| The AAA executive board has been concerned that the previous application process could appear confusing and even arbitrary because applicants from different parts of the avalanche industry might be held to different standards of documentation. To remedy that, the Executive Board has defined the application process and the kind and level of avalanche experience that meet the requirements of each membership category. Those expanded definitions are below. The categories themselves have not changed and remain as stated in the AAA by-laws.
The requirements for the categories of Professional Member, Affiliates, and Subscriber to The Avalanche Review are as follows:
Professional Member
Open to persons active in avalanche science and practice and qualified through education and experience. To apply, send $40.00 membership dues and a résumé that documents four or more winters of education and professional experience, significant research and/or teaching in the field. For each item on the résumé, provide a tally of the days spent in avalanche-related activities, give a brief description of your responsibilities, and list contacts, including references for self-employment.
The AAA defines four years of experience as four full winter seasons of avalanche-related operations. The rationale for that definition is that full-time employment over the bulk of a winter allows avalanche workers to observe and work in the wide range of conditions that develop through a variety of seasons. The purpose of the résumé is to document that experience, and the AAA thus requires a clear, detailed résumé from all applicants. See “Résumé Guidelines,” below, for details.
The AAA also recognizes that full-time, winter-long employment is uncommon in many parts of the snow-safety industry, and that many avalanche workers have gained tremendous professional-level experience prior to paid or full-time avalanche employment. The AAA welcomes Professional Members with such backgrounds; applicants should ensure their résumés provide a clear, detailed record of their education and experience observing and working in a range of conditions that develop over the course of at least four winters. See “Résumé Guidelines,” below, for details. In some cases, more than four calendar years may be needed to accumulate the experience needed for Professional Membership; the AAA encourages these applicants to become Member Affiliates as they gain experience.
Resume Guidelines:
The purpose of the résumé is to provide clear, detailed documentation of your professional-level experience through at least four winters. Shape it accordingly.
As a general guideline, you should show a tally of 20 days of active avalanche work per winter over four winters. That figure represents an average number of control days at ski areas with active snow safety programs.
If your duties in a position include more than avalanche work, you must provide a tally of the days spent directly performing avalanche-related fieldwork. Ski patrollers, for instance, must document the number of days spent in active snow safety or avalanche control work.
You must document avalanche activities that extend throughout the season for four winters, to show that you are actively observing and working in a variety of conditions as they develop. The activities can be for different operations or employers over the course of a winter.
Your experience must be based primarily on forecasting, route finding, rescue, explosive delivery, research, guiding, or similar field work.
You may include days instructing field-based avalanche safety courses. However, the primary basis of your experience must still be four or more winters of avalanche-related fieldwork.
You may include completed avalanche courses and continuing education. Acceptable courses are those that follow the AAA or CAA guidelines or AIARE curriculum, those from AAA certified instructors, the National Avalanche School, or equivalent in-house or ongoing ski patrol and guide training. Acceptable continuing education includes events such as the ISSW, AAA professional development seminar, CSAW, and AIARE continuing education.
You may include advanced academic education directly connected with snow and avalanche studies.
You may include mentored but unpaid professional-level experience such as volunteer fieldwork for an avalanche center.
You may include recreational experience such as significant climbs, descents, traverses or expeditions if avalanches were a primary hazard and professional-level avalanche skills and decision-making were essential to your safety.
You may include a paragraph explaining why you believe your experience meets the requirements for professional membership.
Application Deadlines
The application review begins when applications are received. The AAA office forwards résumés to the appropriate region’s section representative for review. Once reviewed, they are sent to the membership chair, who presents them to the Board for approval at one of the two Board meetings scheduled each year. To allow time for Section Reps to contact references listed on your application, we recommend that applications for consideration at the fall AAA Board meeting be sent in by July 15, and by February 15 for the spring Board meeting, though approval can be quicker in some instances.
Member Affiliate
Open to persons qualified through education and interest but with less experience and/ or education than required for Professional Membership. Member Affiliates are typically entry-level professional patrollers or assistant guides, volunteer patrollers in avalanche-prone areas, law enforcement SAR specialists, and agency administrators. To apply, send $35.00 membership dues and a résumé providing evidence of strong interest in snow avalanches.
Your background should include more than one field-based avalanche course such as those listed above in the Professional Membership description. Advanced academic education directly connected with snow and avalanche studies may substitute for some field experience. Send Member Affiliate applications with $35.00 membership dues to the AAA office, which will forward them to the Secretary for review and approval.
Life Member
Open to anyone with an interest in promoting the American Avalanche Association mission objectives. Applicants should apply as Professional or Member Affiliates and meet the requirements for the relevant category. To apply, send $800.00 dues and a résumé documenting the appropriate experience and/ or education for the chosen category.
Subscriber
Open to anyone wishing to subscribe to The Avalanche Review; send your address and a check for $20.00 to the AAA office.
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