TAHOE-TRUCKEE, Calif. — The Sierra Avalanche Center has launched a membership drive to raise support for the nonprofit that funds daily avalanche advisories for the Northern Sierra backcountry.

The nonprofit is urging backcountry users to consider the donation a “season pass for the backcountry,” because the contribution will help fund daily avalanche advisories and awareness programs that are a critical resource for all backcountry users each time they venture into unpatrolled and uncontrolled mountain terrain around Tahoe and Truckee.

“Sierra Avalanche Center relies on the support of backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers who use the daily avalanche advisory each winter,” said Holly Yocum, Sierra Avalanche Center board president. “The center’s first membership drive last year was a remarkable success, and we are once again asking that backcountry users consider a ‘season pass for the backcountry’ donation to the nonprofit this winter.”

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The membership drive will run throughout the 2014-15 winter, and every donor who contributes $100 or more will be entered into a monthly raffle for skis, ski equipment, avalanche gear, bindings and more.

Sierra Avalanche Center memberships begin at $35, and each member receives a Sierra Avalanche Center sticker.

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Donors who contribute $50 or more will receive a Sierra Avalanche Center hat; donors who contribute $100 or more will receive a Sierra Avalanche Center T-shirt and hat; and donors who contribute $250 or more will receive a Sierra Avalanche Center logo fleece.

The Sierra Avalanche Center is funded through private donations, ski resort ski days, business sponsors and state grants.

The center also has an established endowment fund and a planned giving program for donors interested in larger contributions.

Each donation to the Sierra Avalanche Center helps fund the free, daily avalanche advisory prepared by the center’s two, full-time avalanche forecasters and two, part-time avalanche observers.

The professional and detailed advisory covers an area from Yuba Pass north of Truckee to Ebbetts Pass south of South Lake Tahoe.

Donations also fund avalanche awareness programs in local ski shops, at community events and in local schools.

This article was provided to the Sun by the Sierra Avalanche Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are tax deductible. Visit sierraavalanchecenter.org to learn more.