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.
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.
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 member 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 adventurers 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.
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