This is the beginner avalanche course. Gain an introduction to avalanche phenomena and the basic principles of safe winter backcountry travel with avalanche experts from Yamnuska.

Obtain the knowledge you need to make your winter travels far safer and much more enjoyable

Our avalanche awareness instructors are full-time professional guides and forecasters, 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

Yamnuska Avalanche Safety Video

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COURSE DETAILS

Location  Date   Price   Certification & Upgrades   Difficulty and Prerequisites   Meeting Time & Place   Agenda   Guides & Group Size     Transportation   Accommodation & Meals   Gear & Clothing   Insurance   Booking Information

Parry's Review

Location

Calgary Courses:  Classroom days are held in Calgary and the field days are in Kananaskis Country or Banff National Park.

Canmore Courses:  Classroom days are held in Canmore, field days in Banff National Park.

Dates, Winter 2009/2010

Calgary: November 28 - 29; December 12 - 13; January 2 - 3; January 23 - 24; February 6 - 7; February 27 - 28.

Canmore: November 21 - 22; December 5 - 6;  December 19 - 20; December 26 - 27; January 16 - 17; January 30 - 31; February 20 - 21;  March 20 - 21.

Price

$145 CDN includes instruction, use of specialized snow study equipment, beacon on field day. You will need to bring adequate clothing and equipment for a backcountry ski tour (or snowshoes). Cancellation insurance is available on booking 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 .

Certification

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

Advanced Course Upgrade, More Training

This course is identical to the first 2 days of our Avalanche Skills Training 2 advanced course. You can upgrade to the AST 2 course, the final 3-day sections of which can be taken in Canmore on January 9 - 11, February 13 - 15, or March 13 - 15.

More details

Prerequisites

Students must be able to travel on backcountry skis or snow shoes to the field site.

Meeting Times and Place

Canmore courses begin at 9:30am at the Yamnuska Office in Canmore on the Saturday morning. The Yamnuska 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 etc 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. Please note that the field trip will be to either Kananaskis Country or Banff National Park, 120km+ west of Calgary.  See this map for location. 

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).

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

 Instructors & Group Size

We are very proud of the instructors who teach our avalanche courses. They are full-time senior mountain guides and forecasters 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, a mountain guide and forecaster with 20 years experience in the field.

Steve Blagbrough, mountain guide and director of the Yamnuska Semester program. Experience in Canada, Europe and Scotland.

James Blench, mountain guide, CAA instructor with 25 years experience.

Transportation 

To keep prices down participants are responsible for their own transport to Calgary, Canmore and on the field days. Canmore is a 1hour (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 climbing 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. We can put other participants in touch with you who may be interested in sharing the cost of a rental car or who may be willing to use their vehicles in a car pool.

When booking please indicate if you are bringing a vehicle and, if so, whether your are willing or not to give other participants or instructors a ride in a car pool. If you are not driving here please indicate if you'd be willing to share the cost of a rental car or if you would prefer to car pool.

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.

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 good facilities and reasonable prices.

As Canmore courses usually go to Bow Summit, 40km west of Lake Louise on the field day, you may wish to consider spending the previous night at Lake Louise, or if you really treasure mountain ambiance and fine cuisine, at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge at Bow Lake.

Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, 403 522 2167 .. Canadian Alpine Centre, Lake Louise, 403 522 2200

Food is not supplied. You will need lunch and something to drink each day. On the field day bring plenty to drink and a lunch plus energy snacks. We particularly suggest bringing a Thermos and hot drink.

Equipment & Clothing

Yamnuska supplies textbook and specialized snow study equipment only. You will need to bring:

Equipment List

• Skis / Snowshoes / Board  If skis, either 'Alpine Touring' or Telemark. We recommend a short (160 - 185cm) wide ski designed for powder.  Please note, cross-country skis are not suitable for this program.

• 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 (full!)

• Sun cream

• Pocket knife

(Let us know in advance if bringing your own beacon or shovel)

Optional Equipment

Yamnuska supplies but feel free to bring anyway:

• Collapsible Avalanche Probe

• Snow Study Kit

Clothing List

There can be prolonged periods of inactivity in very cold temperatures on the field day. 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 (pref. 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 &/or mitts

• Neck tube

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 - (403 678-1636)

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

Insurance

There is no charge for rescue so long as you have a valid National Park Entry Pass (if field day is at Bow Summit). You can obtain a pass (c.$9) on entry to Banff National Park. It is wise, though to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident whilst here. Obtain extra coverage if necessary.

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 cancellation insurance ($10), this must accompany your payment.

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.

Parry's Review

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