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Lodge-based AST: The Student Experience

April 19, 2023 by Keith Robine

Plentiful terrain on the E side of Mt Hilda

Students say about their lodge-based AST 2++ experience:

“The lodge allows for the complete immersion in everything involved in backcountry skiing. Keith’s experience and passion in his field shines through this program and creates a supportive environment that pushes his students to be the best they can be.”

“My two trips to Hilda with Keith are among the best ski, outdoor education, and now I can say, culinary experiences of my life. Learning how to travel safely and also have fun in terrain as complex and immense as Hilda has been transformative.”

Newlyweds!

“The AST2++ course allows for an experience like no other. Not only do you get the AST2 course but additional days to put the skills to practice. The location allows you to challenge yourself with critical decision making. Being at the hut creates an immersive experience with past students and other passionate backcountry travellers. The whole trip will change your perspective on what is possible on your own two feet.”

“The excellence of Keith’s program is demonstrated by the number of graduates who return to experience continued learning, and by graduates who bring their children to develop their own knowledge and awareness in the backcountry.”

“Keith’s AST2+ course empowers skiers to travel through the mountains with confidence in their ability to understand the risks and consequences that backcountry travel presents. The immersive experience of the lodge-based trip allows for ample time for in-depth conversations and in-field learning-by-doing experiences. The terrain around the hut is not only amazing to ski, but challenges skiers of all abilities in their backcountry travel decisions.”

The excitement of flying in!
A deep snowpack
I love boot-packs!
Hilda North Side
One of my favourite runs!

Filed Under: News

KEITH on the Avalanche Hour Podcast

October 1, 2021 by Keith Robine

Here is a recording of Keith being interviewed for the Avalanche Hour Podcast. He talked about the new AST 2 curriculum, focusing on graduated risk while managing avalanche terrain. You can also stream the podcast on your favourite platform. Here is the LINK

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Filed Under: News

Winter 2020-21 in review

September 18, 2021 by Keith Robine

AST Courses run smoothly despite COVID. Across Canada, there were a record number of AST students, over 13,000 in total. KAC ran Zoom for all classroom lessons and field sessions were held with social distancing. Normally, close to half our students come from the US, but the Canadians came through to fill the courses.

2-metre spacing during our lunch break of the end of November AST 1 course.
We ran our annual pro bono AST 1 course for students of the Seven Summits Centre for Learning. Thanks to Big Red Cats for providing a snowcat lift to the top of Mt. Neptune. It was a strong group of rippers.

Early December surface hoar leads to Holiday season cycle. It seems like there is often a weak layer that gets established in early December. This year was no exception. A cold clear period in early December grew surface hoar.

Extremely large surface hoar grown during the early December clear period.
The picture above was a size 3 avalanche at Whistler. A pro skier was buried 2m deep, but had skilled partners that were able to dig him out quickly.
In January, a natural size 3 avalanche failed on the early December surface hoar/facet combo on Record Ridge, outside Rossland. The crown was visible over 6km away from town.

Mid-January surface hoar leads to early February cycle. Another surface hoar layer led to an avalanche cycle in early February.

This picture was taken in late January, when the surface hoar was only 20cm deep. It was good conditions for ski cutting, as evidenced by the two size 1.5 avalanches that were triggered from the top of the picture. Ski cutting is part of the updated AST 2 curriculum that will be taught starting next winter.
Our AST 1 class was able to view the debris from this size 2 avalanche that slid on January surface hoar
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This size 3 avalanche was remotely triggered by a Kokanee group that were de-skinning on the ridge. The fracture propagated over a km away! They went back to the cabin with their tails between their legs.

Tour to the border: I was supposed to meet up with a former AST 2 student who lives on the US side of the border, but his snowmobile broke down. Instead, I did the tour a few days later with my buddy Jim.

Taking advantage of snowmobile tracks to cover some km’s quickly
Climbing toward the alpine. Note the border swath on the left.
Taking off skins on the border to begin the four north-facing descents to return home.
The first descent. It was a 13-hour day and dark by the time we got back to the car.

The Purcells! I joined a couple friends on a week-long trip to a rustic hut in the Purcells in late March.

Ascending the glacier
Windswept ridges made for challenging conditions on the ascent
Weaving through the icefall on the descent
A short window of visibility for the summit push

10,000 feet! I have come close to surpassing 10,000 feet (3,000 metre) of climbing in a day. Last spring, it happened on a beautiful bluebird day with my buddy Steve Omischl.

1st drop, what I call Joker Senior.
2nd drop under perfect conditions: sun, snow, stability.
3rd long glacier drop. A few shorter runs in the beautiful light of early evening put us over the top.

3% to climate

Kootenay Avalanche Courses donates 3% of your course fees to organizations dedicated to combating the effects of climate change, including Protect our Winters and the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada. Whitebark’s are a keystone species in the mountain environment where we recreate and can be identified as the only tree that splays open at the top versus the pointy nature of the other conifers.

Filed Under: News

Bugaboos 2020

September 4, 2020 by Keith Robine

Rapping off Bugaboo Spire

The Bugaboos are an amazing playground, especially for alpine climbers. This summer offered a chance to be up there without the usual complement of international climbers, just us Canadians! We also received a fresh snowfall of about 10cm! Was that the first snowfall of the upcoming year or the last snowfall of the previous year?

Climbing over the snow that fell 2 nights before

For a long time, I had heard about a majestic climb called Sunshine Crack, on Snowpatch Spire. My partner Steve and I trained specifically for this climb. It kicked our butts, but it was fantastic to get up on its perfect cracks.

Getting started on Sunshine Crack
Pitch 5

We also got the chance to do the famed NE Ridge of Bugaboo Spire. Although the climbing is easier, its just as classic, with a knife edge traverse between the two summits.

On the approach
Getting high on the NE ridge

A final climb of McTech Arete made for a perfect trifecta of climbs. I’ll be back!

Happy I can still carry a heavy pack

Filed Under: News

Valkyr AST2+ 2020

August 8, 2020 by Keith Robine

We ran two 8-day AST2+ programs during the winter of 2019-20. Here are some of the highlights (photo credits: Mark Sena, Spencer Skerget, Angelique Rosenthal).

  1. We started each course a day early at Shon’s Hostel in Nakusp. We got to know each other while reviewing the program for the week. We also feasted on Chef Tyler’s meals. We will use this format for all lodge-based courses in the future!
  2. Good stability enabled us to do the famed Hilda Traverse Tour. A boot pack on each of the three ups, three epic downs, jaw-dropping scenery, and a fun group of people make for a great day!
1st boot pack to Hilda East High Col
Upper part of the 1st descent (450m)
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2nd bootpack through the Hoodoo’s
Lower part of the 2nd descent (300m)
3rd boot pack up Woody’s
Final descent off the summit of Hilda (750m)

3. A stormy day was the perfect time to rest legs and practice snow science. It also set us up for deep powder runs the last two days of the trip.

4. A moose was testing the stability for us.

Pretty committing line, but finding the best route using high ground and the least amount of overhead cornice hazard. Good job!

5. I feel privileged to run these courses in the perfect setting for teaching avalanche education. Every student becomes a better leader and tactician for selecting the appropriate terrain for any given condition.

See you next year

“I believe that all of us who had the incredible experience to learn from Keith during this week will move forward in the backcountry with a greatly enhanced awareness and skill set to manage the risk that is present.”

Filed Under: News

Hilda 2019 AST2+

February 28, 2019 by Keith Robine

Here are a few snippets of what daily life is like during our AST2+ Course at Hilda Lodge:

Sunday February 10, 2019, 10:45 a.m.: Clear skis and Grade A efficiency at Valkyr staging make for a record transfer. The group  settles in to their plush accommodations.

Sunday, 2:30 p.m.: Everyone has done 3 Companion Rescue drills, improving their search/digging time in each scenario. Time for a tour!

Sunday, 5:00 p.m.: Appetizers! Fresh Mussels!

Monday, 9:30 a.m.: Starting up the boot pack to Hilda East High Col:

 

Monday 11:00 a.m.: Avalanche! Alex ski cuts a size 1.0 avalanche on a steep convex roll. This was on the early February sun crust, which continues to be a persistent weak layer (PWL) through the rest of February and into March:

 

Monday 8:00 p.m.: The students are meeting in small groups to plan their self-guided day tomorrow.

Tuesday, 2:30 p.m.: On the way back from the Valkalla Zone:

 

Tuesday 5:30 p.m.: After a relaxing sauna and more appetizers, the group gets together for a classroom session to discuss the day’s learnings.

Wednesday 11:00 a.m.: After a surprise 20cm fresh overnight, Avalanche Danger is up to Considerable, but there is safe skiing in the Lower Norns. “Choosing the right terrain for the conditions” is the mantra:

 

Thursday 10:30 a.m.: Moderate-Strong winds have kicked up this morning, and everyone has scaled back their self-guided plans.

Friday 9:30 a.m.: Performing an Extended Column Test (ECT). This was followed by additional Companion Rescue practice. The students are really on their game:

 

Friday 12:00 p.m.: Our chef Janelle prepares a hot lunch for the group before we head out for a few more runs in the afternoon.

Friday, 2:30 p.m.: Magic in the trees:

 

Saturday 8:30 a.m.: The groups are out for their final self-guided day with sights set for a 600 metre fall line run called Burton Direct and a 500 metre line off the Norns.

Saturday 7:00 p.m.: Our final dinner together, lovingly prepared by Janelle. Final learnings and certificates of achievement follow.

Sunday 9:00 a.m.: One final group shot before the Heli arrives and we start our journey home:

 

Some comments from the participants:

Thanks for making me want to go play and be mindful in the mountains.

Discussions at the end of the day whether in the sauna or in front of the screen were super valuable.

Amazing course!

Filed Under: News

2018-19 Mid-term Report Card

January 22, 2019 by Keith Robine

What do you think? With some dire predictions in an El Nino Winter, I think we’re doing pretty well so far. The snowpack has gone through some periods of instability, but we have also had a fair amount of Low-Moderate avalanche danger. There have been some glorious periods of sunshine, but we haven’t had the big dumps of snow…yet. El Nino has kept things fairly warm, but most mountain areas are sporting between 1.3-2.2 metres of snow. Let’s look at some pictures:

Early December, looking good!

 

AST1 Course getting some of the goods pre-catskiing-season at Big Red Cats just before Christmas.

 

Stepping into bigger terrain during Danger Rating: Moderate/Low/Low

 

Climbing up a badass couloir (500 vertical metres)!

 

Longest couloir I’ve ever climbed/skied!

 

Long-term forecast for the rest of the 2018-19 winter has warmer than normal temperatures (El Nino), but average precipitation amounts. Hoping for some nice snowfalls in February, March, and April. My grade for Winter 2018-19 so far: B+!

 

 

Filed Under: News

Navigating Complex Terrain: Lessons learned while writing an avalanche book

October 22, 2018 by Keith Robine

This blog is a copy of an article I wrote and will be published in the November 2018 Avalanche Journal, the professional journal for avalanche workers in Canada. I introduce some content from the new Avalanche Skills Training Handbook, the text for AST students starting winter 2018-19. I wrote the book with James Floyer from Avalanche Canada. I will also share a couple of the personal lessons I learned while participating in this challenging project.

Human FactorsBehaviors?

That human factors often play a role in decisions leading to avalanche fatalities is widely recognized in our field. As an avalanche educator, it has been a challenge to teach human factors in a way that has real impact on students’ decision-making. By nature humans are susceptible to falling into the heuristic traps that can lead to accidents.

Working in the field of psychology, I have learned that helping people find their areas of strength is preferable to solely focusing on their areas of weakness. With that in mind, I have incorporated positive human behaviours into the lessons I teach to AST students. (ref: 2012, “Bringing Human Factors to AST Courses”, Canadian Avalanche Journal, vol. 102.) In the new AST Handbook, we describe human factors that lead to accidents as well as positive human behaviours that help make good decisions when choosing terrain: communication, leadership, patience and discipline.

Follow the Professionals

In the professional domain, we also limit the impact of heuristic traps by following a structured approach to decision-making. For example, at the ‘Guides Meeting’, conditions are discussed and some choices about terrain are made. By tapping into the expertise of the guide team in an environment where communication is relatively easy, the planning that happens at a Guides Meeting helps reduce the chance for errors caused by human factors in the field.

Decision aids such as the Avaluator have been developed to help the recreational public avoid similar heuristic traps. In the book, we wanted to highlight the Avaluator inside a larger decision-making process that mirrors the one used by professionals. We came up with a seven-step design that is called the Daily Process. Here is an excerpt:

“Surgeons, pilots and firefighters have one particular thing in common: they use structured and systematic approaches to their tasks to reduce the chance of human error. It turns out the higher the consequence of an error, the more important these well-defined processes are.

Travel in avalanche terrain is a high-consequence undertaking and as such, we benefit greatly from a structured approach to backcountry travel. In this course, you will learn a method similar to that used by avalanche professionals, who navigate avalanche terrain on a daily basis and are continually aiming to reduce the negative effects of human behaviours.

The daily process for backcountry travel in avalanche terrain (Figure 1) includes all the steps to go through to ensure you continue to enjoy your backcountry pursuits day after day, year after year.”

Great Minds (Don’t) Think Alike

I came into this project knowing there would be some challenges in the process of collaboration. However, at times I was astonished by how difficult collaboration could be! It was a real challenge to work through the sometimes-opposing ways that James and I looked at avalanche education. Luckily there were two areas where we thought alike. We both have an eye for detail, which is important when writing a book. We also brought a sense of humour to the project by laughing at each other’s jokes (or at least pretending to)!

Conflict is BadGood

I don’t like conflict. I try to avoid it. When James and I didn’t agree about an idea for the book, I started to get a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I recognized as fear of conflict. Eventually we would find time to discuss the reasoning for our different approaches. We always found a compromise without one person feeling he had to give up his beliefs. Instead, the compromise would create a new way of looking at the issue and forge a better way to write that aspect in the book. The fear of conflict never completely went away, but I learned to trust the process. I think we created a better book because we were able to face and resolve our conflicts.

It has been my great honour to write this book with James. I hope it will inspire students to enjoy the backcountry and make good decisions using strategies similar to what is practiced in our professional community. I also want to thank the more than 1500 students who have taken avalanche courses with me over 28 years. You taught me while I taught you, and I am proud to share our collective learning.

Filed Under: News

THE EPIC WINTER OF 2017-18

April 25, 2018 by Keith Robine

It is almost May, and although there are still several metres of snow in the high elevations, the low elevation snow is finally melting. Mountain bike trails are opening and we are moving toward another summer in BC. But looking back, everyone is still raving about this past winter! Here are a few pictures and reflections on some of the FUN:

Lina shredding the deep at Hilda.

The winter started with a lot of promise. My first real day of touring was at Kootenay Pass with my pal Jordy in mid-November with deep powder and a good base. We bailed on our long tour due to crotch-deep trail breaking, doing laps closer to the highway. Every turn was a blinding face shot, making it difficult to see the next turn!

Then the rains came in late November, washing away half the snowpack, all the way to the mountain tops. The next snowfall initially bonded well to the rain crust. However, cold temperatures in December and limited snowfalls set up a temperature gradient that faceted the snow over the crust, leading to the first Persistent Weak Layer (PWL) of the season. Several high pressure events in December and January set up surface hoar layers that resulted in additional PWL’s. This made for a snowpack that had numerous weak layers stacked on top of each other. Even during the lulls in January snowfalls, the avalanche bulletin refused to drop below Considerable due to the ongoing danger deep in the snowpack. This low probability/high consequence scenario required disciplined route selection. During our AST2+ week at Powder Creek, we continually chose low-moderate consequence terrain, avoiding big features that had a risk of serious injury or death. But sure enough, even though we did not see any signs of avalanche activity, later in the week we triggered a small/medium size avalanche that resulted in a partial burial of one of the students. This was a very real and scary event that also highlighted why we were avoiding major consequence terrain in these Considerable Danger conditions.

Avalanche resulting in partial burial. Sliding layer: January 05 Surface Hoar down 60cm.

The skiing was fantastic in January, but most recreationists were being patient and avoiding big terrain. The storms continued into early February, getting more intense, with increased wind, and warmer temperatures. These storms led to a climax avalanche period at the end of the first week of February. Size 3-4 avalanches were coming down all over the Province. Many avalanches were overrunning their normal slide paths and taking out mature forest up to 100 years old. Although the Avalanche Danger spiked to High and Extreme during this period, it was just what the doctor ordered for the fragile snowpack. The warm snows set up a bridge over the fragile December/January layers. The big avalanches of early February tapered off, setting up for a more stable period the second half of February into March. Temperatures stayed seasonably cold, and it just kept snowing! There were periods of Considerable-High Danger during the larger snow/wind events, but also many days with Low-Moderate Danger.

Jeff dropping in. First tracks on his birthday at the Outpost. What a week!

And it kept snowing and snowing…all the way into April, well after most ski hills shut down their lifts. Thanks Ullr, you rock! Thanks also to the 87 students taking AST courses, making a new record for Kootenay Avalanche Courses.

Stable snow, good powder, and sick lines at Vista. Centre, Left, Right, between the rocks!

 

Filed Under: News

Avalanche Accident March 9, 2018

April 25, 2018 by Keith Robine

This blog was provided by Paul Hoefer. Paul spends a good portion of the winter backcountry skiing in the Kootenays. Paul was part of a very strong group of AST2+ students that took their course at Hilda Lodge in February 2018. Thanks a lot to Paul for his thoughtfulness and bravery in sharing this story. You will read below that the Avalanche Bulletin was rated Moderate for March 9. One of the factors that the bulletin did not forecast were the very strong winds encountered that day.

Filed Under: News

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