The AST 2 course is about learning a process that supports safe travel practices in avalanche terrain. This is based on the gathering of information from sources like the avalanche hazard forecast, the weather and other relevant resources in your trip plan. On this AST 2 course, the emphasis will be on the trip planning process and how that factors into decision making and managing risk in avalanche terrain.
The AST 2 program is for backcountry travellers who have a few years or more of backcountry skiing experience and have taken an AST 1. You need to be a competent rider who is able to climb a skin track, you are able to transition competently and you are a solid downhill rider.
If this course is too advanced or perhaps you just want to take an avalanche safety course as a refresher, then check out our AST 1 course.
Roger’s Pass in Glacier National Park or Banff National Park.
4 days
*You can always contact us for dates that work best for you and we will do our absolute best to accommodate you.*
6
$188
$750
*Please add 5% sales tax to the above amounts. *Additional expenses such as food, gear rental, park fees, transportation or accommodation not included. 6:1 Student to Instructor Ratio
March 30th - April 2nd 2022
AST 2 is an advanced avalanche course designed for backcountry skiers, split-boarders and climbers. The focus of the AST 2 is on trip planning, interpretation of the public avalanche forecast, terrain selection, snowpack evaluation, weather inputs and field level decision making.
My name is Paddy Jerome and I will be your instructor. I have 20 years of experience in the avalanche business. I am a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and I am an instructor with the CAA Industry Training Program. I am a mountain guide certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.
Past work includes being employed by the Parks Canada public safety program. My duties included writing public avalanche hazard forecasts and conducting avalanche control operations for public highway corridors. I have also participated in many backcountry search and rescue call outs. The bulk of my experience is in forecasting avalanche hazard for ski guiding operations in the Rockies, the B.C. interior ranges and the coastal mountains.
The goal of the AST 2 course is about developing a process that helps us make the most informed decisions possible. We will learn how this process works in two ways. The first is in the trip planning phase and the second is how those preparations support your decisions when in travelling in avalanche terrain.
With the information we have gathered, we will make the most the most pertinent weather and snowpack observations. Those observations will support our terrain selection decisions about where and how we track set. Those observations will also have a major influence on where we transition to downhill mode and what terrain we choose to ride down that day.
We will learn how to make decisions as a group, how to support everyone else in the group and learn how to observe your own human behaviours. We will learn how to be observant of these behaviours. The goal is be aware of them and then implement strategies to make our decision making as objective as possible.
For the winter of 2020-2021, the classroom day will be online in a Zoom format which will be our first day. At the end of that virtual classroom day we will have a meeting to review relevant weather, snowpack and avalanche hazard conditions.
On our field days, our small group will do trips out of the Rogers Pass which is a 45 minute drive from Golden, B.C.
We will stay in Golden as it is close the Roger’s Pass. This location affords us options if the avalanche hazard is elevated and we need to make alternative plans because of highway closures.
The price is $750.00 and it includes the online virtual class day and all field instruction days.
You will also receive the Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain Field Book.