1 indoor day + 1 field day

Canmore and Banff, Canadian Rockies

1:8

Good fitness

Introductory

No backcountry experience is required, however a basic level competency to ski or board (split-board only) is a minimum.

15 years old and up

Course material, probe, shovel and transceiver is included.

Transport is not included however this can be arranged for an additional $20.00 per day.

2 weeks before course

AST1

Course Description

A premiere introductory avalanche skills training course specifically designed to meet the distinct needs of participants who intend to backcountry ski or snowboard.

Our Plus course is augmented by additional proprietary MSA curriculum and technical field skills. We specialize in backcountry skiers and boarders by running the course strictly on backcountry equipment. The indoor course is extended to a full day in order to teach additional critical backcountry safety theory. This course meets and surpasses the standards developed by the Canadian Avalanche Center (CAC).

 Advantages of the MSA AST 1 Plus for backcountry skiers or snowboarders:

We conduct the field day only on backcountry ski’s or split-board (backcountry rental packages available at a discount). This enables participants to obtain a much broader and relevant training, establishing a stronger avalanche safety foundation. With backcountry ski/board equipment we are able to go farther afield, get into challenging terrain, see more avalanche terrain, go to higher elevations and a have more time to focus on critical skills.

The theory day is run as a full day rather than the typical half-day course. This enables us to teach additional critical theory lectures and allows students a greater opportunity to grasp the complexities of avalanche phenomenon.

All instructors are certified Ski or Mountain Guides. This is an important distinction as only certified guides are permitted and qualified to lead groups into avalanche terrain. If you intend to backcountry ski or board, we highly recommend you insist that your instructor be a certified guide.

Certified guide instructors also guarantees the highest level of safety as Ski and Mountain guides are the highest trained avalanche professionals for backcountry skiing/boarding.

We respect our clients and appreciate the importance of this course. Our goal is to offer the highest quality course in the industry. This course is of critical importance as skiing/boarding in avalanche terrain can result in accidental injury or death. As such we limit our guide to participant ratio to 1:8. This allows much greater coaching, clarification and training per participant. We practice the highest levels of safety and professionalism while remaining realistic and venturing into relevant terrain.

On the first theory day, we be teaching a combination of Canadian Avalanche Center and Mountain Skills Academy curriculum. This is taught in a comfortable conference room with all amenities. Our proprietary course structure and materials are state of the art. Designed to be readily understood, interactive, informative and interesting. We utilize power point presentations, digital projectors, videos, teaching aids, the Avaluator™, the WWW, engaging lectures and case studies. All of this, focused on the backcountry skier and boarder.

Day two is a field day and we go to one of the many Rocky Mountain destinations known for its snowpack and ski touring quality. We will ski tour from below tree line and up into the alpine or sub alpine zones depending on the avalanche forecast.

At course closure, participants  receive an  CAA AST 1 certificate.