Avalanche Skills Training Course 2 – Rogers Pass (AST 2)

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!

This is a hands-on program featuring extensive practical field experience augmented with one day of classroom theory. The curriculum is designed to give a solid grounding in the essentials and is based on the requirements set out by the Canadian Avalanche Center (CAC). Your instructors are guides seasoned in touring, heliskiing and forecasting. This program is suitable for those who have taken the AST 1 program in the past and who are advanced/intermediate backcountry skiers looking to expand their skills.

COURSE DETAILS

2011 Dates

• January 15 - 18

• March 5 - 8

Price

$795 CDN includes instruction, books and use of safety and snow study equipment. HST is extra.  Cancellation Insurance can be purchased for an additional $45.

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

Difficulty

Ski Touring in the Rockies

Participants should be advanced/intermediate skiers and should have had some backcountry skiing experience before the course. In the Yamnuska context, a minimum would be prior participation on our Intro to Backcountry Skiing, Wapta Traverse, or Intro to Ski Mountaineering trips.

'Advanced intermediate' means that you are comfortable making parallel turns on most terrain at a ski hill and that you have enough ski skills to deal safely with all but the most extreme terrain found at a ski hill (that is to say you can stop, turn around, then traverse out of areas you can't handle).

You also need to be in good aerobic shape, as you will have to 'skin' up everything you ski down. You will be skiing with a daypack containing your lunch, water, avalanche gear, and spare clothing. We also offer this program based out of our office in Canmore, Alberta... details.

This program is limited to participants 19 years and older unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and in which case approval must be given by Yamnuska Mountain Adventures.

Previous avalanche training is not required, however to receive your AST 2 certificate you must have taken an AST 1 with Yamnuska or another provider in the past.

Course Agenda

• Day 1: Meet in the lobby of Glacier Park Lodge at 9:00am for introductions, a review of course goals and itinerary.  This day will be spent in the classroom where we will discuss advanced avalanche theory and forecasting.
• Day 2 - 4: Each day there will be a field trip to local areas. Destinations will be decided based on weather and snow conditions.

Curriculum

Considerable flexibility is built into the course delivery. Snow and weather conditions may dictate the order of presentation to some degree. Key topics will be constantly revisited during the program.

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

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 are professional members of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Most courses will be limited to 16 participants. 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

Please meet at the lobby of the Glacier Park Lodge at  9.00am (pacific) time on the first day  (Map). The first day will be spent in the classroom so be dressed for the great indoors!

Fresh avalanche near Bow Summit

Transportation

To keep prices down participants are responsible for their own transport to Roger's Pass and on the field days. Roger's Pass is 350km west of Calgary on the Trans Canada (#1) Highway in Glacier National Park. You should plan on arriving in the area the day before the course starts.  Calgary International Airport is regularly serviced by flights from Europe and throughout North America. Greyhound (1 800 661 8747) services Rogers Pass from points east and west along the Trans Canada Highway.

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. If you are not planning to have your own vehicle, we can usually arrange carpooling with other guests on the program.

Accommodation and Meals

The course is based at Glacier Park Lodge on the summit of Rogers Pass. Accommodation is NOT included.

Alternate hotel accommodation is also available in Golden  or Revelstoke which are both 45 minute drives from Roger's Pass. We recommend staying at the Glacier Park Lodge due to the possibility of highway closures from Avalanche control during the program.

Meals are NOT included. At the Glacier Park Lodge there is a cafeteria and a restaurant. Breakfast and lunch items are limited (especially healthy food). If you have specific dietary needs, we suggest you plan to bring at least a small amount of breakfast and lunch food to eat during the program.

Each day of the program you will need a lunch, energy snacks and plenty to drink.

Equipment & Clothing

The equipment and clothing you bring to this course will have a big impact upon the quality of your experience. Please be sure to bring all items listed.  If unsure about anything please don't hesitate to call and ask us!

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

Skis & Boards

There are two ski systems you can use: System 1 'Alpine Touring' skis are essentially 'downhill skis' with a special touring binding which allows the heel to lift whilst going uphill or across the flats and then 'locks down' to become a regular downhill safety binding. We recommend this system to anyone with a background of downhill skiing who is not already an advanced telemark skier. System 2 'Telemark' skis. These should only be used for this program if you are at least an advanced-intermediate telemark skier with some backcountry experience. This system is more difficult and less forgiving than the other.

Snow Boards can be used on this program. If 'boarding' you need to be an advanced boarder and you need to be on a splitboard. Don't bring a board if you've never boarded in the backcountry before.

Equipment List

• Skis / Split Board  If skis, either 'Alpine Touring' or Telemark. We recommend a short (160 - 185cm) wide ski designed for powder.
• Climbing skins 'Stick-on type'
• Ski Poles

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

• Ski/board boots
• Daypack (large enough for spare clothes, lunch & equipment)
• Shovel (lightweight snow shovel)
• Sunglasses and ski goggles
• Thermos flask and/or water bottle (full!)
• Sun cream
• 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

There can be prolonged periods of inactivity in very cold temperatures on the field days. 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 and bottom)

• Warm pants (insulated or fleece)

• Warm shirt (not cotton)

• Fleece Jacket (heavyweight)

• Insulated jacket or vest

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

• Waterproof pants (Gore-Tex or nylon)

• Socks (wool outer and 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 a $312 CDN deposit (including taxes) at the time of booking.  Final payment is due eight weeks before the start of the program.  To avoid unnecessary cancellation penalties we suggest you take our medical cancellation insurance for an extra non-refundable $45, this must accompany your deposit.

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

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

Map To Glacier Park Lodge - Roger's Pass AST 2 courses

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