Aimed at backcountry skiers, climbers and winter hill walkers. It provides a solid foundation of learning for those who regularly ski off piste in the Alps & Scottish mountains.
The course consists on approx. 22 hours contact time, the majority in the mountains. It provides an in depth introduction to snow science for those preparing to take the winter ML assessment. The course follows and exceeds the A3 curriculum guidelines. No formal prerequisites are required to attend this course. The Alps course is run over 3 days, whilst the Scottish version runs over a weekend and is supplemented with a Friday evening session, online case studies and pre-reads. All Level 1 courses run on ski touring or split boarding equipment.
The course covers the following subjects:
- Avalanche problem types and anatomy. Basic slab mechanics.
- Mountain snowpack development leading to instability or stability.
- Terrain evaluation and route selection – introduction to digital mapping.
- Travel protocols & group communication.
- Snow pits: their value & limitations.
- Stability tests: Compression test & Extended Column Test. Where & when to use them.
- Introduction to snow-pit diagrams. Hand hardness profiles, understanding basic grain types.
- Introduction to Human Factors and decision tools.
- Avalanche bulletins & their interpretation.
- Avalanche rescue training: Addressing common mistakes in avalanche rescue.
- Single transceiver search techniques, including one to one coaching.
- Single burial rescue scenario’s & introduction to multiple burial techniques.
