MEETEETSE — The Meeteetse Museums in Meeteetse will be hosting an informative avalanche clinic on Thursday, Feb. 16. The event, which is free to the public, begins at 7 p.m. and runs until about 9. Refreshments will be available following the event.

The clinic will be conducted by avalanche expert Adam Babcock, outdoor recreation planner for the Bureau of Land Management who is assigned to the Worland Field Office. In his presentation, Babcock will focus on historic avalanche incidents (including the deadly ones that occurred around 1907 at Kirwin, the former mining town near Meeteetse); more recent fatal avalanches (including their statistics and trends); and the basic science behind snow avalanches.

Babcock will also discuss risk mitigation in avalanche prone areas and will demonstrate the “tools of the trade,” (tools used by rescue personnel and others charged with lessening the risk of slides). Babcock will also tell where one can receive additional information on the subject and specialized avalanche training. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.

Babcock has 20 years of experience in snow and avalanche work and has served as US Forest Service avalanche forecaster, ski patroller, ski guide, and climbing guide. While his background is mostly associated with skiing and climbing in avalanche areas, he will also offer information on snowmobiling in slide zones.

In addition to his position as outdoor recreation planner with the BLM, Babcock teaches AIARE Level 1 courses for Apex Mountain School in Colorado and avalanche awareness clinics for the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, Teton County Search and Rescue, and the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center. This will be his first presentation and clinic at the Meeteetse Museums.

Children, as well as adults, are encouraged to attend, as is anyone who spends time in avalanche-prone areas.

For more information about this event, call the museum at 307-868-2423, visit meeteetsemuseums.org, or email [email protected].