Tyler's Backcountry Awareness

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Fort Collins, CO
Tyler's Backcountry Awareness

Empowering and challenging backcountry riders to expand their skills so that their adventures can reach new heights.

Backcountry rider Tyler Lundstedt’s undeniable and contagious passion for snowmobiling in the great Rocky Mountains led him and fellow riders to ever greater heights and challenges. Born in 1987, Tyler came to work in construction and running heavy equipment, but that was just to pay the snowmobiling bills. Ever smiling and always with a helping hand, Tyler would be found engaged in something productive. Those riding with Tyler would experience the mountains in ways most never will. The more obscure and hard to reach places offer the challenges and skill-building excitement an enthusiastic rider can appreciate. On January 21, 2012 Tyler died in an avalanche near Buffalo Pass in Colorado. The passion he shared with the world is a tremendous legacy. Tyler’s Backcountry Awareness was created to challenge riders to build their skills in safety and preparedness.

04/01/2026

Once you’ve excavated a buried victim and ensured your patient has a clear airway, is breathing, and has a pulse, your team still has serious medical and logistical issues to deal with. Patient care is first and foremost. Ensure the patient is treated for or protected against hypothermia and other environmental threats and then perform a complete head to toe physical assessment for injuries. If you don’t have adequate first aid training yet, take a wilderness first aid course from a reputable provider in your area. Consider the first aid training and skills of you and your partners when Assembling Your Group. Just as you practice your rescue skills regularly, keep your medical emergency skills sharp and up to date through regular training.

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03/27/2026

In all of our avalanche course offerings, you will receive some in the classroom instruction. This will establish the framework of understanding around avalanches.

We then give you hands on experience with your learning by taking you out on the snow to do different tests and planning.

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03/24/2026

Different storms bring different types of snow throughout the season. Some storms might bring heavy, wet snow while others might bring light, dry powder. Each unique storm forms a layer or multiple layers of the snowpack. In addition, weather events, such as cold temperatures, rain, and time cause those layers to continue to change, either bonding together or becoming more distinct. Sometimes, the right combination of snow and weather events creates a solid, stable snowpack. Other times, the layers don’t fuse together, and we are left with a snowpack that is more likely to avalanche if triggered on steep terrain.

As you conduct your observations, take note of obvious differences between layers, such as the size and shape of the snow crystals in the layers or the hardness of the layers. What is the thickness of the layers? Are there strong layers on top of weak layers?

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03/20/2026

It is a good practice to have group checkin points along your planned route. This gives everyone a chance to voice any concerns with what they have seen or experienced. It also gives group members the chance to take a break if needed before moving on.

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03/17/2026

Preparation is essential prior to going into the abckcountry. However, sometimes a wrong turn or unexpected outcome comes about. It is in those times when it’s vital to use gathered information to help make infomred decisions on how to traverse through terrain in a safe manner for the group to get where you are desiring to go.

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03/14/2026

IF A HELICOPTER COMES TO YOUR AID

The team should prepare a landing zone, if possible, by removing any loose debris and instructing team members to secure personal packs and clothing. Protect the patient from blowing snow when the helicopter arrives. Don’t approach the helicopter until instructed to do so by the pilot.

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03/11/2026

Course Description: The AIARE 1 is a three-day / 24-hour introduction to avalanche hazard management.

Students can expect to develop a good grounding in how to prepare for and carry out a backcountry trip, to understand basic decision making while in the field, and to learn rescue techniques required to find and dig up a buried person (if an avalanche occurs and someone in the party is caught).

Who Should Take this Course: The AIARE 1 is for ANYONE, regardless of method of travel, who wants to recreate in or near avalanche terrain. Participants may have attended some awareness classes or workshops or completed the Avalanche Rescue course, but none are a prerequisite for this course.

Aspiring professionals will need to take the AIARE 1 and Avalanche Rescue as a prerequisite for the Pro 1 course.

Student Learning Outcomes
At the end of the AIARE 1 course, the student should be able to:
-Develop a plan for travel in avalanche terrain.
-Demonstrate the ability to identify avalanche terrain.
-Effectively use The AIARE Risk Management Framework to make terrain choices in a group setting.
-Demonstrate effective companion rescue.

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03/08/2026

The Propagation Saw Test, or PST, is a long column test where a failure is cut into a pre-identified weak layer to test its propagation propensity. While most tests rely on tapping a shovel on the surface to initiate a crack, the PST directly initiates a crack by using a saw to cut the weak layer. One advantage of this method is it is a more reliable test on deeper weak layers; however, initial research suggests the PST may also have a higher false-stable rate than some other column tests. To conduct the PST, isolate the column on all sides (30 cm wide, 100 cm or more upslope) and drag a blunt edge of the saw upslope through the weak layer. Fracture propagation is considered to be likely only if the fracture propagates to the end of the column along the same layer (PST End) and initiates when the length of the saw cut is less than 50% of the length of the column.

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03/05/2026

The process of comparing predictions and observations sets up a feedback-rich learning environment. A thorough comparison includes all the factors that affect the exposure experienced throughout the day, ranging from conditions to group decision making.

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02/24/2026

Assessing the relative hardness of layers within the snowpack is valuable for detecting the presence and strength of slabs and weak layers. Hardness, or the resistance of snow to pressure, is a proxy for the strength of a snow layer. We categorize hardness using the hand hardness scale using the same relative amount of force to push various objects into the snow. How much force? Push your closed fist into your nose until it feels uncomfortable; that is roughly the amount of force you should use.

Hardness ranges from very low, where you can push your fist easily into the snow, to ice hard, which is too hard to push a knife into. Hard snow on top of soft snow is considered poor structure; the more dramatic and sudden the change in hardness, the more concerning it is. For example, a pencil hard slab over a fist hard layer of depth hoar is a scary structure!

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Address

1401 E Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO
80524

Website

http://Backcountryawareness.org/

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