Avalanche Skills Training 2 – Canmore/Calgary (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, or for experienced backcountry skiers looking to expand their skills.

For advanced skiers we also offer this four day program in Rogers Pass. This is one of the most exciting backcountry ski locations in Western Canada, and is a great spot to learn how to evaluate avalanche conditions to keep safe in steeper terrain.

COURSE DETAILS

2011 Dates

• January 8 - 11

• February 12 - 15

• March 12 - 13 AND 19 - 20 (Consecutive weekend program)

Price

$495 CDN includes 4 days of instruction, books and use of safety and snow study equipment. An AST 2 certificate will be issued on successful completion.*

Cancellation Insurance can be purchased for an additional $25.

*To be eligible for the AST 2 certificate participants must first have taken the AST 1 course through a CAC recognized provider. Yamnuska offers the AST 1 course on most weekends throughout the winter months. Please contact our office if you have any questions.

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

Difficulty

This program involves three days of backcountry ski touring in steep and variable terrain. You should be an advanced intermediate skier/split boarder with a high level of aerobic fitness. 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.

Fresh avalanche near Bow Summit

Course Agenda

Day 1 - Meeting at 8:30 am at the Yamnuska office in Canmore, this day will be spent in our classroom where we will discuss advanced avalanche theory and forecasting.

Day 2 - 4: Each day there will be a field trip to local backcountry ski areas. Destinations will be dependent on weather and snow conditions. Locations range from 45 min to 2 hours from our office in Canmore.

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 and 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

We will meet the group at 8:30 AM on the first day here at our office in Canmore (Map).  Be prepared to spend the day indoors, but please bring your backcountry touring equipment if you have any questions about suitability for the course. Yamnuska provides classroom materials, however you should bring some paper and a pen or pencil to take notes. On field days we will be meeting at the designated trailhead for the day. Meeting time and location will be discussed the day before and carpooling can be arranged with other students at that time. 

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.

Snow Study Pit

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.

Food is not supplied. You will need lunch and something to drink each day. Be sure to bring plenty to drink and enough food and snacks to keep yourself fueled for the touring days. We particularly suggest bringing a Thermos and hot drink.

Equipment and Clothing

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

Skis and 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. Remember in the backcountry there do tend to be lots of 'flats'.

Rutschblock Test for Snowpack Stability

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

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 full payment on registration. To avoid unnecessary cancellation penalties we suggest you take our medical cancellation insurance for an extra, non-refundable $25.

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