4 Day Avalanche Skills Training (AST 2)
Overview
Spend 4 days with highly experienced and fully certified ski guides learning as much as possible about avalanche phenomina. This program will take you to a remote lodge setting to become fully immersed in the environment where avalanches occure.
Avalanche is the greatest hazard facing the backcountry skier. To fully enjoy backcountry skiing it's crucial to be able to understand the phenomena, to recognize the terrain where avalanches occur and to be able to find routes that minimize risk.
If you're a serious back country skier or winter mountaineer wishing to build a solid knowledge base so as to safely expand your back country horizons then this is the course for you. It will be a valuable investment in your mountain safety!
It's very much a 'hands-on' program featuring extensive practical field experience augmented with evening theory sessions. The curriculum is designed to give a solid grounding in the essentials; the instructors are guides seasoned in touring, heliskiing and forecasting. This program is suitable for those with little or no prior avalanche training!
Trips available anytime for groups of 4 or more
Itinerary
Course Topics Include:
- Avalanche phenomena and theory
- Avalanche terrain recognition
- Avalanche transceiver use
- Avalanche emergency response
- Proper back country travel preparation
- Safe decision making
- Route finding in avalanche terrain
- Safe 'test' skiing
- Snow metamorphism
- Snow stability analysis
- Snow profiles, 'Rutsch blocks'
- 'Shovel' tests and additional field tests
- Use of avalanche 'danger scale' and other information gathered by professionals
- Weather, terrain and the snow pack
- Weather, snow pack and avalanche activity observations
Schedule
AST 2
December 21-24 January 6-9 February 1-4
Trips available anytime for groups of 4 or more
Photos
Spend 4 days with highly experienced and fully certified ski guides learning as much as possible about avalanche phenomina.
