Avalanche Safety Course – Advanced (Cancelled)

Do you like to get off the beaten path and ski/snowboard/snowshoe away from the crowds? Are you interested in learning more about the complexities of snow and how they contribute to avalanche risk?

Course Aim:
To improve your knowledge of avalanche safety and your tour planning/orientation sills in the back country to plan and lead your own tours off-piste during the winter months.

Who is this course for?
Anyone who likes to participate in winter sports outside of the marked and prepared runs in a ski resort. This includes those who plan on doing itinerary routes, marked freeride runs or skiing between marked runs in ski resorts. The Advanced (Coaching) course is for those who already have some avalanche training and want to improve their knowledge to be more independent when planning and participating in their own tours during the winter months. It is assumed that you have already some experience in Skitouring when attending this course and can bring some questions based on experience. 

Coaching
You already plan and do ski tours yourself but you would like some coaching on planning and route finding in the mountains in winter. In this course, you will lead with a mountain guide supporting you and giving feedback on your decision-making while out on the tour.

Prerequisites

• Already attended some avalanche training
• Familiar with the use of avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe
• Participated in at least 6 to 8 ski tours in the past
• Able to identify basic features on a map and be attempting to plan your own ski tours.

Max Participants: 6

Course Location:
TBC – Location will be decided the week before the course depending on current snow conditions. 

Course Content:
• Snow accumulation (Layers)
• Tour planning
• Decision-making on tour
• Reduction method (risk reduction method)
• Understanding the avalanche bulletin (Regional and National)
• Awareness of danger signs
• Learn to recognise topographic features
• Learn to estimate slope steepness.
• Correct use of Transceiver, shovel and probe.
• Staged Incident (multiple burials)

Day 1:
Meet, drop our bags and get ready before going outside to learn the correct use of our transceiver, shovel and probe and learn about how the local topography can affect the avalanche risk.

Day 2:
On a short training tour, the theory will be put into practice. The versatile area with several hollows, ridges, slope exposures and steepness will provide a perfect opportunity to learn how to assess snow conditions and learn the optimal route choice.

Course Cost: 495CHF

Payment:
Payment is due at the time of registration. You will receive an email with payment details shortly after registering for this event. 

Refund Policy:
As we have taken a firm booking on the number of attendees the course fee is non-refundable. However, your place on the course is interchangeable. If for some reason you can’t attend the course we will offer your place to the next person on the waiting list. Once this person has confirmed their place and paid their deposit we will return your fee. we can only return the fee if your place on the course is filled by another participant. 

What is included: 

• Mountain Guides
• Accommodation
• Evening Meal
• Breakfast
• Course Theory Information

What is not included:

• Transport to and from course location
• Equipment

NB: In the event of the weather or avalanche risk being too bad in the planned course area the course may be moved to a different resort. If this happens we may have to stay in a hotel rather than the SAC Hut. This will result in a small increased cost for the difference between the overnight in the hut and the overnight in a hotel. This is a worst-case scenario event, but if it happens this can not be avoided.