Cancellation and Transfer Policy

SAS requires payment in full to hold your reservation. Cancellations within one week of the course start date will not be refunded and cannot be transferred. If you would like to transfer course a one to three weeks prior to your original course start date, there will be a $100 transfer fee and no refund for cancellation. A transfer more than three weeks before your original course start date can be done at no extra cost. Cancellations more than three weeks before your original course start date may receive a 50% refund. Unfortunately, we cannot give refunds, rain checks or cancellations if passes are closed. Please communicate with our office for extenuating circumstances.

RECREATIONAL LEVEL 1 AVALANCHE COURSE

$645.00

ENROLL NOW to secure 2024 pricing until December 1

The backcountry is always telling us a story–are you listening? Reading winter’s narrative written across mountain slopes by avoiding avalanches and finding the best snow, is both a learned skill and a practiced art. 

Silverton Avalanche School’s Recreational Level One Avalanche Course introduces backcountry skiers and snowboarders to ways to ritualize planning, observations and assessments, and highlights the critical importance of "Reading the Story of Winter" each and every day to minimize risk when traveling in the mountains. 

In SAS’s three day Recreational Level One, students will engage in hands-on curriculum designed to develop an understanding and application of tools to help navigate or avoid avalanche terrain.  

Our curriculum is based on national guidelines published by the American Avalanche Association, and covers the following topics and more:

  • Using a SAS field book to ritualize the planning process.

  • The Avalanche Triangle; understanding the interplay of snowpack, weather, terrain and YOU.

  • Understanding and applying the avalanche and weather forecast.

  • Avalanche rescue introduction and a deep dive into rescue tools.

  • Using digital mapping platforms to plan and execute a backcountry tour.

  • Applying knowledge of where avalanches occur to macro and micro scale terrain.

  • Field observations and tracking critical changes.

  • Human dynamics and avoiding heuristic traps.

  • Fundamentals of backcountry movement.

  • Time planning and emergency resources.

Our staff are all AMGA trained or Certified Ski and Splitboard guides with many years working as educators, and as passionate practitioners of seeking backcountry turns. The course will provide a mentorship atmosphere, as well as a student-led tour to culminate on day three.

Course Outline

Day One: Meet in the classroom at 8 a.m. and begin with a participation-forward classroom session, with an intro to avalanches, weather and the human factor. Head out mid-day to practice avalanche rescue.

Day Two: Meet in the classroom at 8 a.m. Deep dive into forecast resources, incident review and digital mapping, all while utilizing the SAS field book. Go on a backcountry tour with the goal of getting some field observations of weather, snowpack and terrain.

Day Three: Meet in the classroom at 8 a.m. Short session to finalize student-led tours in groups. Then–go skiing! The course will end with a 4-6 backcountry tour and a course debrief by 4-4:30 p.m.

SAS is permitted to operate on public lands with the USFS and BLM. 

For any questions, more information, or to book a custom course, CONTACT US.

Public Lands Equal Opportunity Provider Statement

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD 3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; email: program.intake@usda.gov.