Avalanche Level 1 Course 

Join me this winter for an Avalanche Level 1 course through the Alaska Avalanche School. Contact me to check my availability, then contact the Alaska Avalanche School to check their availability and to book. 

Schedule

Stoked for a fat 2012/2013 season! 

Cost

$345 per person. Includes three full days of instruction, handouts and lodging. Tuition does not include transportation to and from the class site, books, food and personal gear and clothing. Avalanche safety gear available for rent.  

Course Curriculum

A level 1 avalanche course is the foundation for the winter backcountry. This course is geared toward skiers, boarders, climbers, and other backcountry enthusiasts. It is an intensive, hands-on course, which will provide students with the skills necessary to recognize and evaluate potential avalanche hazard. This course consists of 33 hours of classroom and field training. Program curriculum consists of:

  • Group rescue techniques
  • Terrain analysis
  • Snow stability evaluation
  • Decision making
  • Route selection
  • Safe travel procedures

Pre-Requisites 

  • Read Snow Sense by Fredston & Fesler. 
  • Recommended reading: Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper. 
  • Complete pre-test, which is based on the required reading. Sent to course participants upon enrollment. Those who study their pre-course material before the workshop will absorb more during the course. 
  • Ability to ski or snowshoe up and downhill in variable terrain and changing snow conditions.
  • Be prepared to remain outside all day in foul weather. 
  • Track the weather in Turnagain Arm in the weeks prior to the course.  
  • Get out and travel on the equipment you will be using for the course so there are no surprises.

 

Prime candidates for an Avalanche Level 1. If this is you, then we'll have a good time. 

 

The Hatcher Pass venue. We'll stay here three nights. The weak snowpack of the Talkeetna Mountains makes Hatcher ideal for learning about snow. Can you spot the avalanche in this photo? Sometimes all slopes in this photo avalanche during the course. 

 

Examining an avalanche fracture line teaches us how avalanches work. 

 

In test pits we conduct stability tests to study the slab and weak layers that create avalanches.  

 

The Rutschblock test is a great way to learn about snow and weak layers. We stomp on a isolated 2-meter by 1.5-meter block of snow until it fails, like a mini avalanche.

 

During one full day we tour around, sampling the snow as we go and putting our knowledge into the big picture. 

 

So we know what to do when standing here. 

 

In case we want some of this...