Joint Symposium on Mountain Medicine and Avalanche Rescue - JOSMAR 2008
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Q: What do you mean by a joint symposium?
A: At JOSMAR you will meet people both active in mountain rescue and emergency medicine. For a long time there has been a “missing link” between these different participates in mountain rescue. By meeting, sharing experience and learning from each other we hope to increase the bilateral understanding of each field.
PS: JOSMAR is much more than a simple symposium; Because of the work shops, JOSMAR can for many delegates be regarded as an advanced course in both Avalanche Rescue and Mountain Medicine.

Q: I’m active in the mountains and would like to join JOSMAR but don’t have much money. Is there any way I can get a reduced fee?
A: We have cut costs as low as possible. Unfortunately we can not offer discounted prices to students or others. JOSMAR is rather expensive to arrange. Most of the JOSMAR committee members work on a pure volunteer basis to make JOSMAR a reality. The reason for the relatively high cost is due to high expertise, high instructor-to-delegate ratio, equipment, local transport and other running delegate costs; this is to maximize the outcome for you. We are quite confident you will get your money’s worth.
We will instead encourage you to ask your mountain related organization for support; Sending a delegate to JOSMAR and later arranging an internal update will be extremely beneficial for the organization.

Q: Can I get JOSMAR for free if I work as a volunteer?
A: Thanks, but so far we have all the volunteer workers we need.

Q: I’m not a professional, but have worked a little with first aid and/or avalanche rescue. What will I get out of JOSMAR?
A: JOSMAR is NOT designed for a basic level. You will meet professional terminology and some subjects will be discussed on a rather advanced level. If you are unsure you should consider only the first two days on either subject.

Q: I don’t speak English very well – will this be a problem for me at JOSMAR?
A: Yes, this could be a problem during the lectures. Due to international participation most of the lectures will be presented in English. The work shops will be coached in either English or Norwegian.

Q: I want to mainly join the Mountain Medicine sessions, but would like to follow a particular avalanche session and workshop as well. Is this possible?
A: Yes. You are free to follow whatever sessions you like. However, to get the JOSMAR Avalanche Rescue Certificate you HAVE to follow two (intermediate or advanced level) or four (the full course) successive days, including all lectures and workshops.

Q: Do I have to be a good skier? What kind of skiing equipment do I need?
A: No, you do not have to be an expert skier. The most important is that you can move safely in various “normal” winter terrains. There will not be much skiing during the workshops, except transport from one work shop to the other. Skins might be useful. You should be able to ski down a groomed slope with color code blue at the end of each day. We recommend alpine skies or telemark skies, alternatively snowboard and snow shoes.