Education & Resources
Preventing accidents from happening in the backcountry is the
best and smartest way to ensure the safety of our community.
While we are prepared and ready for search and rescue operations, it is also a critical part of our mission statement to offer education and resources to help those traveling into the backcountry to help them make smart decisions about route finding, risk assessment, group dynamics, snow conditions, and more.
These simple tips can help reduce your chances of calling for a rescue. For more comprehensive tips, be sure to read our Winter Awareness Guide.
Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
Travel with a trusted partner. If you get separated from your group, stay put.
Read the weather and avalanche forecast before you go.
Carry emergency supplies, like a whistle, emergency blanket, spare warm clothes, headlamp, extra water and food, cell phone, map and compass, and emergency locator device.
Carry avalanche safety gear—beacon, shovel, probe—and know how to use it.
Carry a stocked first aid kit and take a wilderness first aid course to learn how to treat common injuries.
Layer appropriately for the weather conditions and bring spare layers.
TNSAR Education Programs
Winter Wilderness Survival Program
For all fourth graders in the Lake Tahoe area, TNSAR has conducted our Winter Wilderness Survival Program, intended to educate young students on what actions to take if they ever find themselves lost in the outdoors. This program, held in January, is designed to provide initial exposure for children in the ongoing lessons of living safely in the mountains. It teaches everything from learning to S.T.O.P. and observe your surroundings, building emergency shelters, and signaling for help.
Winter Backcountry Preparedness Scholarship Program
Each year, TNSAR awards 12 scholarships to local Truckee/North Tahoe high school students to cover the cost of a one-day comprehensive Avalanche Companion Rescue Course. TNSAR hopes to mitigate future incidents by providing preventative training to the general public, especially young adults. This interactive one-day course covers topics and skills including avalanche rescue, avalanche rescue equipment, and avalanche scenario practice.