AT KEEFER LAKE LODGE YOUR SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY - Gostlin Keefer Lake Lodge
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YOUR SAFETY

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Slide One

YOUR SAFETY

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At Keefer Lake Lodge your safety is our top priority

We want you to have fun and come back again and again. So here’s what you can expect:

The best people, gear, and protocols

Enjoy the powder with confidence

A team of experienced and certified guides. Avalanche packs, avalanche transceivers, safety training and daily briefings. An ego-free operating culture. Accredited member in professional guiding and avalanche awareness communities. Regular equipment maintenance. Safety and first aid equipment on site and in all our Snowcats. Helicopter assisted emergency evacuation. Backup Snowcats and equipment.

Guides

CSGA & CAA

All of our guides are members of the Canadian Ski Guide Association (CSGA) and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA). Many have been guiding for over 20 years.

Risk avoidance is about planning, preparing and practicing. We train and practice year-round. Guides constantly update their first aid training, guiding, and avalanche rescue skills. We check conditions daily and hold multiple daily guide briefings. We check and contribute to avalanche safety bulletins. Every season we practice large scale avalanche rescue and other emergency scenarios so we can respond to any situation.

As a voluntary member of HeliCat Canada we also follow a strict set of operating guidelines.

We want you to have the best – and safest – mountain holiday

We prepare so you can have fun!

Your guide will be friendly and approachable. They love the mountains and sharing the outdoors with others. If we can do anything to make your trip more comfortable and enjoyable, please let them know.

Guides meet every morning to check snow conditions firsthand and decide which runs are suitable to ski that day. They review daily InfoEx reports – the weather and avalanche observations from most catski, heliski and resort operations in British Columbia. This info helps keep you safe and minimize the risks.

All of our guides and tail guides also carry a pack that includes a shovel, an avalanche probe, a first aid kit, as well as an extra layer of clothing and other emergency supplies.

SAFETY GEAR & STAYING SAFE

Stay safe, maximize the good times

The lodge at Keefer Lake is fully stocked with first aid and emergency supplies. All guides are trained to use the automatic external defibrillator (AED) located onsite.

Guests are issued with a personal radio to carry with them at all times, whilst out in the field to communicate with the guides, other guests or the lodge.

All guests are supplied with Avalanche Transceivers and given basic training.

All guests are supplied with a BCA airbag backpack. Each backpack has a collapsible shovel and avalanche probe.

Your personal equipment is your safety gear too – keep it maintained and in excellent condition.

All equipment brought by guests (guests can not bring their own avy packs, beacons etc. they must use ours) must be reliable and able to operate safely in extreme conditions. You may have “really fat skis” that are still not fat enough to safely ski the deep snow in the Monashees. If your skis or snowboard are not suitable for conditions, equipment is available onsite and included in your tour price.

Weather changes quickly in the mountains. Be prepared. The trick to being comfortable, warm, dry and safe is to wear lots of different layers. Layers let you add and remove clothing throughout the day as the outside temperature and your body temperature keeps changing.

On the first day you will have a safety briefing before heading out to your first peak. We’ll cover important rules to stay safe around the Snowcats and learn how to keep each other safe in the mountains. We will then head outside for transceiver training and beacon-finding practice, until each guest is confident and every radio has been tested.

Insurance

For peace of mind

We highly recommend you review your insurance coverage and needs prior to your trip as no refunds or credits will be issued.

All of our catskiing packages include emergency medical and evacuation insurance to cover the costs incurred due to an illness or injury that requires hospitalization or a doctor’s visit during your trip with us. We highly recommend you check your personal policies and coverage. Our recommended provider, Lifestyle Insurance is a member of HeliCat Canada and can provide you with the exact coverage you need.

Please spend a few moments to review and purchase Travel Cancellation Insurance. If you are concerned you may have to cancel for any reason – this is your only option to obtain a refund.