Online Coursework (6 hours): Immediately after signing up for Blackbird A2, you can begin learning. Take the Online Coursework whenever it makes sense for you.  You’ll need roughly 6 hours to complete this portion of the course.  This education is for your own development and understanding, so study hard and come up with some good questions for your instructor.  The more knowledge you have before you arrive to the field, the more you and your fellow participants will get out of the course.  

Please take notes and write down questions as you progress through the online coursework so that we can review them in the “Pre-Field Webinar.”

Pre-Field Webinar (2.5 hours): Before the course, you’ll be invited to a “Pre-Field Webinar” where you avalanche instructor will tie the lessons of the online coursework together with some fun and helpful exercises.  After that, there will be time available for questions.

Pre-Field Homework: Create a trip plan for our first field day. 

Field Day 1: Ski Tour with Avalanche Observations

8:00 am  Meet your guide and review the plan for the day. Your guide will open a group discussion of the current avalanche problem and the implications it has on our objective.  We will discuss what appropriate observations are given the avalanche problem type and our venue.  We will discuss and choose proposed ascent routes up and options for the descent.  Your guide will coach you on how to conduct a Trailhead Departure Check/Beacon Check if anyone is unclear.

8:30 am  Tour to the observation site, making critical weather and snowpack observations along the way in real time.  We will discuss pertinent on the go observations so that we keep the group moving and move in a timely manner to complete the ski objective.  

Decision making based on observations we make will be the key factor.  We can devote time to studying snowpack, terrain, group movement, human factors, small team avalanche rescue or weather depending on which topics are the most pertinent to the program at hand.  

3:30 pm  We will close the program at the trailhead with a quick review of the skills that we learned, a synopsis of the avalanche observations that we made and an overview of what to expect the following day in the field. 

Homework will be for participants to create an appropriate tour for the following day based on local resources available, weather forecast, avalanche advisory and the observations we made during the day.

Field Day 2: Participant Led Ski Tour with Mentored Avalanche Observations and Decision Making

8:00 am  We’ll meet at the trailhead for our objective. Participants will lead us through the changes in weather in the last 24 hours, forecast for the day, the current avalanche problems/advisory, our route plan and options, an emergency action plan and perform the trailhead beacon check.  

Participants will switch out leading the program throughout the day, working together to make appropriate decisions considering the avalanche hazard, weather and group dynamics.  We’ll practice gathering observations, prioritizing information and making decisions with our teams just like the previous day, but guides will shift to a mentorship role and relinquish much of the leadership to the participants.

3:30 pm 

 We’ll regroup at the trailhead to debrief the tour and discuss the lessons of the day and the lessons learned from the program as a whole. We will close out the program with guidance on good ideas to help you choose your next steps in avalanche education and ski touring.