The Canadian Rockies Mountain Guides AST 1 course is an avalanche safety course that is licensed by Avalanche Canada. This avalanche training course is essential for learning about backcountry travel in avalanche terrain. When participating in our courses, we recommend keeping your group size quite small for a more one-on-one training style.
If you have successfully completed the AST 1 course, have solid experience in the backcountry, and you dedicate most of your free time to recreational backcountry activities—the AST 2 course is for you. The AST 2 course builds on the foundations of your AST 1 and provides a more advanced decision-making framework for travelling in avalanche terrain. To boost your training experience’s value, we recommend keeping the number of participants in your group to a minimum.
In this avalanche safety course, we will focus on building your rescue skills. A Companion Rescue Skills (CRS) course is very important for all who partake in backcountry activities, as it teaches life-saving search and rescue techniques. The CRS course can also serve as a refresher for those with previous CRS training or as a complementary course to the AST1. This one-day course requires hands-on participation and takes place in avalanche terrain.
Ice climbers face unique challenges in managing their risk due to the fact that it is nearly impossible to evaluate snowpack properties in the start zone above their objective ice route. That is why we developed an AST1 avalanche safety course for ice climbers. The course is designed to give ice climbers the tools and strategies they need to make more informed decisions about risk management and climbing techniques.