The Avalanche Skills Training Two may be better for you than the professional level one.

With about 250 students a year coming through our avalanche training programs we start to see some trends in our students’ motivations and objectives. One of the subjects we address quite often is the role of the Canadian Avalanche Association Industry Training Program (CAA ITP) for recreationists interested in avalanche training. For many people, having done an avalanche skills training one, they believe that the logical next step is to carry on to a professional level one course. For most of the people who ask us about this the answer is actually that this is not the best next move.

First of all let’s deal to all the acronyms! The AST program is the Avalanche Skills Training Program which has been developed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) to train winter recreationists to make good decisions in avalanche terrain. The CAA ITP is the Industry Training Program developed by the Canadian Avalanche Association to train avalanche technicians working in avalanche hazard control operations.

Most recreational ski tourers, sledders, snow shoers and snowboarders take avalanche training because they want to be better equipped to make good decisions when they are traveling in avalanche terrain. They recognize that the environment that they choose to recreate in has inherent hazards and that they need to learn how to manage these for themselves.

At the highest levels an avalanche forecaster also manages risk in avalanche terrain but typically he/she is taking responsibility not only for themselves but for clients (if they are a guide), a ski area (if they are forecasting for a commercial ski mountain) or human structures (if they are for example in highways avalanche control). To get to this level the professional avalanche forecaster undergoes a lengthy process of training, mentoring and field experience that lasts for many years. The ITP Level One is the entry level of that process. As an apprentice avalanche technician the student on these courses learns the skills they will need to work under an experienced forecaster primarily in a data collection role. The emphasis here is on taking weather, snowpack and avalanche observations to a professional standard with the decision making being done experientially under supervision while working as an apprentice after having taken the ITP Level One.

The Avalanche Skills Training Two on the other hand is designed for recreationists that want to go out into the mountains and make decisions. Your valuable time is not spent on professional standard observations and all the attendant hieroglyphics! Instead on an AST2 we spend a lot of our time in the snow, practicing skills that will help you in planning your trips and making decisions while you are out on those trips. Simply stated this course is designed for recreational decision makers who are keen to take their decision making to the next level.

So what I am getting at here is this: If you want to become a professional avalanche forecaster and are looking to get a job as an apprentice in this field, then take the ITP Level One course. The skills you will learn will allow you to apprentice under a forecaster as you progress slowly toward becoming a forecaster yourself. The focus will not be so much on decision making as on data collection. If on the other hand you are wanting to spend time in the mountains recreating and want skills to make decisions right now, then the AST2 is the logical next step. It is also worth noting that the AST2 is typically a four day course that costs about $500 whereas the ITP Level One is seven to eight days long and costs about three times that much. Before spending that amount of money it would be worth your while to consider exactly what your objectives are in taking the course and which course is a better fit.

If you are considering moving on to the next level of avalanche skills training and have questions about your options, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always happy to answer questions.