Photo Credit: Marc Dionne

The Avalanche Canada mobile app has a user-generated feature called the Mountain Information Network (MIN). This is a mapped platform where non-professionals can post information about ski/travel conditions, avalanche incidences (or near misses) any other observations, including photos. With far less guides and avalanche professionals employed this season due to COVID-19, crowd sourced data is all the more important. Consider it a part of contributing to a safer backcountry community.

For better or for worse, sharing adventures on social media is now a big part of backcountry culture. If you choose to post, there’s a few things you can do to make it a more positive contribution to the community:

• Tag responsibly. Don’t refer to specific zones by name or location. Keep it general and let people figure out their own way there
• Never refer to backcountry huts by name or location unless they are on maps, in guidebooks or run by clubs.
• If you had an incident, it’s more beneficial for the community to hear about it. If you don’t want to post that to social media, make sure to submit a MIN report. Doing so helps both avalanche forecasters and the general public

Fore more examples of responsible social media pertaining to beautiful backcountry areas, check out this article from the Aspen Chamber of Commerce and watch the hilarious video Travelling Under the Social Influence from 100% Pure New Zealand.

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Share an image to Instagram that shows how you are sharing responsibly and be sure to use #theravenguide. We will pick our favourites and ship you out some killer swag courtesy of Yeti® and KYE Shapes.