Backcountry 101 with Utah Avalanche Center - Alta Business Employee ONLY
Wednesday, January 18 & Thursday, January 19, 2023 | ALTA EMPLOYEES ONLY | $62.50
Classroom: January 20, 2022, 6-8 PM Virtual
Field-Day January 21, 2022: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
THIS IS FOR ALTA BUSINESS EMPLOYEES ONLY. This class is subsidized by ACE. The normal cost is $200.
There is no better time to become educated about the backcountry, and the danger of avalanches than right now, and what better way to do it than in your own Private Backcountry 101 Course with Utah Avalanche Center. With the ongoing pandemic and the high demand for avalanche education, we are offering you and your own powder posse a comfortable, tailored, and exciting learning experience with all-star instruction from our UAC Educators. You and your crew will join us for an “evening” in the classroom and a full day in the backcountry catered to your learning styles and abilities.
Why is this important? Riding with your friends and family is much safer and enjoyable when you understand avalanche hazards and how to move through the mountains safely. If you’re tired of following your friends who have more experience than you and want to become a valuable member of the team, this is the class for you. Nobody wants to be that partner that can't make informed decisions or be counted on during a rescue. Spend an evening in the virtual classroom and a day on the snow with the pros to learn how to get out in the backcountry, have fun, and come home ready to do it again.
Your private instructor team will use videos, pictures, stories, and exercises to explain avalanche characteristics, snowpack fundamentals, clues to instability, terrain assessment, safe travel protocol, avalanche rescue, and decision-making techniques.
You'll learn how to recognize avalanche terrain, make individual and group decisions based on current conditions, and rescue a buried partner.
We will meet in the “classroom”, discuss pre-course work, and make travel plans based on current conditions. The following day we will spend touring the backcountry. We'll assess the snowpack, practice safe route-finding, decision-making, and practice rescue.
Who should take this course?
This class is designed as an introductory course for those who are new to backcountry skiing and riding. This course can serve as a refresher for those who have previously taken formal avalanche courses and are looking to refresh their skills and learn the most up to date information and techniques. We highly recommend that you have some familiarity with using your touring equipment ie. transitioning your gear into uphill and downhill mode, turning your transceiver on/off into search mode, assembling your probe, and shovel. You can do this in safe areas away from avalanche terrain.
Course Requirements
For this course, you are required to provide your own skis with alpine touring bindings and climbing skins or a split board with climbing skins.
Ability Level: To take this course we strongly recommend that you are at least an intermediate to advanced level downhill skiers or snowboarders. That means you are capable and comfortable riding black-diamond slopes within a resort boundary in difficult snow conditions on your same touring equipment.
This is not a learn to class. If you are unsure of your abilities and how they apply to the backcountry, please contact education Andy@utahavalanchecenter.org.
