The Olympia Mountaineers’ 2012 winter travel course will begin next month. The course is really two classes, one on snowshoeing and the other on nordic skiing.

The series of four lectures will include an orientation, avalanche awareness and safety, the 10 Essentials, backcountry winter travel etiquette, cold-weather ailments, clothing and equipment.

The classes will be 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 11-12 and 17-18. All lectures will be at the Lacey Realtor Hall. The ski field trip will be Jan. 21 and the snowshoe field trip will be Jan. 22.

The course is open to anyone in the community. Students may take the courses separately or together. The fees are $25 for Mountaineer members for either course, and $35 for nonmembers. To take both courses (which would require both field trips) would be an extra $15 for Mountaineers or nonmembers.