forecasting, AIARE Pro 1 certified, and working towards his AMGA Ski Guide certification — will share how the professionals around him approach the hard work of keeping people safe when conditions are complex. Expect an honest look at decision-making under uncertainty, and the gap between what the forecast says and what you find on the ground.

This isn't a course. It's a community conversation because better information shared across a community means more people making it home.

The goals of State of the Snowpack Aotearoa are:

• Decrease backcountry avalanche incidents, casualties, and rescues through the sharing of detailed community-specific snowpack analysis.
•  Bridge the gap between our Regional Avalanche Forecast and local knowledge shared in the InfoEx by guides and avalanche professionals, providing local snowpack analysis in as clear & simple terms as possible.
• Share information gathered from our local guiding and forecasting communities, allowing locals to make the most informed decisions in the backcountry, so we all make it home every night!

Here are the deets so you can come along: 

When: Tuesday, 21st July. 6.15 pm for a 6.30 pm start.

Where: Further Faster, 57A Buchan St, Sydenham

Tickets: $20 pre-sale. $25 on the door (unless sold out prior). Via Humanitix. https://events.humanitix.com/state-of-the-snowpack-1

All money raised goes directly to Alpine Rescue Canterbury, just in case things go sideways in the mountains. This crew is made up of doctors, mountain guides and expert climbers, but they are all volunteers so rely on donations like these to help them, help you!

Sponsored by Smart Elevation — Know your Snow, and Aarn Packs in partnership with Further Faster.