MOUNTAIN SPORTS COLLECTIVE

LIVE PROJECT:

“LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS. YOU CAN'T LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM ALL YOURSELF.”

―Eleanor Roosevelt

The Mountain Sports Collective (MSC) is a user group association that we founded to provide safety information, education, and environmental advocacy. This initiative has enjoyed huge support from the mountain sports community through which we’ve been able to provide the ‘Backcountry Travel Advisory’, a grassroots bulletin that issues warnings on avalanche, ice and severe weather events. The platforms genesis utilised behaviour change methodology, to combat a spate of critical and fatal incidents. Through this we shifted the mindset of participants into the internationally recognised schemes for alpine hazard reporting. The results has been a rapid improvement in understanding and awareness by participants and the general public across the mountains. Contributing sharp decrease in incidents and thankfully, in particular, no fatalities. Amidst rapidly increasing participation rates in winter backcountry sports such as ski and split board touring, alpine climbing and snowshoeing.

Having been caught in an avalanche, in Australia, myself in 2008 and narrowly surviving, the death of Marty Buckland and Dan Kerr in 2014, Australia’s most recent avalanche fatality, was felt keenly. There was a sense that collectively, as mountain citizens, we could have done a better job sharing safety knowledge. With the help of acquaintances with strong alpine safety knowledge we set up a rudimentary site that has evolved into what you see here. It has been a hard slog for the 300+ hours of volunteering and cold fingers, wet gear and nervous feels during big storm events. Now thanks to our membership drive (a crowdfund of sorts) we cover our costs and feel the warm glow of alpine community love. Thanks to the team, and the community to sticking it out with us!

TAGS: BEHAVIOUR CHANGE / START-UP INITIATIVE / CROWDFUNDED / INTERPRETIVE SAFETY INFORMATION / INFORMATION GRAPHICS / SOLUTION DESIGN / SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT / E-COMM / USER EXPERIENCE

BACKCOUNTRY TRAVEL ADVISORY

Weather, snow, ice and avalanche conditions are constantly changing and we are only able to provide small, static snapshots of this dynamic phenomena. This service will help you familiarise yourself with the observed conditions across three regions of the Australian Alps. 

FROTH

We adopted a motto of ‘Froth Forth’. It’s a bit of fun, based in the serious insight that the general safety practise of groups of ‘Frothers’ (people who talk a lot about, alpine conditions, hazards found and fun had) was higher than that of groups who lacked a strong ‘conditions dialogue’, be that in the hut, at the pub or on the trail.

THE VICTORIAN BACKCOUNTRY FESTIVAL

This was a grass-roots gathering at Falls Creek Ski Resort for backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities. The rise of a new backcountry culture, which is often young and focused on finding steep terrain, is now meshing with the ‘older’ cross country ski community. As new participants spend more time camping and touring in the mountains. But until now there has been no single event in Australia where this community can gather to ski and ride, share skills, meet new riding buddies and have fun. The 2019 Event is slated for the 8th of September at Mount Hotham.