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Avalanche Level 1 | Rattlesnake Wilderness | Full
January 31, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - February 5, 2023 @ 4:00 pm
$520![](https://missoulaavalanche.org/wp-content/uploads/Missoulaavalanche.org-800-x-390-px.png)
Avalanche Level 1
Format:
Two evening online classroom sessions + Two full-day field components
Student-to-instructor field ratio: 4 to 1
Maximum class size: 8 participants
Date | Location
Tuesday 1.31.23 & Thursday 2.2.23 | Online Classroom Session 6 – 9 PM MT | 6 Hours Total
Saturday 2.4.23 & Sunday 2.5.23 | Rattlesnake Wilderness, accessed from Montana Snowbowl | 8 AM – 5 PM MT | 18 Hours Total
Overview:
The Avalanche Level 1 curriculum is designed for current and aspiring backcountry travelers. The course focuses on developing a solid foundation in avalanche knowledge and protocols for safe backcountry travel. Following American Avalanche Association (A3) guidelines, educators cover systematic approaches for gathering, sorting, and prioritizing information to make informed decisions in the backcountry.
This course is led by A3 Pro Educators and delivered within a hybrid format that includes two online evening classroom sessions and two full days traveling in the backcountry within a 4-to-1 student-to-instructor field ratio. Forty percent of the course is classroom-based, and sixty percent is field-based. The Level 1 course curriculum focuses on the following learning objectives:
- Basic avalanche terminology
- Recognizing avalanche terrain
- Travel procedures in avalanche terrain
- Formation of the mountain snowpack
- How weather changes the snowpack
- Human factors and how they can influence decision-making
- Interpreting the avalanche forecast and advisory
- Tour planning
- Avalanche transceiver use and rescue skills
- Field observations of terrain, snowpack, and weather
- Use and interpretation of stability tests
- Prioritizing information, working as a team, and minimizing possible human factor traps
- Next steps
Course includes:
- Professional instruction
- Course workbooks
- Online classroom and field instruction
- Lift tickets for courses operating out of a ski area
Participants provide their own:
- Transportation to and from the field component
- Personal gear
- Avalanche rescue gear
- Food & water
Course Registration:
Sorry, this course is full. Please visit the education page for upcoming events and course offerings.