Recommendations
We partner with AMGA-accredited guiding service Aspen Expeditions and San Juan Expeditions to offer comprehensive avalanche education and companion rescue training. We have a list of valuable resources to help best prepare you for one of these courses. Keep reading for our top three tips on how you can best prepare for an avalanche training course. If you haven't already, sign up for an AE Avy Education Course or SJE Avy Course, and shop our Avy Course Gear Collection.
One of the biggest mistakes we hear from instructors is that students arrive to their class with little to no familiarity with their equipment. Many of us have been skiing or snowboarding our whole lives, but the jump from downhill gear to alpine touring equipment is significant. Get out to your local ski mountain to practicing the motions of ski touring or splitboarding. Here's a list of skills that you can practice before getting to your avalanche education course:
The first day of your avalanche training course will be in a classroom setting. Several hours of formal lecture learning will be thrown at you very quickly. If this is the first time you are hearing or reading information about terrain management, group dynamics, or snow types, you may experience information overload. To avoid information falling through the cracks, consider reading an avalanche education book or taking an online avalanche awareness course beforehand. Then you can bring valuable questions to your instructor and engage in the classroom with more intention. Here are some resources that we recommend:
Managing your layers and sweat can make or break your experience. Your avalanche course will be an all-day affair in the elements for two days. You’ll be skinning, skiing, digging snow study pits, and standing during instructor/student discussions. If you sweat out all of your clothing on the way up to a piece of terrain and then have to stand there in the cold and wind, your mind will quickly drift from the important information your instructor is giving you to day dreams of a hot cup of cocoa next to a warm fire in your imaginary mountain chalet. Check the weather for your field days, dress appropriately, and pack extra layers in case the weather turns south. It's tough to know what to wear for specific weather. Ask your instructor for layering advice. Also, try out different layering systems and see what works for you while you are practicing your touring before the course ;)
Introductory avalanche training is a great step towards making better decisions and staying safe in the backcountry. Follow these tips to get best prepared so you can get the most of your course. Not signed up for an introductory avalanche training yet? Check out some offerings from our guide partner below and get prepped with the gear you'll need from our curated selection:
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