Learning Outcomes

The backcountry is an unforgiving and forever changing environment, and so it is extremely important that you and your adventure partners are all educated on how to effectively and safely navigate the mountains. And if something does go wrong, know how to react and help your buddies! 

The Avalanche Level 1 Course will give you the foundation of knowledge needed to do this. Our very experienced guides will teach you how to access the local avalanche bulletin, and how to understand and apply that information to plan a safe day in the mountains, as well as read snowpack and weather. By the end of this course you will be able to identify avalanche terrain in the field and describe why avalanches occur, and thus choose terrain appropriate for the current avalanche forecast and avoid avalanche problems. You will be able to identify human factors that have an impact on the safety of mountain travel, apply risk management tools, such as safety equipment, perform trailhead checks, effectively communicate with your team members, and be able to perform procedures for basic companion rescue.