Avalanche Skills Training 1 – Canmore/Calgary (AST 1)

Gain an introduction to avalanche phenomena and the basic principles of safe winter backcountry travel with avalanche experts from Yamnuska. We are an approved Canadian Avalanche Center course provider.

Winter backcountry travel, skiing and boarding are very popular and exciting sports but without proper knowledge, enthusiasts often take unnecessary risks.  Educate yourself with our introductory course to make your winter travels safer and much more enjoyable. Our avalanche awareness instructors are full-time professional guides, their extensive personal experience in this field will add an extra dimension of interest to make this information and advice meaningful, relevant and fascinating.

 "The field day was great! Steve did an awesome job in helping us get some hands on experience. I feel very confident in my skills as a result!" Jason - Alberta

Winter 2010/2011 Program Dates

Calgary: November 27 - 28; December 11 - 12; January 1 - 2; January 22 - 23; February 5 - 6; February 26 - 27; March 26 - 27.

Canmore: November 20 - 21; December 4 - 5; December 18 - 19; December 27 - 28; January 15 - 16; January 29 - 30; February 19 - 20; March 19 - 20.

Price

$175 CDN includes instruction, classroom materials, and avalanche safety equipment. You will need to bring adequate clothing and equipment for a backcountry ski tour (or snowshoes). Cancellation insurance is available for an extra $10. GST is extra.

More training & skiing: Yamnuska Guides and Instructors are also available for private training and ski tours after the program ... details.

Digging a Snow Study Pit

Difficulty

The focus of this program is avalanche theory and instruction. Our first day will be in a classroom learning about the conditions and physics that lead to avalanches.  The second day will be a field trip to a backcountry location where we will be travelling either by backcountry ski touring or snowshoes to a number of different snow study sites.  This can involve up to 5 km of travel and up to 250 m of elevation gain. Students must be able to travel on backcountry skis or snow shoes and should have a normal level of fitness.

Certification

This course follows the 'Avalanche Skills Training 1' syllabus developed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre and a certificate will be issued at the end of the course. These Avalanche Skills Training courses are now a prerequisite for more advanced CAC courses.

Course Agenda

NOTE: Agenda may vary with instructor and with field conditions. A short tour is integral on the Sunday but if you're not a skier, snowshoes are adequate. It is important that you be properly equipped (see gear list).

Advanced Avalanche Training and Theory

This course is the prerequisite for our Avalanche Skills Training 2 advanced course. If you are a backcountry skier/border, you can join us for this comprehensive 4 day program which includes one day of advanced theory and three days of backcountry touring.  We offer this four day program based out of Canmore once in January, once in February and over two consecutive weekends in March. We also offer this program in Roger's Pass for those who are intermediate/advanced backcountry skiers/boarders. 

Further reading and theory: We are now offering the AST 2 text for sale on our AST 1 programs. If you would like to have a reference manual that goes into more depth of the theory behind why avalanches occur, you can purchase the "Staying Alive In Avalanche Terrain" book by Bruce Tremper for an additional $30. Please let us know when you register if you would like this option as supplies are limited.

Instructors & Group Size

We are very proud of the instructors who teach our avalanche courses. They are full-time senior mountain guides who hold certification from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and the Canadian Avalanche Association. The maximum course size is 24 participants. On the field trip there is a maximum of one instructor per 8 participants.

Instructors include:

Dave Stark: Director of Operations for Yamnuska, mountain guide and professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association with close to thirty years in the field.

Jesse de Montigny: Ski guide and professional member of the CAA. Jesse is the Assistant Direct of Operations at Yamnuska.

Steve Blagbrough: Mountain guide and professional member of the CAA. Experience in Canada, Europe and Scotland. Steve is a senior guide at Yamnuska.

Grant Meekins: Mountain guide, certified teacher and professional member of the CAA. Grant is a senior guide at Yamnuska.

Program Logistics

Powder Slide on Mt. Rundle

Canmore courses begin at 9:30am on the Saturday morning at the Yamnuska Office in Canmore.  Our office is located at 200, 50 Lincoln Park. See this map for location. Please note that the field trip will be to Bow Summit, which is 100km west of Canmore.

Calgary courses begin at 9:30am on the Saturday morning at the Calgary Area Outdoor Council Building (CAOC), 1111 Memorial Drive, immediately to the west of the 10th Street bridge over the Bow River. To allow for turn restrictions, we suggest you drive east along Memorial Drive so you can turn right, directly into the free parking lot next to the building which is an old converted brick fire hall. Parking space may be limited due to some site construction, however students are permitted to use the lot if space is available. There is public parking across the street. See this map for location.

Please note that the field trip will be to either Kananaskis Country or Banff National Park, 120km+ west of Calgary.

Transportation

To keep prices down participants are responsible for their own transport to Calgary, Canmore and on the field days. Canmore is a 1 hour (100km) drive west from Calgary.

If you are flying from afar for the program we suggest that you rent a car for your visit. In addition to getting you to the program locations, it will allow you to explore our region a bit after program hours. For example you can visit Banff and enjoy the hot pools and sample the numerous restaurants. If you are not planning to have your own vehicle, we can usually arrange carpooling with other guests on the program.

Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore. Greyhound Bus Lines (1 800 661 8747) serves Canmore from points east and west along the Trans-Canada Highway. Call 609 0300, 609 1490 or 609 8897 for taxis in Canmore.

Rutschblock Test of Snowpack Stability

Accommodation and Meals

These are your responsibility. There are lots of options available including hostels, B'n'Bs, motels and hotels! Check accommodation options on our links page for our recommendations. The Alpine Club Clubhouse (403 678 3200) is a good hostel here in Canmore with nice facilities and reasonable prices.

As Canmore courses usually go to Bow Summit, 40km north of Lake Louise on the field day, you may wish to consider spending the Saturday night in Lake Louise (Alpine Centre Hostel - 403 522 2200), or if you really treasure mountain ambiance and fine cuisine, at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge at Bow Lake (403 522 2167).

Food is not supplied. On the classroom day we will take a one hour break for lunch. On the field day be sure to bring plenty to drink and a lunch plus energy snacks. We particularly suggest bringing a Thermos and hot drink.

Equipment & Clothing

Yamnuska supplies classroom materials, avalanche equipment, and specialized snow study equipment only. You will need to bring:

Equipment List

• Skis / Snowshoes: if skis, either 'Alpine Touring' or Telemark. We recommend a short (160 - 185cm) wide ski designed for powder.

• Ski poles (even if on snowshoes)

• Climbing skins 'Stick-on type' (only required if using skis)

• Avalanche beacon (must be 457Khz frequency), loaners available (let us know if you need one).

• Ski boots (only required if using skis)

• Daypack (large enough for spare clothes, lunch & equipment)

• Shovel (lightweight snow shovel), loaners available.

• Sunglasses and ski goggles

• Thermos flask and/or water bottle (1 - 2 Liters)

• Sun screen

• Pocket knife

• Small Blister and Personal 1ST-Aid Kit

(Let us know in advance if you wish Yamnuska to provide a beacon, probe, or shovel for the field day)

Optional Equipment

Yamnuska supplies but feel free to bring anyway:

• Collapsible Avalanche Probe

• Snow Study Kit

Clothing List

On the field day there can be prolonged periods of inactivity in very cold temperatures. Don't be afraid to bring too much! We suggest bringing light clothing of varying thicknesses that can be 'layered' to achieve comfort and versatility. The most important consideration for clothing is the ability to regulate temperature as you change from periods of activity to periods of rest. We discourage cotton clothing as it causes rapid heat loss when wet.

• Polypro underwear (top & bottom)

• Warm pants (softshell, insulated, or fleece)

• Warm shirt (not cotton)

• Sweater or fleece jacket

• Insulated jacket or vest

• Waterproof jacket with hood (Gore-Tex or nylon)

• Waterproof pants (Gore-Tex or nylon)

• Socks (wool outer & polypro liner)

• Wool or fleece hat

• Waterproof gloves and/or mitts

• Neck tube

• Gaiters, only needed if your ski pants are not elasticized at the ankle

• Sunhat

Rental Information

Skis, Boots, Boards, Skins & Poles can be rented from:

• Calgary: Mountain Equipment Co-op. - 830-10 Ave. S.W. Calgary (Tel: 403 269-2420)

• Canmore: Gear Up - 1302 Bow Valley Trail (403 678-1636)

• Banff: Mountain Magic - 224 Bear St. (Tel: 403 762-2591)

Skiing Fresh Powder Lines in the Backcountry!

Booking Information

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. We require full payment on booking. To avoid unnecessary cancellation penalties we suggest you take our medical cancellation insurance for an additional, non-refundable $10, this must accompany your payment.

It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident while here. Obtain extra coverage if necessary. There is no charge for rescue so long as you have a valid National Park Entry Pass which you can obtain on entry to Banff National Park (cost $9).

For detailed booking instructions and conditions, click here.

Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the course. Please view our sample waiver copy.

Program Video

Trip Blogs

• Avalanches and Decision Making - by Len Youden, Winter 2010

• Parry's Review

PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT US IF
YOU NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS COURSE!

Map To Bow Summit - AST 1 Field Day location for Canmore courses

View Bow Summit in a larger map