Mappy Hour Seattle started 2020 off right with ideas on how to get out of the house this winter. Held at The North Face on Pike St., this event focused on by snowshoeing in the Seattle area!
In addition to beverage sponsorship and giveaways from by New Belgium Brewery, the event was highlighted by a fantastic presentation from Forest Service representative, Colton Whitworth from the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Colton provided some great ideas of what gear is needed for snowshoeing, where to go, and what to consider regarding avalanche safety.
Here are some helpful links he provided, in case you missed the event (understandably, as there was a tragic shooting nearby the event that night.. Be careful out there, people!):
| Snowshoe Resource: | Website: |
| Colton’s Snowshoe Docs: | https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SgfaCyas098F81JsC95aLfwRph3knz-x |
| WTA Snowshoe Destinations: | https://www.wta.org/news/signpost/where-to-go-snowshoeing |
| MBS National Forest Suggested Destinations: | https://origin-fs.fs.usda.gov/activity/mbs/recreation/wintersports/?recid=17520&actid=91 |
| MBS National Forest Guided Trek Reservations: | http://www.discovernw.org/store_snowshoe-walks_SNOWSHOEMBS/ |
| REI Snowshoeing 101: | https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/snowshoeing-first-steps.html |
| NWAC Avalanche Forecast: | https://www.nwac.us/ |
| WTA Snowshoe Tips: | https://www.wta.org/go-outside/seasonal-hikes/winter-destinations/beginner-backcountry-snowshoe-hikes-for-everyone |
| Snowshoeing – What to Bring | https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/snowshoe-checklist.html |
| Avalanche Safety | https://avalanche.org/avalanche-tutorial/ |
| Snowshoeing PowerPoint | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ojLH8HoSDRHIf5aGYyWrybYUU1SSMhJR/view?usp=sharing |
In addition, this event launched the Seattle Explore More Challenge! The Challenge started January 22, 2020 and ends September 22, 2020. This multi-month initiative rewards you for going outside with new Mappy Hour friends with prizes from The North Face! There are 10 challenges and bonuses to help you explore and do local adventures in the Seattle area.
Check out the blog post here: https://mappyhour.org/blog/2020/01/seattle-explore-more-challenge/
We already have some Mappy Hour folks getting outside and getting points! Check out what MH SEA Rockstar member Gabriel @gabriel.anthony.patterson has been up to. So far, he’s already visited Olympic National Park, been camping, snowshoeing, trail running, and taken a ferry. IN 1 WEEKEND! He’s earned 25 points out of the 60 needed and has a WTA work party scheduled for 10 more points! You, too, can get outside and earn points to get free stuff from The North Face!
Also, we want to give an extra “Thank you!” to our Mappy Hour Ambassadors at this event, Carmen Murray, Rowan Braybuck, Kate Larkin (the lovely lady featured on the left), and AJ Arnett who helped with registration and making everything run smoothly! We’re looking for people to be a Mappy Hour Ambassador and assist with our future events. If you’re interested in volunteering for an event, shoot me a message through my profile: https://mappyhour.org/lindsayaparker
Hope to see you at our next event on Wednesday, February 19th at The North Face. We’ll be hearing from two extreme snow-sports gurus, Frank Martin and Jeff Schomaker, on backcountry skiing/snowboarding and safety.
