2025–26 Tuesday Night Education Series

Presented by Caltopo

This topic is designed to give backcountry skiers and riders a behind-the-scenes look at the tour planning process. One of the most frequent questions new backcountry users ask is: “But how do you figure out where to ski?” This webinar will address that question directly by showing how an experienced AIARE instructor and mountain guide approaches tour planning from start to finish.

Presented by onX

Andy Sovick, founder of Beacon Guidebooks, and product manager at onX Backcountry will go through his recommended process for building a zone, approach, descent options, and exits. Using avalanche terrain tools and layers slope angle shading, alongside many unique and proprietary layers, he'll explain how we make plans about when, where, and how we plan to travel in avalanche terrain. Also, digital mapping tools can contribute to decision making once we're out in the field too. Digital mapping tools help us use terrain to our advantage to mitigate risk in a risky environment.

Presented by Ortovox

Companion rescue is a challenging endeavor in avalanche rescue, and we rehearse it diligently in order to be prepared when/if the time comes. That should be true whether we're skiing, snowshoeing, or riding a snow machine. However, a snow machine adds an additional layer of challenge to avalanche involvement and rescue. In this webinar, our friends at Ortovox will walks us through the unique aspects of rescue operations on a snow machine.

Presented by Gaia

The winter backcountry is showcased everywhere—from social media to guidebooks and avalanche forecasts, but translating that inspiration into real-world travel requires maps. Photos and descriptions spark curiosity, but the topo map becomes the trusted guide as we locate terrain, make a plan, and navigate the complexity of the mountains. In this webinar, our partners at Gaia will share practical tips for turning inspiration into effective research, planning, and on-the-ground pathfinding.

Presented by RECCO

Unfortunately, many rescuers have experienced the challenge of searching for buried victim without a transmitting transciever. In some cases, a victim was separated from their transceiver. In other cases, the victim was never wearing a transciever at all, or their transciever wasn't transmitting at the time of burial. In each of those cases, responders must call on a set of tool and techniques that our friends at Recco will share and explore.

Presented by Arva

What defines a “modern” avalanche transceiver? Since 2019, all manufacturers have moved to 3-antenna models. In that time, new features have been added—such as Bluetooth, interference alerts, voice guidance, and more. Today, we’ll look at the models currently available and consider whether these upgrades truly make searching faster, or if performance has already reached a baseline. We’ll also examine whether there’s a meaningful reason to upgrade as a consumer or professional, what we’ve learned from past designs, and what the future may bring.

Presented by Backcountry Access

Radios are common backcountry communication tools, but their use is not always obvious right out of the packaging. In this webinar, IFMGA Guide Joe Thompson and BCA will walk us through how radios are used among professional teams, who they are used among recreational teams, and the best practices both user-groups have in common. Whether you are an aspiring professional or just a backcountry team in tight trees, the radio should be a go-to tool for communication.

Presented by Blizzard Tecnica

The best way to ruin any experience is to have the wrong footwear. Backcountry skiing is no different. It may be the most severe example in all sports of why the right fit and the right performance makes or breaks the experience. In this webinar, our friends at Blizzard Tecnica will walk us through how we go about fitting, adjusting/modifying, and selecting the right backcountry ski boot.

Presented by Black Diamond

Should ice-climbers and alpinists carry a transceiver, probe, and shovel? Climbers are often connected to each via a rope, but is a rope reliable tool for companion rescue? In this webinar, our friends at Black Diamond will make the case for all the factors that affect climbers differently than other folks traveling in the winter backcountry.