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Avalanche Education

As more and more people travel into avalanche-prone backcountry areas each winter for skiing or winter mountaineering, guides assume significant additional responsibilities for the safety and well being of their clients. To meet these challenges, the American Mountain Guides Association has set a high standard for avalanche training in order for professional mountain guides to meet the requirements of AMGA courses and certification exams.

As a prerequisite for enrolling in the AMGA’s Ski Guide Course and Advanced Alpine Guide Course, all applicants are required to have successfully completed a Level II Avalanche Course. Typically 4 days in length, this course offers approximately 40 hours of class and field instruction, with curriculum covering at least these topics:

  • Energy balance, the mountain snow pack and metamorphism
  • Faceting; near surface and near crust faceting
  • Formation of surface hoar and persistent weak layers
  • Skier Triggering: theory and observations
  • International and national snow, weather and avalanche observation and recording guidelines (SWAG).
  • Stability analysis checklist: reviewing critical factors
  • Trip Planning and hazard forecasting for avalanche terrain.
  • Terrain selection and route finding
  • Information gathering
  • Companion Rescue

In addition, professional guides seeking to take advanced AMGA courses or certification exams, including the Ski Mountaineering Guide Course, Ski Mountaineering Guide Exam and Alpine Guide Exam must successfully complete an AMGA approved Level III Avalanche Course. Currently the AIARE Level III curriculum is the only Level III course curriculum approved by the AMGA. These courses are typically 6 days in length and provide approximately 68 hours of class and field instruction in these subject areas:

  • Avalanche Terrain: spatial variability and developing “excellent terrain skills”
  • Craftsmanship and professional standards
  • Review of study plot weather and snow profile techniques
  • Review of snow crystals, sub-classifications
  • Operational stability and hazard forecasting
  • Avalanche safety equipment: burial prevention, reducing burial time, increasing survival time
  • Companion rescue
  • Terrain travel and group management
  • Comparing field tests to study plot information. Including probing, hand tests, bonding tests, test profiles, RB, fracture line profiles, ski tests, etc.
  • Case Study: Operational decision-making

AIARE Level 3 Avalanche Course Schedule

Advanced Avalanche Training for Professionals and Recreational Leaders

 
  • January 20–25, 2008  Eastern Sierra, June Lake, CA
  • February 17–22, 2008  Snowbasin Ski Resort, Ogden, UT
  • February 25–March 1, 2008 Red Mountain Pass/Silverton, CA
 

Six Days | Cost: $1,100 | (+) More info here

For further information regarding AMGA avalanche training requirements or if you are interested in having your schools course curriculum reviewed for AMGA approval, please contact the AMGA office at 303-271-0984 or info@amga.com