Informed Consent

By filling out this survey, you are consenting to participate in our research. Your participation in this survey is voluntary, and you may choose to terminate the survey at any time. While it is not possible for participants to withdraw previously submitted responses, responses of participants who did not complete the survey will not be considered for the recruitment of interview participants.

All information you provide in this survey will be kept strictly confidential in accordance with Simon Fraser University's research ethics guidelines, and none of the collected information will ever be shared outside of the avalanche research program at Simon Fraser University. Any contact information you provide will only be used to contact potential interviewees. Individuals who are not selected for the interviews will not be contacted. Once interview participants have been selected for this study, all of the collected signup information will be destroyed.

Please note that posting to comments sections on social media or other forums about this study may identify you as a participant. We therefore suggest that if this study was made available to you via a social media site or other online forums, you refrain from posting comments to protect your anonymity.

The winter backcountry activities mentioned in this survey involve serious risks that can lead to severe injuries and/or death. Note that being associated with these activities might negatively affect your insurance benefits (e.g., travel insurance).

For any questions regarding this study, please contact Dr. Pascal Haegeli, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Avalanche Risk Management, at pascal.haegeli@sfu.ca or 778-782-3579. If you have any concerns about your rights as a research participant and/or your experiences while participating in this study, you may contact the SFU Office of Research Ethics at dore@sfu.ca or 778-782-6618.