Now in its second year of offering: AST Refresher + season-long mentorship. Every month the group meets via Zoom to discuss the current snowpack, techniques for managing risk, and all the topics you want to learn more about, which can include:

• Finding simpler terrain when the danger rises
• Knowing when to step into bigger terrain
• When and where are boot packs appropriate
• What’s the deal with travelling on glaciers – what do I need to know
• What terrain should I choose when there are persistent weak layers in the snowpack

We will: do monthly zoom meetings from November – April, share a day of backcountry travel, form a community of keen learners, and create optional peer-learning opportunities.

Doing this for the WHOLE season makes learning stick rather than being forgotten.

Prerequisites for the AST 2+

• AST 1 or AST 2 or permission from the instructor in cases of equivalent training.
• You must have a minimum of at least 20 backcountry days.
• You should be proficient skiing/boarding in powder up to at least 35 degrees in open and treed terrain.
• Your fitness should be sufficient for you to complete a tour of at least 3,000 vertical feet.
• Age 19 and older or 16-18 enrolled with their legal guardian.
• All participants must sign the AST waiver in the presence of a Kootenay Avalanche Courses staff member on the first day of their course. Before registering for your course you must read, understand, and agree to the terms and conditions of the waiver.

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