Even though it is winter, there are a lot of things that can be done outside because the temperature is usually rather pleasant. If one does not take into account the weather, however, what could have been a pleasant day spent in the wilderness could quickly become unpleasant.
Anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors during this time of year can get assistance from the Peter Inglis Avalanche Education Fund, which provides tools that can help (PI Fund).
Peter Inglis was not only the founder of the Telluride Mountain Club, but he also served as a ski patroller and a member of search and rescue. As a result of his passing in 2015 from injuries sustained in a tragic cornice fall in Alaska, the PI Fund was established in his honour.
The Telluride Mountain Club and the PI Fund are two entirely independent organisations. The purpose of the PI Fund is to facilitate better access to avalanche education as well as raise awareness among backcountry users about the dangers of avalanches.
Telluride’s backcountry radio show, Telluride Backcountry Chats, as well as scholarships for individuals to complete avalanche education courses, and other projects that increase avalanche education and user awareness are both helped financially by the PI Fund.
Telluride’s PI Fund Promotes Chris Dickson to Director
In January, Chris Dickson was appointed to take over as the next head of the PI Fund. His objective is to increase the number of people who watch and take part in the local programmes that are offered in Telluride.
Heidi Lauterbach, who worked at the Telluride Mountain Club, was in charge of the PI Fund for a number of years and was instrumental in the fund’s expansion and success. In the winter of 2016, the PI Fund decided to promote me to the position of director in the expectation that I would assist them in expanding and bettering existing programmes such as their scholarship programme and Backcountry Chat, which is an online discussion forum.
This year, the fund will put on some brand-new, exciting events for the community, in addition to awarding more avalanche education scholarships than it ever has before. The Wilkinson Public Library is going to host the very first Backcountry Chat on December 8 at 6 o’clock, and then they will continue to do so on the second Thursday of every month after that.
According to Dickson, when it comes to activities that take place in icy backcountry environments, these events are an excellent method to bring people together for the purpose of having discussions, exchanging ideas, and gaining knowledge.
He went on to emphasise that the price of earning a degree in engineering was only going to grow up, thus the PI Fund granted scholarships to assist make up for the difference in cost.
Backcountry winter enthusiasts band together to help those in need!
We are a group of people that enjoy winter activities in the backcountry and reside in a region that is prone to avalanches. Our charitable organisation is here to be of assistance and to collaborate with them in order to make everyone feel more secure.
People in the neighbourhood who are in need of financial assistance to pay for their avalanche education can apply for scholarships that we give. This year, in order to compensate for the increasing price of these avalanche education courses, we intend to donate a greater total amount of money than ever before.
The application deadline for these scholarships is on December 16th, and we are presently having a fall fundraiser to assist pay for this programme. If you are interested in applying, the deadline is December 16th. On December 9th, the PI Fund will host a free ski film festival at the Transfer Warehouse to get people psyched about the next winter season.
Dickson stated that “We are showcasing movies that were made by three professional skiers from our area.” They will be there to discuss their videos as well as the reasons why they believe our community requires additional avalanche education. During the event, there will be a raffle with some amazing ski movies as one of the prizes, as well as beer, food, and other refreshments.
It goes without saying that you want to get started on your preparations for the wilderness as soon as you possibly can. Our primary objective is to increase the number of individuals who are aware of the PI Fund and the valuable work that we perform.
He mentioned that increasing the amount of money available for scholarships was another one of their objectives. In addition to this, one of our goals is to increase the number of young people who are aware of the risks they encounter during the winter months in hilly areas and who are inspired to take action to address these issues. We have high hopes that one day we will be able to offer a programme in which students in the sixth grade in the surrounding area will be able to learn about avalanches in the classroom.
