Avalanche Search and Rescue (AvSAR) Level 1 and Why You Should Take It If You Enjoy the Backcountry

For anyone looking to get into the backcountry this winter, or any winter for that matter; Whether to go play on skis, board, shoes, or sled anyone heading to the middle of nowhere should consider enrolling in this short list of Avalanche Safety Training (AST) courses. 

The first step of your backcountry journey is AST Level 1. There are many great operations near us, such as the UofC or Yamnuska in Canmore, that offer this course but you can find enrollment in the ski town, or ski lodge, of your choosing. This course is generally 3 days long consisting of one day of class work followed by two days of ski touring all lead by certified Canadian Ski Guide Association (CSGA), or Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) members. During your days on skis you apply what you learned in class but in a real-life setting. Students will participate in avalanche simulations, work on up-track skills and route planning methods, while also practicing basic snow science and forecasting. If you are a recreational sledder there are also courses curated to your sport! This AST course is a fantastic opportunity to gain an understanding of the fundamentals of safe backcountry travel. However, it is expected upon enrollment that you are fit and able to skin up to the top of a mountain. Also, you have a basic understanding of how your equipment works and are able to transition (either climbing to skiing or skiing to climbing) efficiently. An easy solution to this is to walk around a local park to get a feel for walking with skis, then find a hill near you that you can practice climbing and get the feel for side hilling. Finally, in the comfort of your own home put on your backpack, boots, and gloves/liners and practice the full transition both ways as many times it takes to feel comfortable. Consider also that you may have additional steps once fully bundled such as snacking, drinking water, adding/removing layers, or putting on your helmet/goggles. To get the most out of your training days you want your transitions to be quick a efficient!

Next up: AST Level 2. This course is typically 4-5 days long with one classroom day where you discuss more advanced avalanche topics such as weather and snow formation, snowpack forecasting and testing, as well as trip and route planning. The rest of the days are on skis. While touring you further hone the skills you learned in AST 1 but in more detail while also discussing safer travel practices. AST 2 focuses on how to understand the snow and navigate the mountains safer. The best way to describe these two courses is that AST 1 will scare you, while AST 2 will show you how to avoid being scared. Again, this course can be found anywhere there is snow and a 30-degree slope (Including backcountry ski lodges).  This is a course that is best to do with friends as the main emphasis is leadership. Every trip will have someone leading the planning, every up-track will have a different person in the front, every emergency will need one voice to lead the rescue. What better way to understand, improve, and hone your crew’s strengths and less strengths in all facets of a day in the mountains? As a kicker, a fun way to look at it is a semi-guided three-day ski trip where you are helping with the decision-making process for only $850! As a personal note, if you can afford the price of admission, I will say doing this course at a ski lodge is an amazing experience. Not only because of the location, but I found it exhausting having to drive an hour plus in the morning, participate and experience the course, drive home, then feed myself on top of it all. At a lodge breakfast is served at 8, dinner at 6 and the commute is 10 minutes of some of the greatest vistas you’ve ever seen!

Finally, in my honest opinion, the most important course of all: Avalanche Search and Rescue (AvSAR) Level 1. This course, and I cannot stress this enough, is the most beneficial backcountry course you can take as a non-professional. This course is 100% dedicated to avalanches, how to avoid them, how to react during them, and how to execute a rescue. Obviously, the goal of any backcountry excursion is to not see an avalanche but sometimes things happen. As important as AST 1 and 2 are for understanding how to move in the back country they do not really focus on what to do in an avalanche situation. Generally, you spend half a day at AST 1, maybe a full day at AST 2, running avalanche scenarios in a field. AvSAR is 9 hours of avalanche information for four days straight. Everything from the triggers and causes of avalanches to the ways you best predict them to how to lead and operate in a rescue situation is covered. Typical days start in the classroom where you discuss various topics in the morning then head outside to practice. First day is typical probe, transceiver, shovel skills but then every day that follows is repetitive practice using the aforementioned tools in different simulations. Usually, I got four to five good reps on a certain rescue procedure before moving on to a new one the next day. My proficiency with my transceiver improved tremendously especially in a multi-burial situation and I know my understanding of current probing and shovel practices will help me if the need arises. There is no better course out there to help you know what to do in an emergency situation. Which, again, we never plan for or want to happen but being practiced and calm can make all the difference. If this course inspires you to pursue a role on a Search and Rescue team there is a second course (AvSAR 2) that preps you further for all rolls in a rescue or recovery situation.

The AvSAR course was a new addition to the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) curriculum last year as they took it out of the Operations (OPS) 1 course (the first step in becoming a Ski Guide) which only gave participants one day to learn, practice, and be tested on the material. Breaking it out of OPS1, in my opinion, was an amazing jump forward for both the industry and the participants. AvSAR needed to have its own full course as the content learned is fundamentally the most important skills any guide should be proficient in. And luckily for us this course is not strictly for guides! Though it is a requirement for any aspiring snow professional to take, the CAA realized that this information is extremely important to pass along so they opened this course up to the public.  Enrollment fills up quick due to the prerequisite nature, but life happens, spots do open up so don’t be discouraged by a waiting list. Most operations that offer these courses also offer Sled specific courses. 

For some, being in the backcountry is one of the greatest feelings and experiences there is. It is important to learn how to ensure those feelings and experiences stay happy and exciting. Education and practice is the best way to achieve that. Snow is unpredictable and unfortunately even those who make all the right decisions still end up in trouble. Never think you know more than the mountain, never think you will outlive the mountain. Learn as much as you can to help you move with the mountains, understand the mountains, and ultimately be safe in the mountains.