Our story
Climb Avy Aware is the result of a couple of “ah ha!” moments, separated by years.
Our founder, Dara Miles, used to ice climb in Canada from time to time, and at some point became aware that Parks Canada rated its popular ice climbs under the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale. The ratings were published in a brochure and on the Parks Canada website so climbers would know what they were getting into.
This seemed to Dara to be a great risk management tool for climbers, and when she moved in 2014 to Colorado from the east coast and became aware of the increased avalanche risk here, she wondered why Colorado didn’t use the ATES, too. As it turns out, a lot of people thought it was a great idea, but no one was doing anything to implement it.
An avalanche in March, 2019 changed all that. Back in Canada for another climbing trip, a guided women’s clinic, Dara was involved in a large avalanche that killed her friend and partner for the day, Sonja Johnson Findlater. Their group of six had just finished a multipitch climb near Field, British Columbia, and were assembled at the base when the avalanche hit. Most were able to avoid the snow by flattening themselves against the vertical wall, but Sonja, who was sitting farther back, didn’t have time to move and took a direct hit. She was carried downhill and buried by almost six feet of snow.
All the clinic participants and guides had avalanche rescue gear, and a beacon search located Sonja’s position within a minute. But their packs and probes and shovels were buried. Despite heroic efforts to move heavy snow with helmets, crampons, gloved hands and, in one case, bare hands, Sonja did not survive.
Soon after, Dara decided to undertake what she called the Colorado ATES Project to honor Sonja’s memory, raise avalanche awareness among Colorado ice climbers, and give them a tool to help them stay out of harm’s way. COVID stalled out her efforts, but the project finally gained traction when IFMGA guide, ski guidebook author and avalanche educator Mike Soucy came on board to organize and spearhead the technical work.
Sonja was a talented and well-rounded climber, with miles of experience on technical ice and rock, and was completely at home in the alpine environment. A month before she died, she completed a PhD in neuroscience. Sonja was also the beloved basecamp manager for many women’s ice climbing clinics in Canada, and was well-known among clinic attendees for her megawatt smile and killer carrot cake. She left behind a husband, parents, and countless friends and climbing partners. Dara hopes that Sonja’s spirit of caring will live on through Climb Avy Aware.
IN MEMORY OF
Sonja Johnson Findlater
May 16, 1971 - March 12, 2019