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– Avalanche Courses
▫ Avalanche clinic
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Refresher Clinics2007/2008
Our one-day Avalanche Safety clinics emphasize development of specific skills to enhance your backcountry avalanche awareness and safety. These are excellent refresher sessions for keeping up with new techniques, research and safety tips. Each Avalanche awareness refresher session covers a variety of topics - terrain evaluation, mountain weather, snowpack observations and the latest search techniques.
If you have not taken any avalanche safety training before please consider our Avalanche Safety Weekend course
| Dates | Cost | Prerequisites | Location |
| Guides | Itinerary | Equipment | Logistics |
| Related programs | Registration | ||
Dates (2007/2008 season):
For Skiers and Snowboarders
December 2
December 9
December 16
January 6
January 13
January 20
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Cost - skiers/snowboarders: $ 95. + gst
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Included:
- Use of G3 probe
- Use of G3 Avi-tech shovel
- Use of Barryvox "Pulse" or SOS avalanche beacons
The location of the course varies due to weather and snowpack conditions - if the best snow conditions for the course location are in Garibaldi Park adjacent to Whistler or Blackcomb an additional $37. Backcountry lift-access fee will be required.
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Prerequisites
Intermediate skiing or snowboarding ability plus previous basic avalanche knowledge (AST-1 Course or previous experience). The emphasis of this course is on developing and/or refreshing skills; to make best use of time we do not include extensive backcountry travel. Touring equipment or snowshoes/snowboard combo are required.
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Location
A variety of locations are used such as Mount Seymour, Garibaldi Park adjacent to Whistler and Blackcomb, the Coquihalla summit region, Diamond Head or Cypress. The goal is to keep the travel time to a minimum in order to get full effective use of the day in the field. The specific location will be decided 1-2 days in advance of the course based on current conditions.
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Guides and Instructors
All instructors on our Avalanche safety programs are trained Avalanche technicians who are certified through the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA). Additionally, Canada West Mountain School holds regular training sessions for our instructors to ensure that they are up-to-date with the most current research and information available. All staff have Advanced 1st Aid training, and many of our Instructors are professional Guides certified by the ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides).
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Itinerary/Objectives
Keeping the course as effective (and safe!) as possible is our primary goal. Some of these objectives may not receive the same amount of attention as others as time constraints, group abilities, individual desires, weather and many other
factors all influence the actual content - but we will ensure that you learn as much as possible and that your experience is a great one!
At the end of your course, you are encouraged to discuss with your instructor the content that has been covered, and to have the instructor assess your level of knowledge - we would prefer that you know your abilities now, rather than find out the hard way, later!
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Equipment list
To download a printer friendly .PDF file of the equipment list, click here. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.
The following personal equipment is required:
- Touring skis; split snowboard; or, snow shoes and snowboard. Alpine Trekker touring inserts for alpine skis are acceptable if you are experienced with them
- Boots - touring boots appropriate to your bindings. Regular alpine boots may be fine as long as they are not a tight fitting race boot.
- Poles (for skiers)
- Climbing skins for skis or split board
- Daypack, approx 30 liters capacity suitable for carrying all required gear. Snowboarders must have a pack that can hold a snowboard for the ascents
- Hard shell outer layer jacket with hood - Gore-Tex
- Outer shell pants or bibs - Gore-Tex style recommended for ventilation while touring
- Personal clothing layers that are adjustable and suitable for all conditions
- Gaiters (unless your ski pants have built-in gaiters or snow-cuffs)
- Gloves plus one pair extra
- Warm parka - down, fleece or pile
- Sweater or vest - wool, fleece or down
- Toque/warm hat - wool or fleece
- Sunglasses
- Ski goggles
- Misc. personal items (camera, journal, etc.)
- Water bottle/hydration system w/insulation - min. 1 liter
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Logistics and transportation
Students are responsible for getting to and from the course areas. The group will meet on the field day at 0745 at the pre-determined location. Your instructor or a CWMS staff person will contact you in advance of the course to finalize the specific meeting place and time. Typically the course will run in any weather conditions, unless official road closures or other safety reasons are likely to affect the course.
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Related Programs
Check out these other programs that complement the skills learned in our Avalanche Clinic. As well, feel free to contact our office to discuss other course options.
Avalanche Safety Weekend (Vancouver)
Avalanche Safety Weekend (Whistler)
Advanced Avalanche
Custom Avalanche training
Private Ski guiding
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