Avalanches on average cause 27 deaths per year in the United States. They are one of the most terrifying natural phenomenons that occur, but the good news is there are a lot of resources that can help people recreate safely in the snow here in Idaho.This week the Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center hosted a pair of classes called Intro to Avalanche Education and we caught up with one of the instructors at the White Dog Brewery in Boise where there was a pretty good turnout. "Its not about filling a bucket, its about lighting a fire," said Sam Macomber, of the Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center. "This is the spark to your avalanche education and the goal is to introduce folks to these concepts and the risk inherent to mountain travel."Macomber talked about the importance of checking the avalanche forecast, having the proper equipment like an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel and the importance of knowing how to use this safety gear. Sam also talked about avalanche conditions, red flags and the different resources people can use to learn about the dangers of avalanches."Without this sort of awareness and these sort of knowledge courses there is just a much greater risk of an accident occurring," said Tim Ronan, who showed up for the class and enjoys both skiing and snowmobiling in the backcountry. Everyday the Sawtooth Avalanche Center puts out a forecast and currently the zones are rated as moderate when it comes to avalanche danger. There is a rating scale from low, to moderate, to considerable, to high and finally extreme."Most fatalities occur at the moderate and considerable level and thats because thats when more folks are traveling in avalanche terrain," said Sam Macomber. Avalanche terrain is defined as being on slope greater than 30 degrees, that resembles a blue run at a ski resort. This information is really valuable because if you are worried about avalanches staying on a flat surface, trail or meadow eliminates avalanche danger.I personally spend most of my time recreating during the winter at ski resorts because ski patrol performs avalanche mitigation techniques making resorts much safer than the backcountry. However, for people that want to ski, snowboard or snowmobile in the backcountry avalanches preparedness is necessary, but there are a lot of good resources people can use. There are beacon parks located around the region where people can practice with their equipment, there are classes from multiple organizations that people can take and the Sawtooth Avalanche Center provides a lot of good information."Thank you Sawtooth Avalanche Center," said Ronan. "We really appreciate you putting out the forecast every day and we love all the information you provide to all of us, so keep up the good work." The Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center is a non-profit that raises funds to support the Sawtooth Avalanche Center. They have a pair of Intro to Avalanche Field Days coming up with the first this Sunday and the second on February 8. The classes are free, but there is a suggested donation of $50 with both of those courses happening at the Sawtooth NRA headquarters north of Ketchum."It is so important to remember that outside is fun and snow is fun," said Macomber. "You can be safe if you have the training that equips you with the knowledge to travel in the backcountry." There have been a pair of incidents so far in Idaho with an unfortunate death in Valley County and more recently an avalanche near Smiley Creek where a rescue was necessary to save a life.