AST 1 - Weekend

The Course:

Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 (AST 1) consists of one day in the classroom and another in the field. Alpine Air Adventures, in partnership with Avalanche Canada, delivers AST training curriculum designed to enable people to travel in the backcountry safely, understand where to obtain current information and understand the onsite snow pack dynamics and terrain use.

A detailed course package will be emailed 3 days prior to course commencement.

The Day:

The classroom Session is on Saturday starting at 9:00 am and will finish approximately 3/4pm, it will be via ZOOM. A detailed course package will be emailed 3 days prior to course commencement.

The field day will be held on Sunday at Bow Summit or Vermilion Pass. In some cases due to conditions the field day location may change, this will be discussed in class. The start and finish times will be similar to that of the classroom.

Private dates are available. If you have a group of friends organized, contact the AAA office to discuss details.

The Gear:

All AST 1 Participants receive Avalanche Canada Curriculum and the 'Avaluator' decision making tool.

Students must have snowshoes, ski touring or splitboard equipment for the field day. All avalanche safety equipment, shovel, probe and transceivers are included in the cost if needed.

The Schedule:

Some of the topics discussed during classroom day one:

• 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
• Group dynamics, risk tolerance and discovering your personal mountain intuition
• Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale ATES
• Snow crystal growth and metamorphism (snow science)
• Avalanche Canada daily Avalanche Bulletin
• Quick intro to companion rescue and avalanche gear which will be covered during the field day
• Open discussions and question periods among the class participants

*Please bring any gear you own and have questions about to the class room session

Some of the topics covered during field day two:

• Companion Rescue
• Snowpack analysis and weak layer recognition
• Group dynamics and management
• Risk tolerance and mountain intuition
• Terrain use and avoidance
• Understanding changing mountain weather conditions and the effects it has on the snow-pack
• Skiing and riding the POW!

If you are an avid back country user who wants to improve their knowledge you can design this training as a 6 day course. Start with AST 1 (2 days) then progressing to the AST 2 (4 days). If booking both courses with AAA you will receive a 10% discount on both courses, up to 2 years between AST 1 & 2.

*If you have an exceptional experience and would like to leave a tip for your guide, 10-15% is a customary amount. You can pay with cash or contact the AAA office directly to arrange.

*Please read and review our waiver prior to booking.*

Not sure which program is best for you? Take a look at our Course Progression Map.