Provincial Standard First-Aid Certification Letter

Avalanches & the Canadian Ski Patrol System
The CSPS has a long history in avalanche safety and education. This tradition continues with a small but enthusiastic group of patrollers primarily located in Calgary, Whitehorse and southern British Columbia. Our aim is to spread the avalanche safety message to all CSPS patrollers. The goal is to have all patrollers, that patrol at ski areas with avalanche potential, trained with the avalanche knowledge & skills to be a valuable member of the area's patrol team.

Avalanches Skills Training Programs
The prime focus of our education programs is providing the Avalanche Skills Training (AST) Level 1 & 2 courses to fellow patrollers. All the AST courses follow the guidelines established by the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC). The CAC website (http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/overview) is an excellent resource for an education overview.

For CSPS course information contact Don McClatchie (Mountain Division Avalanche Education Coordinator) at

Avalanche Skills Training Level 1
The first step in your formal avalanche education. A minimum 16 hour course, which combines classroom theory and practical field exercises. Typically taught over 1 full weekend, it can be conducted at your local ski area or in the backcountry. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to avalanche safety; primarily to understand and use basic safety procedures. Limited stability evaluation and route finding skills are covered. Course fee is approximately $50 to $75 per person. These courses are limited to 16 persons. Courses are open to patrollers, family members and friends. Patrollers have first priority.

Avalanche Skills Training Level 2
A comprehensive, advanced avalanche skills course for non-professionals. A minimum 30 hour course spread over 4 days. Emphasis is on practical field skills, including terrain recognition, route finding, safe travel, group management, stability evaluation, small party self rescue. The field sessions are in the backcountry, so appropriate touring equipment and skills are required! This course requires the course leader to be a CAA Professional Member. The instructors hired for these courses are Parks Canada Public Safety personnel and/or ACMG certified Guides.

AST Level 2 courses are run on a cost recovery basis – typical cost is $250 to $270. Class size is restricted to a maximum of 8 persons, with a minimum of 5 persons. Prerequisites include having taken an AST Level 1 course previously and hopefully some time touring. It is not recommended to do a Level 1 and a Level 2 course in the same season.

Thanks to CSPS Mountain Division for their
financial support in running the AST 2 Course.

Companion Rescue Skills Course
This new course, is a one-day, field-based course designed for any AST graduate to practice and hone their companion rescue skills.

Students enrolling in this course will be looking to update and improve upon search and rescue abilities learned in the AST 1 course. It is suitable for any snowmobilers, skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers, and/or snowshoers who recreate in avalanche terrain. This refresher can be taken on a yearly basis to ensure that rescue skills are continually kept up-to-date.

The one-day Companion Rescue Refresher will train students to:

• Consider preventative measures
• Analyze transceiver functions
• Apply search and rescue techniques
• Identify Post Incident Considerations

Online Avalanche Courses
Have you taken an avalanche course previously and feel in need of an update or refresher course? New to the backcountry/off piste skiing and not sure of what avalanche safety is all about? Not sure of what you think you know or don't know about travel in avalanche terrain? There are 2 excellent online resources that are available for you! Both are highly recommended and cover the following topics:

• Avalanche types & formation
• Avalanche terrain
• Pre-trip Planning
• Assessing Hazards
• Reducing risk in the field
• Rescue
• Avalanche incident reporting

  Check them out at:

  The Canadian Avalanche Centre’s “Online Avalanche Course”

  Virtual Mountains “Welcome to the Avalanche Site”

These online avalanche courses are NOT intended to replace
the formal avalanche training in AST 1 & AST 2 courses

Course Funding
Mountain Division, in its Education portfolio, does have a budget item to assist Mountain Division patrollers in attending Avalanche related workshops and courses. For more information on how to access this funding, please contact Don McClatchie at

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Revised November 1, 2011
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