The season has arrived for skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing, and with it comes a series of events planned to help keep outdoor enthusiasts safe in the backcountry, starting with the sixth annual “Staying Alive” avalanche awareness night in Jasper next week.

“Essentially, it’s to give people the knowledge they need to make good decisions,” said Garth Lemke, a visitor safety specialist with Jasper National Park, of the series of free, educational events planned for the upcoming season.

To that end, there is no admission fee for “Staying Alive” night, which takes place on Nov. 17 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the D’ed Dog Bar and Grill. All the information presented by guest speakers and avalanche experts will be offered free of charge, with organizers kicking in free pasta for guests and about $3,000 worth of backcountry-related door prizes.

Lemke said there is a limit to how many people can attend, however, and previous “Staying Alive” nights have been filled to capacity. He suggested showing up early.

Among the presenters that evening will be Peter Amann, who has spent 25 years of his career doing avalanche control at Marmot Basin, among other mountain-related jobs.

“He’s the longest-serving mountain guide in Jasper right now – tons of experience,” Lemke said. “And he’s got an amazing presentation with some old pictures of Marmot, some of the old avalanches. It’s really an eye-opener if you haven’t seen that stuff before.”

The evening will also feature a screening of the new, critically acclaimed film from Sherpa Cinema, All I Can.

Then, the following week, Parks Canada and the Canadian Avalanche Centre will host a backcountry avalanche workshop. That takes place on Nov. 23 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Jasper Activity Centre. It, too, is offered free of charge.

“We’re trying to reach out more in a regional perspective on that one,” Lemke said, adding that the workshop is being advertised in places outside of Jasper, including Hinton, Edson and Valemount.

The workshop will cover backcountry travel techniques, bust some “avalanche myths” and go over rescue procedures, he added.

Some other events are scheduled for later in the season, too, including the annual avalanche awareness day at Marmot Basin on Jan. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and an advanced avalanche safety conference on Feb. 8 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the basement of the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives.

“This one’s more geared for people with intermediate or advanced knowledge,” Lemke said of the Feb. 8 event. “But, that said, if you want to hang out and get to know some of the professionals in town, this is your opportunity.”

While avalanche safety has always been a concern, Lemke said Parks Canada’s recent public education campaign was “really kick-started” after the major avalanche incident in 2003 at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, in which seven students from Calgary’s Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School were killed. 

That winter marked one of the worst seasons for avalanche fatalities in Canada, with 29 people killed.

By comparison, in the 2010-11 season, there were 11 avalanche-related fatalities in the country.