Snow Job

If I ever get lost in an avalanche, I hope I’m lucky enough to have a Beacon Bowl champion looking for me. Now in its seventh year, this annual competition — in conjunction with Avalanche Awareness Day — lets ski patrollers from nearby ski areas test their search-and-rescue skills in time trials, using their beacons to search and probe for six targets buried somewhere off the Lenawee lift at Arapahoe Basin.

And even if you’re not a pro, you can still compete in the amateur division. “It’s everything you would do to find someone if an avalanche did happen,” explains A-Basin’s Kimberly Trembearth.

The winners get plaques, jackets and custom wine, and spectators can participate in a raffle and silent auction; among the prizes are Nuggets and Avs tickets and gear from Marmot and Black Diamond. The Beacon Bowl and Avalanche Awareness Day benefit the Colorado Avalanche Information Center — and this year there’s a special incentive to donate: Heidi Ho, the popular fictitious voice of the local newsletter Pali’s Pitch, will reveal her true identity if the day’s activities raise at least $7,000.

Registration (which runs from 8 to 10 a.m. in the A-frame and 10 a. m. to noon near the lift) is $15 and includes a raffle ticket, beer and a slice of pizza. For details visit www.arapahoebasin.com.
Sat., Feb. 7, 10 a.m.-noon, 2009