Climb Avy Aware Fundraiser

Climb Avy Aware was born from a climber’s deep love for the mountains—and an unshakable determination to make them safer for everyone. The organization’s roots trace back to the vision of Dara Miles, a dedicated ice climber who first encountered the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) system while climbing in Canada. Dara saw firsthand how this rating system helped climbers evaluate the avalanche exposure of their routes, providing a clear, accessible way to make safer decisions in complex mountain terrain.

When Dara moved to Colorado in 2014, she quickly noticed something missing: despite the state’s passionate ice-climbing community and significant avalanche hazard, the ATES system wasn’t being used in the same way. Most ice climbers relied solely on intuition, experience, or general avalanche forecasts—without a structured framework to understand how their chosen routes intersected with avalanche terrain.

Everything changed in March 2019. During a climbing clinic in British Columbia, Dara’s close friend and climbing partner, Sonja Johnson Findlater, was killed in an avalanche. That tragedy marked a turning point. In the painful aftermath, Dara resolved to channel her grief into action. She began what she called the Colorado ATES Project, a grassroots effort to bring ATES ratings to Colorado’s ice-climbing routes and to educate the climbing community about terrain exposure and avalanche risk.

Her vision was simple but profound: to give climbers the same tools and knowledge that could have saved lives—including Sonja’s. By clearly communicating the avalanche exposure of climbing routes, climbers could pair those ratings with daily avalanche forecasts, weather conditions, and personal risk tolerance to make informed decisions before ever leaving the trailhead.

In July 2023, Dara officially founded Climb Avy Aware, transforming her volunteer project into a nonprofit organization. Only months later, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, yet she continued leading the organization with extraordinary courage and purpose. Dara passed away on September 14, 2024, but her vision remains the guiding force behind every step the organization takes.

Today, Climb Avy Aware is carrying her mission forward with a growing team of climbers, avalanche professionals, and volunteers. The organization has completed ATES ratings for more than 100 routes in the Lincoln Falls and I-70 corridor and nearly 30 in the San Juans. Each rating provides climbers with critical insight into the terrain’s avalanche potential, empowering them to make safer choices in environments where hazards are often hidden until it’s too late.

Beyond mapping and analysis, Climb Avy Aware focuses heavily on education and outreach. Through workshops, local events, and partnerships with guide services and climbing gyms, the organization helps climbers integrate avalanche awareness into every stage of their planning and decision-making. Their work is transforming the culture of ice climbing—replacing uncertainty and assumption with clarity, confidence, and shared responsibility.

Upcoming Projects and Climbs for 2026

Looking ahead, Climb Avy Aware has an ambitious slate of initiatives planned for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons, including:

• Expanded ATES Route Mapping: Extending terrain ratings to additional climbing zones in southwestern Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park.

• Film Project: Producing a short documentary that honors Dara’s legacy and showcases the evolution of avalanche awareness in the climbing community.

• Community Climbs & Outreach Events: Organizing group climbs and educational sessions throughout Colorado to strengthen community connections and promote avalanche awareness.

Each of these efforts reflects Dara’s original mission: to make information accessible, to bridge the gap between avalanche science and climbing practice, and to help ensure that no one has to learn safety lessons through tragedy.

Climb Avy Aware stands today as both a tribute and a call to action. It honors Dara Miles and Sonja Johnson Findlater—not only by remembering their lives, but by transforming their story into something enduring and life-saving. As the organization grows, it continues to build a community rooted in knowledge, compassion, and respect for the powerful terrain that defines Colorado’s mountains.

Through every route mapped, every climber educated, and every conversation sparked, Climb Avy Aware moves closer to its vision: a world where every climber approaches avalanche terrain not with fear, but with awareness—and climbs not just for the summit, but for each other.