The James Gordon Avalanche Trust was created in 2001 with the primary objective of creating an awareness of the potential danger of avalanches in New Zealand and educating young and not so young adventurers about the knowledge and equipment they should have before they venture into backcountry and into avalanche prone alpine areas.
How it started
This Trust was set up in memory of my son who died in an avalanche in Japan 2000 along with two other New Zealand lads( Chris Coster and Craig Mowat). It became apparent that they had left New Zealand without any knowledge of what to look for and what they should do and take in an alpine environment.
Statistics
NZ has the world record per capita for people killed in avalanches on our mountains. The statistics in the past 5 years show more and more people being caught and killed in avalanches. 2009 saw three fatalities within two weeks. Please make all those you love aware of the equipment and the dangers. I can see the Trust has a continuing role to play in avalanche awareness for our up and coming snow adventurers.
When they leave our shores for mountains with more snow and more avalanches, I want them to travel safely and come home again to share their knowledge and skills with us here in NZ.
Robyn is the driving force behind the Trust. She explains: “I am primary school teacher trained and I taught every safety project that came into our schools". I am also a Toastmaster. This allows me to confidently speak to groups.
I can give practical demos or use DVD / Video to bring the mountains inside the room.
I am a memeber of Mountain Safety because I believe in the work they are doing. Avalanche Awareness and Avalanche Education are expanding fields. As more and more people access the snow fields, more and more push the boundaries. As equipment becomes more affordable and so do the mountain passes, then we have more people needing the knowledge to keep themselves safe.
The Trust provides Avalanche Packs for teachers and individual hire, Provides Information. The Avalanche Lady is available to speak to groups and schools.,
Donations. The Trust is a charitable trust. It is not designed to make money but does require funds to keep the equipment repaired and replaced. Advertising and travel costs also need to be met, so if there is anyone who feels as passionate about safety as I do and would like to help with this cause, please donate online or contact me.
