AST Level 1 Avalanche Courses in Australia

[damian]

Hi, this is my first post here and it is of a very commercial nature. Sorry about that. I made the below post on another forum and was encouraged by an Admin at snowatch.com.au to re-post it here. I hope the info is of benefit to anyone who may otherwise have missed it. I'll be using Frog's 1-7 day forecast when I am teaching the courses this season in Australia.

My business, The Avalanche School, has partnered with K7 Adventurers in Jindabyne to offer internationally recognised and certified avalanche training from Canada in Australia. With the valuable local support of K7, I'll have a good shot at meeting the high expectations that course participants should have of myself and the course.

The course on offer is not just put together by myself, rather, as a registered 3rd party AST course provider and member of the Canadian Avalanche Association, I'll be teaching the 2 day AST Level 1 course (Avalanche Skills Training Level 1) as developed by the CAA. It is the exact same course that you would get in Canada. This is a world leading entry-level course, based on the most modern knowledge available with a curriculum prepared and improved over years of review by the best in the field in Canada. The certificate you receive at the end of the course meets prerequisite requirements for further training in either the recreational or professional avalanche streams. It is also perfect for APSI instructors looking to acquire their ISIA certification. (For clarity: please note that I am not an employee, representative, contractor or agent of the CAA or CAC. I am a 3rd party AST course provider).

Please understand that by offering these courses I am not trying to infer that avalanche training is suddenly required to safely venture into the local Australian backcountry (though history shows that it is not without some risk). By taking this course you will be getting world-class introductory avalanche awareness and safety training that can be taken with you in your international travels, but without having to give up two days of your overseas holiday to get the knowledge.

Previously I have only taught avalanche courses in Hakuba, Japan (see my business website below), and hopefully this will be the first of many seasons also teaching at home in Australia. I'm really excited about skiing some backcountry in Australia as well, having last skied there in the late 80's in Tasmania where I grew up.

Dates and Info:
Courses are open to anyone older than 18. Numbers are limited to 8 per course.

EDIT: new course dates (with more info on the next page of this thread) -

The new dates are all in August:

6/7th

10/11th

13/14th

The price is $275 for the two-day course, which is roughly what it would cost in Japan where I am based, or in Canada where the course was developed.

Note that this is a two-day avalanche course with one day in the classroom and one day in the field. It is not a backcountry course, nor is it a day of backcountry ski guiding where we spend the whole day skiing. I'm there to teach and there is a lot to cover.

For enquires, please contact me via The Avalanche School (http://www.avalancheschoolhakuba.com/contact)

For more info about myself and the course:
Canadian Avalanche Center AST Courses (http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/ast)
K7 Bio page (http://www.k7adventures.com/guide_db.htm)
K7 Avalanche School page (http://www.k7adventures.com/avalanche.htm)
My Avalanche School in Hakuba, Japan (http://www.avalancheschoolhakuba.com/)
My guiding business in Hakuba (http://www.hakuba-alpine-guides.com/)
My Blog (http://www.steepdeepjapan.com/)

[John Deere]

Good luck with it Damian.

Might want to edit the third last line for this site ;)

Do you have any firm dates yet?

[damian]

Thanks John - edited :)

Dates are 25/26 June and 28/29 June, with more courses based on demand.

[John Deere]

I know it looks good for a snowpack at the moment, but how will the courses go if there is not much snow around? Will the students still get what they need out of the course?

I had always planned to do one in Japan as there is normally a good pack to analyse.

How much skiing is involved in the outdoor day? I ask because I have a recovering knee and probably couldn't ski much, but I could hike/skin for as long as required. Where would the outdoor day be planned?

[damian]

Hi John, if there is not enough snow I will defer the course, with plenty of advance notice (a gamble on my behalf).

The field day (day 2) involves a bit of physical effort, but not a whole lot of skiing.

[damian]

John, I forgot to answer your last Q: the field days would be at Thredbo, up by Signature Hill, or DHG is it is stormy with no vis. Depending on conditions we may also be at Perisher. Either way, the field day does not allow enough time to travel long distances - the idea is to cover all teaching points without going to far from home.

[your mom]

Iv'e done the CAA recreational avi coarse is this the same one or different? Still wouldn't mind doing a refresher. thanks

[damian]

Hi mom,

How long ago did you do the RAC? What used to be the called RAC became the AST1. It has changed quite a bit over the years. The focus now is on understanding and using terrain to stay safe. Also on understanding the things that lead us to make bad decisions (Human Factors in avalanche incidents). It introduces new trip planning and decision making tools like the Avaluator and Slope Evaluation Card, a big part of the course. Also, it no longer teaches doing snow pit tests, that is now taught in more advanced courses like the AST2, this is because it is sen as an advanced skill.

damian

[your mom]

hey Damian
did the RAC probably 4 years ago now, was a great intro coarse but i'm sure i could do with refreshing and updating skills,plus always a good way to find people to go hiking with. don't think i can make june but pretty keen for the one in september if thats still on.

[pboards&mskis]

This is great news. We're not in a position to do it this year, but if you run again next year Pboards would be very interested. He's been looking at doing one in NZ over the last few years but hasn't gotten around to it. We'll keep an eye out for next year!!

[John Deere]

Any reports from the course/s Damian? A few pics maybe :D

[damian]

Hi John, I wish! I was so wound up ready to be there (now)... but read on below. In short: courses deferred until August.

(sorry for this copy past from another notice regarding the avalanche courses).


Here is the update, and it is mostly good news. I'll provide more info than I need to give, but I am a believer in disclosure.

I scheduled 2 courses for the end of June (this week). I took paid bookings and filled 1 and half of them. Plus took a deposit for a third private course for 7. So yes, a lot of interest and bookings. I was of course happy and everyone very enthusiastic.

However mid last week I had to make a very tough decision regarding the snow conditions for the course - my hand was forced as if required, I had to change my flight well in advance the first course (for those that do not know, I am currently living in Japan). That storm on the 21st was on and off the forecast, but really only became much more certain (and large) after I had to change my flight. The storm came, but in the end would not have helped with conditions in my area of operations that much due to high wind in the alpine, and thin or very unconsolidated snow below treeline. Hindsight is not so important anyway as whenever a lynch-pin weather forecast plays a large part in my ability to deliver a quality service, or make a decisions in the mountains, I assume the worst: that the forecast goes against me. If the forecast didn't deliver, I would have been having to choose between teaching less than ideal courses at the expense of my customers, or postponing at my considerable expense. The first course was this weekend, and we would have been punching through a mostly one-layer snowpack to scrub and rock below, or slipping on ice. If the weather was very poor on the field days (for example -10C windchill in the alpine, which is not pleasant on an avalanche course), I would have been forced below treeline to teach, and there is not enough appropriate snow there yet. That meant no Plan B, and I don't like playing those dice.

So I postponed the courses with more than a week's notice and unfortunately lost the private group booking, but have since re-booked most people onto the new dates. I did not announce those new dates until all paid bookings and original expressions of interest had their chance to review the new dates. That is mostly now done.

The new dates are all in August:

6/7th

10/11th

13/14th

New course: 20/21st

Thanks for allowing me to gazette the courses here. I appreciate it.

If further people are interested in those dates, please refer to my contact details at the top of this thread.

cheers,
damian

[John Deere]

Much more reliable dates!

Might even be able to make it to one!!

[damian]

That's the spirit John. Seize the Carp! :D

[damian]

Hi John and others interested. I have added another course on August 20/21st

cheers
damian