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Practical information
Join this introductory avalanche safety course near Banff and learn how to plan an autonomous excursion in the snowy backcountry in complete safety!
Day 1
A day of online theory lessons on ZOOM (a detailed course package will be emailed 3 days prior to course commencement) with the following topics for discussion: the root causes of avalanches, understanding basic weather concepts and patterns contributing to avalanche hazards, first hand experiences from the instructors used for case studies, Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES), snow crystal growth and metamorphism (snow science), quick intro to companion rescue and avalanche gear which will be covered during the field day, etc.
Day 2
A day of practical training in the field, during which you will see: Companion Rescue, snowpack analysis and weak layer recognition, group dynamics and management, risk tolerance and mountain intuition, terrain use and avoidance, etc.
To enable you to travel in the backcountry safely, understand where to obtain current information and understand the onsite snowpack dynamics and terrain use.
Please read and review this waiver of liability prior to booking.
Minors under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
If you wish, you can spend the first day of training on ZOOM several days/weeks before the second day of training in the field: please contact the guide once your booking has been confirmed to organise your dates.
If needed, there may be the opportunity to carpool with the guide for a base fee of $75.00 round trip: please contact the guide directly for details.
For transportation needs from Calgary to Banff, visit Mountain Park Transportation website.
- Certified instructors
- Avalanche Canada Curriculum
- The 'Avaluator' decision making tool
- Avalanche transceiver
- Shovel
- Probe
- AvCan Certificate of completion
- Taxes
- Lunch
- Transfer
- Snowshoes
- Ski touring or splitboard equipment
- Warm and sturdy ski/snowshoe/snowboard boots
- Warm layers of clothes
- Warm and waterproof jacket and pants
- Hat
- Gloves
- Sunglasses
- Backpack
- Bottle of water/Thermos
- Picnic lunch
- Snacks