Avalanche Awareness Course

The Avalanche Awareness Course is for skiers, snowboarders, and climbers wanting to learn how to safely travel in backcountry terrain in the winter season. Queenstown Mountain Guides uses professional guides and ski patrollers that currently work in the industry and are the most up to date with the latest decison maing and rescue techniques.

On this course you will learn -

• Introduction to the avalanche phenomenon – snowpack layering, triggers, avalanche types, avalanche sizes.
• Avalanche terrain – slope angles, aspects, altitude/elevation, trigger points, terrain traps, avalanche terrain exposure scale
• Conditions – Identifying signs of snow instability
• Decision making
• Safe travel techniques
• Route finding in avalanche terrain
• Rescue – Avalanche Transceivers, probing, shovelling technique