So, it's been a year or more since you did a Level I or an equivalent avalanche course. Maybe it is the beginning of the season and you are trying to recall all of those Red Flags that you learned and forgot during the warm summer.
The route finding skills feeling a little rusty and before heading out with your friends you want to reassure yourself that you are on the right page and still able to make good decisions in the backcountry?
We know how it is at the beginning of the season and so we offer this one-day course to brush up your skills and to get a quick primer on where the current thoughts in avalanche education are.
This course is not at all a substitute for a full length Level I course and we assume that you have had prior exposure to avalanche training.
Itinerary
This program is conducted in the field rather than in the classroom, but we will take time to run over our data classes and review the red flags in each. We will dig a pit or two and take a look at what is happening in the snowpack and talk about route selection and safe travel choices. We will do a quick beacon practice and finish up the day with a discussion of the human factors and how it is that even after training we can make poor choices and remind ourselves to keep our desires in check and tempered by prudence.
Location
The course is held on-snow in the Bishop or Mammoth areas. We want ready access to the best snow and conditions so we will make our decision of where to go as the course time draws close. We also want to see if we can get you somewhere you have not been before so we will be quizzing students as to their past experience. We will facilitate car pools to the snow each day but you should make sure your vehicle is prepared for winter travel.
Notes
Lodging is not included, but we have an arrangement for dorm style lodging at White Mountain Research Station. Let us know if you want the dorm lodging option and we'll help you make the reservation.
If you want more information on what to look for in avalanche courses we suggest looking at the AIARE website at http://www.avtraining.org
AIARE has put together a set of pre-course study material that provides you with a good background prior to the course. It is available at http://www.avtraining.org/studymaterialintro.htm
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