It's All About the Weather!

Everything we do in the outdoors relies more on one variable than any other: THE WEATHER.

As professional guides and avalanche forecasters some of the most common questions we get are "where do you get your weather" or "which website is best to get my weather information from".

Most of the weather forecasts that people look at these days are output from numerical weather models about which users know little of the strengths and limitations. To really get a handle on the weather you need a basic grasp of how weather works and access to resources other than just numerical model outputs.

Join meteorologist Matt Macdonald for a short training that will significantly up your weather game. In two, one hour, online sessions separated by a week for you to practice in between them, Matt will teach you a forecasting process that will improve your weather predicting capabilities many fold.

Matt MacDonald is a professional meteorologist who was one of the creators of the Avalanche Canada Mountain Weather Forecast - which is now an indispensable part of any mountain recreationist or professional's trip planning process. He is the lead instructor for Canadian Avalanche Associations weather courses, worked for Environment Canada's Pacific Storm Prediction Centre and as a Warning Preparedness Meteorologist. Currently he is the Lead Forecaster for the BC Wildfire Service. Matt is an extremely knowledgeable meteorologist who is able to communicate concepts to a wide audience.

This course will be taught over two, one hour, online sessions separated by a week for student's to practice in between them. These sessions/lessons will be recorded for the registered participants to review - but with respect we ask that the recordings not be shared outside of the registered student group. A Zoom meeting link will be sent to all registered participants in a pre-trip email - approximately one week before the course is scheduled to begin. 

There are no pre-requisites required for this course, only an interest in weather forecasting towards outdoor recreation planning! 

The only 'gear' required for this online course is access to a computer with internet and audio/speakers.