On January 28, 2025, a consortium of concerned residents in Jackson came together to present the valley’s first Spanish-language Avalanche Awareness Night at the Virginian Lodge. The event was recorded, with each presentation now available to watch via the TCSAR YouTube channel.
The goal of the event was to increase access to essential safety information for community members for whom Spanish is their preferred language. Based on local school demographics, an estimated 40 percent of county residents have a home language other than English, and the majority of those are Spanish-speakers.
With the outdoors such an important part of the Jackson Hole culture, it’s important that backcountry safety information is accessible to all.
"Language access is one of the important first steps in ensuring that everyone in our community has the tools and knowledge they need to make informed decisions in the backcountry,” said Piper Worthington, a language access advocate and event co-coordinator. “This event will be educational, but also a celebration of local people and organizations who have changed the ways we think about who is represented in the outdoor industry."
Below, TCSAR volunteer Ryan Mertaugh discusses how to mitigate your risk while traveling in avalanche terrain. This is just one of several presentations done entirely in Spanish.
Thanks to all of the presenters, the Virginian Lodge, Camino Conmingo, Coombs Outdoors, Exum, Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, and TCSAR for making this event possible. All videos were recorded and edited by Garrett LeRoy.
