Avalanche Level 2

  • Price: $729.00$849.00
  • Duration: Evening Zoom + 3 Field Days

For recreational backcountry users who have completed the Avalanche Level 1 course and are ready to go deeper with their snow and avalanche knowledge.

*Course date indicates first day in the field. A mandatory pre-course zoom meeting is held from 6-8pm on the evening before each course start date.

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Looking for an avalanche training course in Colorado? Sign up with our friends at Colorado Mountain School. For avalanche training in California, sign up with our partners at International Alpine Guides on their Mammoth Lakes Avalanche Courses and Lake Tahoe Avalanche Courses.

 

Overview:

The Avalanche Level 2 course is designed for backcountry recreationists with level 1 avalanche skills who want to go deeper with their snow and avalanche knowledge, as well as travel in more complex terrain.  On this course, we spend time expanding student’s knowledge of the science of snow metamorphism, and apply this knowledge to have a better understanding of the season snowpack history and the nature of existing avalanche problems.  We utilize the AAI Backcountry Avalanche Checklist as a system for sorting and prioritizing information in the field, setting a tone of teamwork, and minimizing human factor traps.

Forty percent of the course is online/classroom based and the other sixty percent is field based. We will travel in the backcountry, in and around avalanche terrain.

Still have questions? See our frequently asked questions section for details on gear, what’s provided on a course, and more.

All Upcoming Dates and Locations:

  • December 16, 2023 - February 17, 2024 - Avalanche Level 2 - Jackson, Wyoming
  • January 18, 2024 - January 20, 2024 - Avalanche Level 2 - Salt Lake City, Utah
  • January 26, 2024 - January 28, 2024 - Avalanche Level 2 - Jackson, Wyoming
  • February 15, 2024 - February 17, 2024 - Avalanche Level 2 - Salt Lake City, Utah
  • February 23, 2024 - February 25, 2024 - Avalanche Level 2 - Bozeman, Montana
  • March 7, 2024 - March 9, 2024 - Avalanche Level 2 - Salt Lake City, Utah
  • March 15, 2024 - March 17, 2024 - Avalanche Level 2 - Jackson, Wyoming

This course will cover the following:

  • Tracking the season snowpack history
  • Characteristics of the different avalanche problems
  • Weather history, avalanche problems, and stability assessment
  • Formation of persistent weak layers – facets, depth hoar, surface hoar
  • Wet snow metamorphism
  • Avalanche terrain – large & small scale features
  • Group management in challenging/complex terrain
  • Stability tests – incorporating strength, structure and propagation potential
  • Introduction to SWAG documentation
  • Tour planning
  • Use of the AAI Backcountry Avalanche Checklist as a field tool for sorting & prioritizing information
  • Human factor traps and solutions
  • Case studies with analysis using AAI Backcountry Avalanche Checklist

Prerequisites:

  • Avalanche Level 1 Course
  • Minimum of one season between the Level 1 & Level 2, used to apply the tools and strategies learned on the Level 1 avalanche course.
  • This course can be taken on AT skis, splitboard, or snowboard with snowshoes. Participants must have experience on their setup prior to taking this course and be comfortable in steep blue to black terrain at the areas.

Preparation:

Recommended Reading:

  • Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, Bruce Tremper
  • Snow, Weather and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States (SWAG)

Duration:

Evening Zoom + 3 Field Days

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