By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
For winter sports enthusiasts, it’s always best to be prepared before heading out to the backcountry.
To help outreach this winter, the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center will be offering three Avalanche Fundamentals, Level 1 Courses. The classes will teach students about avalanche dynamics, avalanche assessment tools, forecasting and emergency preparedness. Schedules and information is available online at idahopanhandleavalanche.org.
In addition to avalanche awareness courses, the Avalanche Center also forecasts avalanche conditions in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. For more information, call the Sandpoint Ranger District at (208) 263-5111.
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Coming up this week! Don’t miss Festivus, Skiing with Santa, Hogwire, and more! See the full list of events in the 
