Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: Participants will learn how to educate enthusiasts with our BC AdventureSmart curriculum about personal preparedness and decision making for outdoor recreation.
Workshop topics (for spring intake):
~ Survive Outside Program
~ Hug a Tree & Survive Program
~ Consistent, reliable messaging
~ Industry collaboration (partnerships, blogs, media, websites)
~ Community outreach
~ Provincial outdoor education resources

Who can participate?
Outdoor educators, guides, outdoor recreation management & tourism university students, media/journalists, search and rescue volunteers, teachers, tourism representatives, front line staff/volunteers (hospitality), social media influencers & outdoor enthusiasts and anyone interested.

Date: Thursday, May 18, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: $100, $1000, $100,000 or any $ amount in between, you will NOT be charged for search and rescue in British Columbia.

We’re honoured to welcome Chris Mushumanski, the president of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) as our very special guest. Chris will enlighten enthusiasts, and their families, why there is no charge for search and rescue, how this stance supports the very active population of BC and why there is no judgment of the reason enthusiasts find themselves requiring assistance.

We’ll also have a GIVEAWAY TBA that you won’t want to miss out on! Heading outdoors this summer? Start with us @BCAdvSmart #bcadventuresmart

Date: Thursday, May 25, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: Risk: a situation involving exposure to danger. Mitigation: the action of reducing the severity, seriousness or painfulness of something. These definitions describe two factors outdoor enthusiasts (might) encounter. Reducing incidents, and the severity of, is prepared for and managed by enthusiasts. Our guest, Dr. Richie, will definitely heighten your awareness for outdoor safety and bring a new light to your preparation and response to risk mitigation.

Dr. Alec Richie is a highly acclaimed emergency physician at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver BC, a medical consultant for BC Emergency Health Services, and a clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UBC.

Heading for a hike soon? Do you know how to engage with and manage risk? If it’s yes to either one of those questions, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this special event with Dr. Richie. We’ll also have a GIVEAWAY TBA that you won’t want to miss out on! Heading outdoors this summer? Start with us @BCAdvSmart #bcadventuresmart

Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: Raw pads, twisted ankles, punctured tongue, torn ear, ripped due claw, exhaustion, heat stroke, wild mushroom experience or any unexpected injury that your dog gets on your hike can be a challenge for them, you and search and rescue members.

Do you know how to manage a K-9 emergency in the wilderness? Fortunately for us, you and your furry family friends, our guest does! Join us in welcoming Celine Rytz, a veterinary medicine professional at Revelstoke Veterinary Clinic, ski coach and a small business owner of first aid kits for dogs. Celine has taken her love of dogs, and the outdoors and created B.A.R.K. which stands for backcountry aid and rescue kits.

Do you hike with your dog? Do your friends bring their dogs on hikes? If so, this workshop will make you, or your dog, bark for joy! We’ll also have a GIVEAWAY TBA that you won’t want to miss out on! Heading outdoors this summer? Start with us @BCAdvSmart #bcadventuresmart

Date: Thursday, June 29, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: Back by popular demand, we’re stoked to welcome (again) meteorologist Brett Soderholm as our speaker for this event!

How well do you check the weather, roads, wildfire conditions, incoming storms before your outdoor (mountain/backcountry) adventures? Part of ‘trip planning’ is to check the weather, in finer detail, before you head outdoors, no matter if your trip is a few hours or a few days; that applies to fire season as well re: area closures, hazards, trip (road and trail) routes.

Fire weather forecaster for the BC Wildfire Service, Brett Soderholm is our special guest for this event. A multi-faceted meteorologist by trade, and an enthusiastic science communicator by heart, you’re in GREAT HANDS with Brett! This session, if anything like last time, will definitely entertain, engage, educate and encourage you to BE AdventureSmart and rescue ready!

We’ll also have a GIVEAWAY TBA that you won’t want to miss out on! Heading outdoors this summer? Start with us @BCAdvSmart #bcadventuresmart

Date: Thursday, July 13, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: Not all search and rescue subjects are hikers, mountain bikers, backcountry skiers and snowmobilers. Some search and rescue subjects are grandparents, elders, seniors and family members with health concerns. Data shows in 2020/21 over 80 SAR tasks involved subjects experiencing dementia / Alzheimer’s. Every subject group matters, no matter how big or small the % of our annual call volume is, all subjects need to reach their destination safely aka home.

The Alzheimer’s Society of BC ensures people affected by dementia are not alone, by educating and mobilizing a broader community of care around them, and supporting valuable research into the disease and people living with it. We’re humbled to be joined by the Alzheimer’s Society of BC. Our guest will share how our communities can be more dementia-friendly society, where people affected by dementia are acknowledged, supported and included. If you have a family member or know someone who’s affected by dementia or has Alzheimer’s this workshop will increase your awareness to help support them. In turn, your awareness could help search and rescue volunteers in case of an emergency with your loved one(s).

We’ll also have a GIVEAWAY TBA that you won’t want to miss out on! Heading outdoors this summer? Start with us @BCAdvSmart #bcadventuresmart

Date: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: The BC Search and Rescue Association believes ‘the essentials’ are still essential. Some rescuers shared their frustrations earlier this year over an article questioning the science behind the long-time list. Does science and outdoor safety gear belong in the same sentence? Our first guest thinks so and she’ll explain why.

Dr. Jelena Brcic, will share the ‘science’ behind the long-time list of essential safety gear and our second guest, Jay Darbyshire from Grant Forks SAR, will share the practical applications of why each item IS essential.

“I couldn’t believe how dark it was in the mountains!” “I never thought I would be that cold out there.” These are comments from rescued hikers expressing the realities of their experiences while waiting for search and rescue.

Are essentials essential? Do you always carry them on an adventure? We hope you answered YES to both of those questions. We also hope you can join us for this event as a reminder of safety gear essentials or as an introduction to why everyone should be carrying safety essentials aka the 10 essentials.

We’ll also have a GIVEAWAY TBA that you won’t want to miss out on! Heading outdoors this summer? Start with us @BCAdvSmart #bcadventuresmart

Date: Thursday, August 03, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (PST)
Location: Online
Register here
Details: This workshop will heighten your skills with preparation for your outdoor adventures, helping you reach your destination in AdventureSmart style! #destinationishome

What topics will be covered?
~ Making a plan and leaving a trip plan
~ Physical, certification based, mentorship, mental strength, decision making, group dynamics
~ Basic safety items, plus adding season and sport specific gear.
~ What to do in an emergency.

Who can participate? Anyone interested in outdoor recreation and personal preparedness for outdoor activities such as hiking, backcountry adventures, mountain biking, 4x4ing, bike touring, geocaching, camping.

Our executive director, Sandra Riches, looks forward to welcoming you to this event and sharing the finer details of being prepared for BC’s trails, mountains and backcountry. We’ll also have a GIVEAWAY TBA that you won’t want to miss out on! Heading outdoors this summer? Start with us @BCAdvSmart #bcadventuresmart