Level I Avalanche Course Guidelines
COURSE OBJECTIVES |
A student that successfully completes a course developed using the following guidelines should be able to: identify avalanche terrain; identify basic grain types, weak layers and strong layers; perform field tests to determine snowpack stability/instability; recognize weather and terrain factors contributing to instability; perform rescue through fast and efficient transceiver use; and apply safe-travel techniques.
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| COURSE PREREQUISITES |
There are no prerequisites for the Level I Avalanche course. Some background reading and an avalanche awareness class may help you prepare for a Level I Avalanche course, but they are not necessary. A general level of fitness and equipment appropriate for the winter outdoors and local terrain are clearly necessary. Instructors should be able to provide a list of personal equipment necessary for the course.
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| SUGGESTED READINGS |
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These references are recommended reading before taking a Level I Avalanche course. They provide background information that will allow students to learn more while taking the course. Some of the material may already be familiar to you, however, it will provide an excellent review that will allow you to tackle more difficult and new concepts. Some of the advanced material will be more easily understood in the class if you have already been exposed to it. These books are available in your local library, bookstore, or mountain shop.
Avalanche Safety for Skiers and Climbers.(1999)2nd ed., T. Daffern, Mountaineers, Seattle, 192 pp.
Snow Sense: a guide to evaluating snow avalanche hazard.(1994) 4th ed, S. Fredston and D. Fesler, Alaska Mountain Safety Center, Anchorage, Alaska, 115 pp.
Backcountry Avalanche Awareness.(1997) B. Jamieson, Canadian Avalanche Association, Revelstoke, BC, Canada, 42 pp.
Sledding in Avalanche Terrain - Reducing the Risk.(1998) B. Jamieson and D. Svederus, Canadian Avalanche Association, Revelstoke, BC, Canada, 50 pp.
The Snowy Torrents - Avalanche Accidents in the United States:1980-1986.(1996) N. Logan and D. Atkins, Colorado Geological Survey Special Publication 39, Denver, CO, 265 pp.
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CLASSROOM SESSIONS
(not less than 50% of the total course time) |
Introduction
- Avalanche accident statistics
- What you will learn in this class
- What you will not learn in this class
Weather
- Precipitation
- Wind
- Temperature
- Local topographic effects
Snowpack
- Basic definitions
- Depth
- Density
- Temperature gradient
- Bonds
- Initial metamorphism
- Change of atmospheric forms on the Earth's surface
- Equilibrium processes
- Kinetic processes
- Critical temperature gradient (10C/10 cm)
- Squares/facets
- Persistence in the snowpack
- Lack of bonding
- Melt/Freeze
- Isothermal snowpack
- Melting bonds
- Mountain snowpack characteristics
- Layering
- Slab development
- Surface hoar
- Changes in time and space - local scale
- Snow climates - regional scale
- Examples: typical scenarios
Avalanche Phenomenon
- Basic definitions
- Loose snow avalanches
- Slab - soft and hard avalanches
- Wet snow avalanches
- Release mechanisms
- Point releases
- Slab development
- Four ingredients - slab, weak layer, slope, trigger
- Strength versus stress
- Deficit zones
Terrain Analysis
- Basic topography
- Slope angle and aspect
- Starting zone, track, runout zone
- Vegetation indicators
- Identifying avalanche terrain
- Identifying safe terrain
Stability Evaluation
- Snowpack
- Weather
- Effect of recent and current weather on the snowpack precipitation, wind, temperature, etc.)
- Terrain
- Is the terrain steep enough to slide?
- Avalanche hazard ratings
Human Factors and Risk Assessment
- Definitions of risk, hazard and perception
- Individual behavior
- Effects of experience, equipment and training
- Group behavior
- Small groups - 2 to 4 members
- Large groups - 5+ members
- Attitudes and behavior that affects risk perception and risk-taking
- Managing risk
- Typical scenarios that can lead to problems
- What to do to prevent problems
Decision Making
- Applying stability evaluation
- Effective use of terrain
- Avoiding dangerous areas
- Minimizing exposure
- Applying effective decision methodology (e.g. red, yellow, green light days or 3x3 method)
- Dynamic process - need for continual updating
Rescue
- Self-rescue
- What to do if you are caught
- Companion rescue
- What to do if someone else is caught
Beacons
- Recovery versus rescue
- How they work conventional and digital display
- Basic search techniques
- Initial search
- Tangent and/or grid
- Pinpoint
- Survival statistics
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FIELD SESSIONS
(not less than 50% of the total course time) |
Hasty Pits
- Representative location for evaluations
- Basic stratigraphy
- Identification of weak layer
- Strength/stability tests (incorporate some of these in field session)
- Hand hardness
- Shovel shear
- Rutschblock
- Stuffblock
- Tap (compression) test
- Limitations of tests
Backcountry Travel Awareness - tests on the move
- Observation of red flags - fractures, whumphing, ski pole penetration, etc.
Continual Reevaluation of Situation/Hazard
Practice Companion Rescue
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| EVALUATIONS |
At the end of the program, students should be able to:
- Identify avalanche terrain
- Identify basic grain types, weak layers and strong layers
- Perform field tests to determine snowpack stability/instability
- Recognize weather and terrain factors contributing to instability
- Perform rescue through fast and efficient transceiver use
- Apply safe travel techniques
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