• As part of our educational mission, we maintain a Handouts page with links to all the course information sheets, topic handout PDFs and QuickTime videos, field sheets, and avalanche map JPEGs for the courses taught by our former staffer Bill Glude. He updates them every fall and as new information becomes available. Be sure and check the handouts page out if you are interested in avalanche courses, this is a tremendous educational resource. So far as we know, no other avalanche school has published so much of their material online.
• If the courses scheduled in Southeast this year do not work for you, we highly recommend the Alaska Avalanche School, a nonprofit based out of Anchorage. Our former staff always worked closely with them and they still regularly trade instructors and ideas. Being in Alaska's big city, they can offer more courses than are practical in our thinly-populated region.
  

November 11 - 23, UAS Level 1, Juneau

This course is taught every fall semester by former SAAC staff for the University of Alaska Southeast. All our UAS courses are now spread over two weeks, with Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening classroom sessions and weekend field days. The relaxed course schedule allows for far more practical, hands-on learning time, field trips in a greater variety of conditions, and much less information overload. Sign up through UAS.

November 22 - 23, Canadian Avalanche Association and Centre Educational Events, Whitehorse, YT

We highly recommend taking advantage of these events in our neighboring city. Escape the rain and learn some useful skills! Here's what the organizers sent us:

The Canadian Avalanche Association is coming to the Whitehorse, Yukon to deliver a public backcountry avalanche awareness workshop on Nov 22 and a professional development training day on Nov 23 for instructors, guides, outdoor educators etc. Special hotel rates are available at the High Country Inn for this weekend and the cross country skiing at the Whitehorse cross country ski club is spectacular.

Saturday, November 22 - Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre

The public workshop runs from 9-5 on November 22 and costs $20. The day is all about avalanche safety and education for the public. Specific presentations on this day include: The movie “A Fine Line”; a look at local trips, routes and terrain, local information gathering and  sharing and case studies of Yukon avalanche involvements;  a “science window” looking at some of the recent science on deeply buried weaknesses in the snowpack, incorporating snow study results such as the quality of the shear failure into backcountry risk management;  newly refined rescue techniques such as “conveyor shovelling” and discussions on avalanche trauma and triage; discussions on avalanche gear such as transceivers, shovels and inflated emergency safety gear such as the snowpulse pack and; a review of products and tools available from the Canadian Avalanche Centre such as the discussion forums, trip planning tools, online course, etc.

Tickets on sale at the door. A free “Avaluator™”  is included with your $20 admission. Lunches available for purchase at noon and a small trade show will allow a hands on look at some of the gear, sign ups for avalanche courses, etc.

Sunday November Nov 23 – Yukon College Main Lecture Room

9-4 Avalanche professional development workshop - $ 30 

Sunday Nov 23 - 7:30 - 9:00 pm - Yukon Science Institute Lecture Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre

"A day in the life of an avalanche forecaster - how a regional avalanche forecast is generated" - Free public talk.

For more information  

Kirstie Simpson 
AvalancheNorth
Whitehorse, Yukon
867-633-2199
info@avalanchenorth.ca

or

Nancy Geismar
Program Services
Canadian Avalanche Centre
programservices@avalanche.ca
250-837-2141 ext 233
Fax:250-837-4624
www.avalanche.ca

January 24 - February 1, American Avalanche Association AvPro School, Southwest Montana

This first 2008-09 session of the professionals' course is not in Southeast Alaska, but we highly recommend AvPro as the next step beyond a Level 2. The American Avalanche Association (AAA) felt that the optimal professionals' course would come from a collaborative effort pooling the best curriculum, materials, and instructors available nationwide. AvPro is a full eight-day course, rapidly becoming the new standard for professional avalanche training.

SAAC played a major role in creating this course. Our former staffer Bill Glude worked on it as part of the Education Committee and AAA Board, and he will be one of the two main instructors for this session.

The education page of the AAA website has a link to the AvPro page. Sign up there.

February 3 - 15, UAS Level 1, Juneau

This is the spring semester course taught by former SAAC staff for the University of Alaska Southeast. All our UAS courses are now spread over two weeks, with Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening classroom sessions and weekend field days. The relaxed course schedule allows for far more practical, hands-on learning time, field trips in a greater variety of conditions, and much less information overload. Sign up through UAS.

February 21 - March 1, American Avalanche Association AvPro School, Southwest Montana

This second 2008-09 session of the professionals' course is not in Southeast Alaska, but we highly recommend AvPro as the next step beyond a Level 2. The American Avalanche Association (AAA) felt that the optimal professionals' course would come from a collaborative effort pooling the best curriculum, materials, and instructors available nationwide. AvPro is a full eight-day course, rapidly becoming the new standard for professional avalanche training.

SAAC played a major role in creating this course. Our former staffer Bill Glude worked on it as part of the Education Committee and AAA Board, and he will be one of the two main instructors for this session.

February 23 - March 10, Heliguides' 1 Avalanche Courses, Haines

This is not a Level 1 course, it is much more intensive training for those who want an in-depth introduction to the avalanche skills used by Alaskan heliguides. Our former staffer Bill Glude and assistants Kent Scheler and Mike Janes, all now with Alaska Avalanche Specialists, teach this course for Alaska Heliskiing. It will again be open to community participants on a space-available basis. There will probably be two sessions of this course within the dates above, with the actual dates depending on signups. The course is four and a half days long, scheduled flexibly within a five and a half day time block to work with unpredictable flying weather. It uses helicopter field access for three field days, weather permitting.

Sign up through Alaska Heliskiing.

March 17 - 29, UAS Level 2, Juneau

If you want an advanced avalanche course that meets and exceeds the requirements of the American Avalanche Association's Level 2 guidelines, this is your chance in Juneau this year.

Note - it is intended that Levels 1 and 2 be taken in separate years to allow field time to prepare for the next course. UAS makes an exception for the fall semester preseason course, but you will not be allowed to take the February Level 1 and go on to the Level 2 in March.

Sign up through UAS.

April 25 - 30, Heliguides' 2 Avalanche Courses, Haines

This is not a Level 2 course, it is much more intensive training for those who want an professional-level followup to the Heliguide's 1 course, which is a prerequisite. Our former staffer Bill Glude and assistants Kent Scheler and Mike Janes, all now with Alaska Avalanche Specialists, teach this course for Alaska Heliskiing, and is open to community participants. The course is four and a half days long, scheduled flexibly within a five and a half day time block to work with unpredictable flying weather. It uses helicopter field access for three or more field days, weather permitting.

Sign up through Alaska Heliskiing.

Dates Not Set, National Ski Patrol Level 1, Juneau

Our former staff will again help teach the Level 1 course for patrollers if we can make the dates work. Sign up through the Juneau Ski Patrol.