If you have friends that often go into the backcountry, then you've probably heard them talk about Avalanche courses. These courses are how backcountry travelers equip themselves with the tools and knowledge to stay safe in the mountains.
The more you know about snow, the easier it is to find good snow. Both in terms of safety and snow quality, the more you know about why snow is the way it is, the easier it will be to find the best skiing. Understanding how the snow surface is created will help you find the best snow and have an awesome day of skiing.
Snowpacks have an infinite number of variables that affect how they behave and avalanche courses help us understand what's happening in the snow. The best way to start to build understanding of the snowpack is taking an AIARE Avalanche Level 1 course.
Another reason why avalanche education is important is that it delves into the many of the common human factor traps that are often the root cause of accidents. We all make mistakes and have irrational desires. Skiing itself is a perfect example. Rationally it doesn't make sense: we take substantial risks for the end goal of sliding down snow on a couple of sticks. These same irrational desires draw us to ski in places that are riskier than we might have intended, even when we know the increased risk is there. Somehow, against our better judgement, we convince ourselves, cut corners, show off, or stay quiet and go along with the group. These common heuristic traps can be linked to almost every avalanche accident. A major focus in every avalanche course is increasing your awareness of these human factors and how to mitigate them.
A final reason to educate yourself on avalanches is so you'll know what to do if things go wrong! When an avalanche occurs, there isn't time to think about what to do or to make errors; you need to organize and respond effectively. After teaching countless avalanche rescue courses, I can tell you that rescues can get complicated quickly. Gear and small team management have to be hard wired and automatic. Our Avalanche Rescue Course is a full day designed to bring dial in your rescue skills to give you pro tips on the fastest and most thorough search techniques.
The bottom line is that avalanches are a complex phenomenon and it takes time and practice to understand and manage the hazard. Building your experience in a structured way, through courses and the mentorship of more experienced skiers and guides, will make your tours safer and more fun.
If you're ready to take the first step in your avalanche education, check out our avalanche courses near you!
About the Author
Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide and AIARE Course Leader based in Truckee California. He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding - ski, rock and alpine climbing - but skiing is his first love. In the winter he enjoys backcountry skiing, guiding local and international ski trips, and teaching avalanche courses across the west coast, from Bishop, California to Mt Baker, Washington.