Soul of Miistaki and Yamnuska Mountain Adventures are partnering to offer
1 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) individual a scholarship spot on Yamnuska's AST 1 on Nov 30- Dec 1, 2024
Program Description at $315 CAD plus tax.
Alberta residence only for this application
APPLICATION DEADLINE is Nov 18th 9:00 am MST
It is required that you read and agree to the following Soul of Miistaki Waiver, please click on the link and read all the information carefully.
Backcountry skiing, split boarding, snowshoeing and ice climbing are exciting sports but without proper knowledge, enthusiasts often take unnecessary risks. Educate yourself with an investment in Yamnuska's AST 1 Avalanche Skills Training Course in Canmore and Calgary. Proper training will make your winter travels in avalanche terrain safer and more enjoyable. Yamnuska avalanche instructors are ACMG and IFMGA guides who are trained and certified by the Canadian Avalanche Association. They are true practitioners with years and in some cases, decades of experience in the backcountry, practicing what they preach. Their extensive personal experience in winter guiding, avalanche operations, and forecasting will add an extra dimension of interest to your training. Yamnuska has been offering Avalanche courses since the late 1970s and they have been instrumental in the curriculum development of the AST programs.
Is it for you?
The focus of this avalanche awareness class is avalanche theory and instruction via Avalanche Canada’s avalanche skills training curriculum. Our first day will be in the classroom in Calgary or Canmore learning about the weather and snow conditions that lead to avalanches. This is a full and intensive instructional day that is content-heavy. The second day will be a field trip to a backcountry location where we will be travelling either by backcountry ski gear or snowshoes to a variety of different snow study sites. This can involve up to 5 km of travel and up to 250 m of elevation gain. Students must be able to travel on backcountry skis, split-board, or snowshoes and should have a normal level of fitness. Our field day is not a typical backcountry ski day. We have a lot of curriculum to cover so we try to minimize travel and use training locations that are appropriate but quickly accessed. We do offer a ‘plus day’ option at the end of each course that allows you to put your newly learned skills to a practical application via a ski or split-board touring day trip.
CertificationThis course is two days of intensive learning. The first day is classroom-based and the second day is in the backcountry learning and practicing recreational avalanche safety and training skills. It is a fast-paced course with a curriculum developed by Avalanche Canada and refined by Yamnuska’s operations team and avalanche instructors. Upon completion of the course, you will receive an Avalanche Skills Training 1 Certificate. The AST1 is the prerequisite for the professional level Avalanche Operations Level 1 and our Avalanche Skills Training 2 course.
*Note you are personally responsible for your transportation to and from the course as well as your accommodations. However, please don't hesitate to reach out to us should you need some support as we can reach out to community partners, we just can't guarantee this support.
