Dave (from Wildsite) and Madeleine (from Revelstoke) enjoyed leading an educational backpacking trek with dedicated hikers Jane and Greg who enjoyed the incredible wilderness and remote trek in Purcell Wilderness Conservancy.

Overall the route is generally still in hiking shape, with the exception of some major spruce blowdown in a few areas, major avy debris pilup in some areas, in some slumping/earth movement damage in the lower section. As it sounds, be prepared for the unexpected!

Trail Conditions, August 22, 2012

The trail is wonderful on the east side. No issues, minor blowdown, etc, and really in good shape. On the Hammill side the trail condition changes a bit.

All cable cars are in great shape however many log bridges are either out or damaged (North Forks, Rock Creek, Sockman Creek (Cable Car #4) bridges are all out.  Cauldron, and other bridges are still in.

Comb Slide and Little Comb Slide are impressive - the gulley of Comb slide is FULL of snow and wood, with a fairly major stream cave underneath, which is a pretty obvious hazard (falling through!). Really impressive avalanche damage and debris from the burnt area above the slide.  Most avy paths, including the reroute section, have a good pile of new 50+cm logs at the bottom, across the trail. Note that the old map still comes up on line which does not show the reroute between N. Forks and Moose Meadows.

As well, a fair number of trees to get over or under, consider bringing a small saw for places you can help do trail maintenance. EG Pass - North Forks:  50+ trees down; 30+ of these are problems, many of which will need a complete reroute around large Sx blowdown (multiple 100+ cm spruce down in 2 seperate areas - just up the trail 500m from N. Forks - likely easier just to reroute trail than try to clear). N. Forks to 4th Cable Car:  100+ trees down, very shrubby in avy paths. 4th cable car - 3rd cable car:  30+ trees down. 

Challenging sections that need trail work include:  just above N. Forks campsite on the way to pass (within 2km of N. Forks camp),  between N. Forks and Moose Meadows, and a bit below Moose Meadows,  along the slope (slide paths) below Comb Mtn.

All campsites are pretty good - wilderness character, just enough signage to help hikers determine that they are, in fact, at one of the sites.  A notable increase in fire rings since last time I was over - esp. at the pass. 

The group camped at Toby Glacier, North Forks, Cable Car #4, and Garnet Beach.  They did not see much wildlife, as it was 30+ degrees, however lots of evidence of grizzly, black bear, wolf, elk, and moose tracks galore. Heard a great horned owl, saw a family of 5 harlequin in the creek.

To learn more about backpacking,  trekking safely and ecological links between flora, fauna and terrain, take an interpretive walk or educational program near Nelson, Kaslo and New Denver, B.C.

Article by David Lussier

The south ridge of Gimli Peak strikes vertically out of the landscape like an ancient ship’s bow.  Its wild geometry has captivated climbers since the early nineteen-sixties. The spine of the south ridge offers a unique eight pitch moderate alpine rock route. This completely traditional climb features steep cracks and grooves, friendly chicken heads with very solid rock along with an exciting exposed ambiance.  This article describes my first experience climbing this iconic peak which began my fascination and love of climbing alpine rock in the Valhalla’s.  The south ridge of Gimli Peak is one of the best alpine rock climbs in the West Kootenay region.

From a climbing history standpoint, Gimli peak and the Valhalla’s are late bloomers. Most of the climbing exploration in this part of the Selkirk Mountains started in the nineteen sixties. In those days, climbers accessed the alpine climbing paradise of Mulvey Basin via a burly five hour hike up Mulvey creek from near Slocan Lake.  Boasting several beautiful alpine lakes, the basin provided climbing exploration as it is surrounded by the aesthetic rock spires of Gimli, Asgard, Midguard, the Wolf’s Ears and Mt. Dag.  In 1973, Peter Koedt and James Hamelin made the first successful ascent of the South Ridge of Gimli from this base camp. 

My climbing partner for my first trip in 1994 was Keyes Lessard.  We accessed the route via Bannock creek forestry service road which in the late 80’s significantly improved the access to the south side of Gimli and newly form Valhalla Provincial Park.  After an hour’s highway drive from Nelson, we then followed a logging road to the trail head.  At first, the surrounding mountains were gently rounded, covered by a lush cedar and hemlock forests, but as we ascended the last kilometres of the road, the foreground became filled by the dramatic shear walls of Gimli and neighbouring peaks.  Thrilled by the sharp vertical relief, I felt the excitement of climbing such an aesthetic mountain.  A leisurely two hour hike brought us to base camp, an exposed and aesthetic site just below Gimli.

Next morning, we stared up at the route as we waited for the sun to warm up the atmosphere and the frigid rock.  The imposing massif, made of metamorphosed granite, boasts many vertical and horizontal crack systems. The steeper walls are covered by beautiful bright orange and green lichen.  Looking to the south across the tapering Selkirk Mountains, the air was still and there were no clouds to be seen. We could hear the humming of distant Bannock Creek, rushing several thousand feet below us.  For two young and passionate climbers, this was a perfect moment and certainly the beginning of a memorable day.

Back then, the only route information available for the Valhalla’s was the small black AAC climber’s guide which briefly described the “fairly sustained four star eight pitch route”. Originally rated 5.8, the south ridge of Gimli is now considered 5.10a by modern standards.  Packing our gear the night before, we decided to bring two ropes to speed up an unlikely retreat, one and a half set of camming devices along with 1 set of wired nuts.  Being a total traditional multi-pitch route on a steep narrow ridge crest, the route is not easily reversible. Once ascended, climbers must continue across lower angled terrain to the main summit to access the easy scramble down the East Face.

For a traditional purist and crack lover like me, this committing climb was a dream.  The first lead offered challenging crack climbing and stemming skills with a beautiful open book capped by a small roof. The perfect hand crack provided good protection while the climbing was physical and sustained. I was immediately impressed by the style of climbing and rock quality and wondered if it would continue to be this memorable! As it turned out, the route only got better. Swapping leads, we made good progress as we climbed through the enjoyable broad but steep lower ridge.  The protection was generally adequate throughout and the route straightforward with occasional interesting micro route options.  The climbing excelled in its variability with perfect layback flakes, well positioned chicken heads connecting face cracks and an ever increasing shear exposure on both sides of the ridge. 

By mid-morning, we were at the big ledge, half way up the route, and snacked on an early lunch as we weighed our options.  Looking across the western skies, we could see some distant cumulus cloud building.  From here it was still fairly easy to rappel down, continuing meant committing to complete the last four pitches, go over the main summit and descend the East Ridge.  We decided to carry on estimating that we could finish the route before thunderstorms would reach us.  The upper half of the route provided some of the most exposed and high quality climbing I had ever experienced. Right above the halfway ledge, the route followed a mix of vertical finger to hand size cracks on a narrowing ridge feature.  The exposure meter rising, we felt good in the warmth of the sun and were enjoying the commitment as we got closer to the crux roof.
 
Whether it was planed or pure luck, the challenging roof ended up being my lead.  From a comfortable ledge ten metres below, the roof looked intimidating.  The climbing up to it was via a couple of sweet hand cracks in a smooth near vertical corner. The pro was good until just below the two metre roof and then it vanished. The best possible pro seem to be in a two inch crack by my feet. With a long sling, to minimize rope drag, I contemplated doing the crux moves with a bomber piece at feet level; a far cry from a well placed bolt on a crux point at a crag!  This is what I love about alpine climbing right?  Realizing I could protect this next section no better, I carefully evaluated my options and committed to moving upward.  The right combination of crimping on thin face holds and smearing on the smooth wall with my feet did the trick and I was able to reach far left above the roof to a magic jug.  The exposure continued to increase but the climbing beyond the crux was not as steep.  Eventually we moved from climbing to scrambling terrain and plain walking across the summit plateau to reach the summit proper.

Standing alone on the summit of Gimli was another glorious moment.  Below us to the northeast, Mulvey creek was carving its way deeply towards Slocan Lake near the east end of the basin.  The splendour of Mulvey basin captivated me and I could not stop looking at the stunning rock spires surrounding the alpine lakes.  I imagined what it may have been like for Peters and James, sitting atop Gimli looking down into the beautiful basin and base camp.  Looking west beyond our tent site, the afternoon build-up was impressive as approaching cumulus clouds towered high into the atmosphere.  We shortened our summit break and started our decent down the East face. Descending was mainly a scramble but did require route finding skills to navigate around various options and some loose rock sections.

Climbers who had just hiked into camp greeted us enthusiastically.  We shared route information from our glorious day while eating dinner in the dimming light.  The weather however was now starting to look menacing as the towering clouds were approaching us from the west.  As we settled into bed, the sky darkened, the wind picked up considerably bringing the thunder clouds steadily toward us and they began to unleash their power.  In contrast to the events of the day, that moment was steeped in fear as we realized our exposure.  What came next was the most intense thunderstorm I have ever experienced.

The wind continued to accelerate as the frequency of lightning strikes increased, pounding one loud lightning crash after another within a stone’s throw of the tent.  One gust came so hard, the tent half lifted off the ground and had we not moved our body weight onto the lifted end we may have been blown right off the mountain.  The eye of the storm circled at the base of Gimli for nearly a half hour and we seriously contemplated which moment we were going to either get hit by lightning or whisked away.  Eventually, the storm slowly moved away leaving a mixture of light clouds, starry clear sky and two tired climbers.

Since then, I have endured other unexpected and apocalyptic thunderstorms here and appreciate the name behind this imposing peak.  “Gimli” from Norse mythology, refers to home of the blessed who in legend survived the day of doom when heaven and earth were destroyed. Interestingly, the next morning was just as glorious as the day before. There were already a few climbers on the route by the time we had breakfast and started our hike out.

Up until now, the South Ridge of Gimli remains completely free of bolts and climbers must protect themselves and build belays with traditional equipment.  The route is a unique and inspiring quality alpine rock climb that I return annually to share with friends and guests. Considering the nature of the climb and possible changing weather with risk of lightning storms and high winds, climbers must feel pretty confident about their skills before committing to the route.  Ascend with care and enjoy this aesthetic alpine adventure.

For more information on this area or guided ascent of Gimli Peak and other cool Alpine rock routes in Valhalla Provincial Park click here

Family Trip, March, 2012

Joshua Tree has many activities for families and friends.  Each day we chose a different route or trail as the park has a diversity of adventures to engage you for a few weeks.  Here are a few photos of the trails we explored and brief description of what we enjoyed, for more detailed information about the hiking, climbing and camping in the park, visit the National Park Service.  To learn about ecological links between flora, fauna and terrain, take an interpretive walk or request a custom guided friend or family program at a classic N.American wilderness area you are interested in.

We enjoyed camping at Ryan Camping, a small site a few minutes away from the Hidden Valley area.  The nights were quite and peaceful, the main sounds we heard were coyotes and owls.  The campsite were perched around different aesthetic boulders, between these giant rocks and a few Joshua trees, we could find shade in the hottest part of the day.  The kids played soccer, set up race tracks and cars and enjoyed touring by bike around the campsite.  One night due to high winds, we abandoned our campsite as it was super exposed and the tents were easily flattened!  We returned the next day to a beautiful snow swept environment.  We also enjoyed camping and Jumbo Rock and set our sites for finding a sweet spot at Belle campground on our next visit. Campsites are first come first serve and maximum stay is 14 nights in the park.

Great Walks & Hikes

There are a number of hikes and places to explore the unique rocks, plants and animals of the Mojave desert.  The interpretive trails are short and fun for young kids, the half day walks are a bit more physical but doable for most ages.  Some easy interpretive walks include the trail near Barker Dam, the loop around Hidden Valley, the caves near Turtle Rock and the small loop in Indian Cove.

I enjoyed walking a number of trails solo.  Often, I’d leave in the morning while the temperature were cool and there was more chance of hearing or seeing the birds and fauna. Trails I really enjoyed included the one way walk on the Boy Scott Trail, the short hike up Ryan Mountain, an extended loop on the Lost Horse Mine Trail and the surprising walk to 49 Palms Oasis. Below is a brief description of each trail and highlights, enjoy the photos!

Boy Scout Trail

My absolutely favorite trail was a hike called the Boy Scout Trail, an easy 13 km walk one way.  David and Elias dropped me off a cool crisp morning, just west of Hidden Valley. The walk took me through different types of terrain and ecozones.  Best to walk it early before high noon as the north end of the hike ends in hot and dry wash with little shade. Walking at a fast pace, I ended up doing this as I had a climbing date on the other side, the trail takes 3.5-4 hours. 

The first hour is a flat easy wander on a trail that tracks the edge of Wonderland rocks climbing area.  A side trip to Willow hole drew me off my objective, the aesthetic boulders and quite morning moved to a serene and quiet state. After some time, I realized I was slowly ascending and enjoyed the transition from primarily Joshua trees and yucca to the juniper tree and barrel cactus. 

At the pass, after a couple hours of hiking, the trail became more windy and dropped into narrow washes and small canyons and oak and pinyon pine trees.  The final hour and half was a deep descent on the northern side, affording views of the Morongo valley and Indian cove climbing area below. 

After the descent, the trail was in a wide wash that had ten foot walls providing shady relief as well as southern walls for barrel cactus to flourish.  When I reached the edge of Indian cover, I left the trail and wandered through the desert scrub to reach the campground and climbing area.  Even though walking seemed easy, it was just as easy to get disoriented so paying closing attention to the surrounding was important for off trail navigating.

49 Palms Walk

A shorter walk, 49 Palm Oasis, was also on the North side, access off the main drag between Joshua and 29 Palms towns.  This hike was my second favorite trail, taking only two hours by adult pace or a 3 hour family walk of about 6 km round trip.  It was my first experience on this trail, as I had mistakenly assumed the hike to be flat, I was surprised by both the ascent and incredible contrast of a water loving plants loving the canyon spring found at the end of the trail. We began our hike on hot asphalt of the parking lot and ascended through dry desert terrain to a gently rounded ridge.  Beside the trail were a diverse array of cacti species and little lizards scurrying away under rocks. 

From the ridge pass, facing north one could see the large valley below and above it the storm and high winds threatening us.  I continued the descent to the canyon while David and Elias headed back, we got a sneak view of the Oasis below. The crust cracked up to bring forward warm water and evidence of the seepage was in the forty nine palms that grew at the spring as well as the plethora of birds and water loving shrubs.

Lost Horse Mine Hike

Another surprisingly fun walk was the tour on Lost Horse mine. I walked this trail early morning and discovered different fauna along the trail. I toured in a counter clockwise direction and found this was definitely the better way to explore as the first seven kilometers or so were in desert in a natural state, while when I discovered the mine there was a burned destructive environment for the last three km.  For fast walkers, two hours will give a great workout with the rolling hills and wandering trail, for family or leisurely walk count on three to four hours.

Lost Horse mine trail makes a very large loop that crosses over a gently mountain separating the west and east parts of the park. From the pass I could see all of the eastern terrain and the geology rocks that stood like gorgeous morphic blobs below. The rock on this trail was different in that it was quite metamorphosed and not at all the clean climbing granite.

One the first hour of my walk, I heard many birds and saw a vulture as well as a family of Gamber’s Quail.  A large jackrabbit stood in my trail and further along I saw evidence of a coyote dining on his cousin.  The flora was of Joshua trees and incredible yucca, each thrusting their flowering stalk far into the sky.  The trail wandered along washes and gently up toward the pass affording views of the eastern part of the park. 

By ten in the morning, the air was hot and sticky and not much wind passed over me as I quickly walk the last half of the trail…another climbing date!  I walked by various mining sites, some with evidence of miners living there, others of places to haul the ore. When I reached the actual Lost Horse mine, the trees were burned showing evidence of miners hoping to quickly reach their mineral. The site looked like a picture from the Lorax…an odd and surreal scene.

Ryan Mtn

For a bit of cardio, a great view of the park and aesthetic winding trail, Ryan Mtn has a short but very worthwhile ascent. The round trip walk can be done in less than two hours as it is just five kilometers and some elevation.  Kids can easily do the hike, bring lots of water mid day, best hike times are early morning or around sunset. Ryan Moutain overlooks to the east the geology rock tour terrain while on the west is dominated by the granitic crags of the multiple climbing areas.  Our campground, Ryan, was just south, I could see the aesthetic boulders surrounding our base. Many tourists make their way up this trail, so it is definitely one of the busy walks I did but rewarding in ecology, vista and exercise!

Until Next Time…

Many incredible stories exist about the relationships between flora, fauna, insects and terrain and only a few I eluded to here. The desert is a place that takes time to appreciate the diversity behind the living creatures. Enjoy the trails and as you probably do, respect the plants that are the base of so many important ecological relationships.

For more photos about our journeys or for information about interpretive guiding and overnight wilderness backpacking, contact us.

Interest and bookings are strong this year, we still have a few spots left for our Mount Logan expedition (via the Kings trench) and more space left for our European spring tours.

Enjoy the poster and contact us for more info.

F.A. David Lussier and Cam Shute, July 2011

The story behind the line

The South Face of Asgard has attracted climbers for almost 40 years. The first route up this sheer featured wall, the “Center Route IV 5.8”, was climbed by Valhalla pioneers Peter Koedt, Peter Rowat along with Greg Shannon in 1973.  Peter Koedt returned to Asgard a few years later, in 1975, to climb the “Left-Center Route IV 5.8” with James Hamelin and Jara Popelkova. These two traditional routes follow the most dominant features on the face and continue to challenge climbers to this day. They offer varied climbing (cracks, flakes & chicken heads) with interesting route finding along with sustain difficulty. Up until now these where the only established routes on the south face.

The vision of a new route on this face has been shared by many over the years. From various trips in Mulvey Basin over the years, I had always been interested by the complexity of the upper right side of the wall. It wasn’t until July 2010 that Cam Shute and I ventured into Mulvey with the intention of exploring that potential. Due to the disconnected nature of the crack systems, some blank looking section and the steepness of the wall, we decided to bring a hammer drill along with some bolts. This exploratory trip, culminating with a high point somewhere half way up the steep upper right wall, revealed potential for a great line on featured but compact rock. We were already planing our return.

Our vision evolved some more before we returned in July 2011. With a greater knowledge about the nature of the rock and the various line options we decided to bring the drill back. We were considering bolting an interesting looking blank arête to help straighten the lower part of the route and also using bolts for adequate protection on the upper compact wall. If the route turned out to be good quality, we also contemplated bolting the belays to facilitate rappelling. All of this would of course be done while climbing from the bottom. We were very excited about possibly finishing the route.

The end result was greater than anticipated. The vision, our skills and luck combined with our commitment allowed us to complete a new modern mix/trad route up the beautiful right side of the South Face. A lot of the visioning and actual route location decisions beautifully came together over the 4 days Cam and I were working on the wall. The climbing on the direct arête lower down (pitch 2) was challenging and quality while providing a more direct line. The intricacy of the steep upper wall revealed themselves after a few days of committing route finding on the sharp end. In someways the route revealed itself and we basically connected the dots. Completing it was very satisfying but putting the puzzle together was the best part. We really hope that others get to enjoy this quality and modern alpine rock route, feel free to download the topo and route description just below.

Access & Description.pdf                            Topo.pdf                                    Photo.pdf

Thanks again Cam for such a fun adventure, it was a pleasure new routing with you!

Name background

“Étoile Filante” is french for “Shooting Star”. The name choice comes as a tribute to Valhalla pioneer Peter Koedt who sadly passed away in the Fall of 2010. The inspiration for the name comes from the song “Étoile Filante” by “Les Cowboy Fringant”. This beautiful song compares each human’s life existence, turmoils, successes and absurdity to the passage of a shooting star. We feel Peter was a visionary climber who put lots of skills and creativity amongst the Valhalla peaks. We will remember his passage and contribution as a brilliant shooting star.

Enjoy the photos…

Hiking into Mulvey with a little bit of fresh snow on the ground

Our Mulvey basin camp showing plenty of lingering winter snow. More like June than July!

Getting back on the route (1st pitch) in July 2011. Still a little bit wet

Investigating the the fine arête on pitch 2

Bolting the 5.10d crux on pitch 2

Cam later sending the arête on pitch 2

Cam following the long and wandering pitch 3

Cam following nice clean cracks on pitch 4

Cam leading some fine steepening stone on pitch 5

Cam excited to find some good holds at the roof on pitch 5

Engaging in the complexity of the sustain pitch 6

Increasing exposure! Cam following pitch 6

Cam climbing wild chicken-heads near the top of pitch 6

Approaching the crux on pitch 7th

Cam climbing the last few moves of the last pitch, excited about completing the route

Cam near the summit enjoying a fine view of Mulvey Basin

Cam’s rockshoe was badly chewed by a rat at the base of the route overnight. He still managed to do the final ascent with it!

The line

David is back in the Alps kicking off the 2011 Alpine guiding season. He just finished his first week of work there culminating in a successful ascent of Mont Blanc. He feels really lucky to start the summer guiding season in such a majestic and historical mountain range. The Chamonix area boast a lifetime worth of quality alpine climbing for all abilities.

The alpine conditions are typically really good in June, this year is no exception. Many classic alpine mixed routes are in good shape. The normal route on Mont Blanc (Arete Des Bosses) is also in great shape and as usual well traveled. People are climbing some of the classic higher elevation south facing routes on dry rock. Also, the lower elevation alpine rock routes in the “Aiguilles rouges” are generally snow free.

Here are some photos from the past week, enjoy…

Crampon school on the “Mer de Glace”

“Les Moulins”, Mer de Glace

L’arete on Aiguille du Midi

Climber on “La Rebufat” South face of Aiguille du Midi

L’Arête des Cosmiques, Aiguile du Midi

Mont Blanc du Tacul

Summer is in the air! Beautiful alpine flowers

Heading up Mont Blanc, view from “Dome du Gouter”

Morning light on Aiguille du midi from Dome du Gouter

Mont Blanc and the normal route “l’Arête des Bosses” on the right

Enjoying denser air while coming back down, “Aiguile de Bionnassay” in the background

The mountain environment is rightfully praised and cherished by backcountry enthusiasts. It is an amazing place to connect with nature while exercising. The snow-covered winter landscape, full of contrasts, offers tremendous outdoor recreation opportunities.  As much as the winter mountain environment can be a rewarding place, it can also be a dangerous place. One of the main hazards facing winter recreationists in the mountains are avalanches. Statistics speak for themselves, every year there is an average of 14 avalanche fatalities in Canada. To put the odds in your favor, learn to make better decisions in avalanche terrain and to raise your avalanche awareness level, some avalanche training is highly recommended.  See avalanche training, backcountry skills courses and guided ski tours for more information on backcountry programs in Nelson, Rogers Pass and in the Rockies.

When it comes to avalanche training and education, the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) is a world leader. In recent years, the CAA has done a tremendous amount of work to standardize and simplify courses and curriculums. They have set high standards to help guides and educators provide the public with some highly effective avalanche awareness skills. 

Generally speaking, avalanche training is either recreational or professional. The recreational avalanche courses are for the general public and people interested in gaining avalanche awareness skills for their personal backcountry adventures. The professional avalanche courses are intended for people who aspire to or already work in the avalanche industry. Both categories offer various levels of courses depending on your skills and goals. 

Recreational Avalanche Courses

Recreational avalanche courses are for anyone interested in learning avalanche skills for personal interest.  Whether you or your kids are just getting into backcountry skiing, you want to deepen your knowledge base or simply refresh your skills you could start here.  Recreational courses vary in length; generally the longer the course, the more skills and experiential practice. Depending on your background and interests, courses to consider are: the 1 day “Avalanche Awareness Courses”, the 2 day “Avalanche skills Level 1 (AST 1)” and the 4 day “Avalanche Skills Level 2 (AST 2)” courses. 

The one day avalanche awareness course is entry level training. This course covers some of the skills required to head into the backcountry including:  backcountry safety, etiquette and resources, how to recognize and avoid avalanche terrain as well as basic avalanche safety gear use (beacon, probe & shovel). Many organizations offer this course throughout western Canada. In the Kootenay region, Avalanche Awareness Beyond the Boundaries is a non-profit society that provides free Avalanche Courses to youth aged 13– 18.
The Avalanche Skills Training series (AST 1 & 2) are more in depth programs for backcountry skiers, boarders and snowmobilers. AST courses, formerly known as Recreational Avalanche Courses have become the accepted recreational model since 2006. They have been developed by the CAA in an effort to improve avalanche safety in Canada. One of the main goals of the AST courses is to provide a decision making framework for recreationists based on the most advanced knowledge available. The curriculum has been streamlined to represent the changing techniques and bring awareness to recourses available so the public can make better decisions when planning a trip or while in avalanche terrain.

The AST 1 course involves about 8 hours of classroom and at least one day in the field.  It is ideal for people interested in learning the decision making process and what resources are available and necessary to increase safety when planning a trip or while in avalanche terrain. This is a great course whether you are just starting up or want to refresh your skills with current techniques and up to date resources. The price for this course varies greatly depending on length, instructor skills and training and location of the program.  The AST level 1 is a steeping stone for further industry training (i.e. AST 2 and Professional Avalanche Courses). 

The AST 2 is a longer course involving about 8 hours of classroom and a minimum of 3 days in the field. It is geared for experienced recreationists interested in refining their decision making skills. Unlike the AST 1, one of the goals of the AST 2 course is to learn how to adapt personal exposure based on the changing avalanche conditions. This is where recreationists will learn about the subtleties in the snowpack, the avalanche bulletins, the terrain variations, and changing weather patterns and their impact on terrain choices in avalanche terrain.  AST 2 is the highest level of recreational training available in Canada. To do this course it is recommended that you have completed the AST 1 course as the material is a continuum and a basis for further training. 

There are various levels of instructor experience; for recreational courses instructors have usually completed at least one of the professional avalanche courses.  They may also be tied to a particular aspect of the avalanche industry: mountain guiding, avalanche control, avalanche risk management programs. As avalanche training is highly experiential, when choosing a company or school, consider the professional experience of the instructor. Instructors teaching a 1 or 2 day courses are required to have completed the professional Level 1 course while AST 2 instructors will have completed the Level 2 course and are a professional member of the CAA.  For a list of the current avalanche courses in your location, visit the CAA website.  In Nelson avalanche training programs are offered each month by ski and mountain guides, for more information visit AST 1 and AST 2 course pages.

Professional Avalanche Courses

The CAA has developed a thorough and chronological training program for avalanche workers called the Industry Training Program, which includes the “Avalanche Operations Level 1, 2 & 3 courses”. The “Avalanche Operations Courses” provide the academic and practical foundation for avalanche professionals in Canada.  These courses are intended for people who aspire to or already work in the avalanche industry such as in snow safety evaluation, avalanche control, avalanche research, avalanche education, mountain guiding and winter search & rescue operations. Each of these course is much more expensive and time consuming (vary in length from 1 to 2 weeks) than a recreational course.  Students develop a wide range of skills, build a resume of practical field experience, and learn from some of the most experienced instructors in the the avalanche risk management industry.

The CAA “Avalanche Operations Level 1” course is the entry level course for professionals and the basis for further industry training. It is the logical 1st step for those interested in working in the avalanche industry.  Participants must be advanced skiers or split-boarders and should have considerable backcountry travel experience to comply with rising industry standards. Participants must have completed a minimum of one recreational AST courses (preferably both). This intensive 7 to 8 day technical training course comprised of approximately 40% theory and 60% practical field work regarding the formation and nature of avalanches, personal and group safety measures, significant properties of the mountain snowpack, organized search & rescue, recognizing avalanche terrain, operational risk management and decision making as well as the collection & recording of weather, snowpack and avalanche occurrence.  To better represent the various aspects of the industry, this course is available in different specific formats geared to skiers, snowmobilers, search and rescue personnel or educators.  Upon successful completion, participants will have the necessary skills to begin a career in the avalanche industry.

“Avalanche Operations Level 2” course is an advanced 14 day program for people who work full time with avalanche safety, control operations and guiding. Participants must have at least 100 days of operational field experience making and collecting weather data, snowpack information, and avalanche activity observations before applying. This generally requires at least two years of active operational field work and experience under the mentorship of more experienced CAA Professional Members. “Avalanche Operations Level 3” course is very new 5 day course intended for senior position avalanche workers employed in forecasting, risk management, and/or planning positions.  For more information on curriculum and prerequisites for these advanced levels, contact CAA

Backcountry Skiing

Mountain recreation in a winter environment is rewarding and exhilarating. It teaches us a great deal about ourselves and our environment. In those moments of bliss, it is often easy to forget about common sense.  Through avalanche education, it is possible to gain a proper knowledge base for better decision making in avalanche terrain.  The process for better knowledge and experience is lengthy and a journey in itself. Most of the courses offered in Canada target a broad audience and offer a great learning progression.

As in many things, knowledge teaches us the rules and experience teaches us the exceptions. The avalanche world is no exception, in fact it seems like the more we know, the more there is to know. Through this process we gain a better risk awareness perception. Since the level of risk associated with backcountry skiing is high, being humble and adapting to the constantly changing surroundings is key to survival. A good dose of avalanche training will surely play in your favor too!

Have fun learning and enjoy a safe winter!