Are you interested in heading out to the backcountry for the first time, or the 1000th time? This course is designed specifically for recreational skiers of all levels. If you are interested in developing and refining your avalanche awareness and backcountry planning and travel skills, while still skiing cool lines, then you have come to the right place.
This course will benefit people who:
-have never taken a formal avalanche education course
-have taken a formal avalanche course, and desire to learn updated and practical systems to refine their "game"
-desire practical concise instruction from experienced backcountry skiing professionals
-want to learn at their pace, and review the content, forever
During this course, you learn how to:
-accurately interpret the daily avalanche forecast on a deeper level
-identify safe and dangerous backcountry terrain
-communicate more effectively with your partners so everyone can have more fun
-create and execute a rewarding backcountry tour
-understand how to interpret snow pit stability tests
-glean from the school of hard knocks, several professional skiers share their "near miss" stories
This course does NOT include:
-how to create avalanche forecasts
-how to document in field books
-in-person field practice
-boring things
In-person field practice and application of rescue skills can be arranged. A resource of highly recommended backcountry ski guides is provided. You can book a ski day or two with a certified professional in your area.
So, if you are interested in backcountry skiing/riding with your friends and family for decades to come, welcome to this course!
Course Curriculum
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Start1 // Quickly Identify Avalanche Terrain (5:19)
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Start1+ // Tech Tools to Measure Slope Angle (4:27)
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Start2 // Perform Self & Team Rescue (4:06)
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Start2+ // Shovel Beacon Probe Pack...Gear Talk (11:06)
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Start3 // Understand the Current Conditions (6:02)
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Start3+ // Understand the Avalanche Forecast Bulletin (18:18)
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Start4 // String Together A Safe Ascent & Descent Path (8:06)
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Start4+ // The Only Thing Truly In Your Control, Terrain (3:51)
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Start5 // Group Management (6:44)
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PreviewPartner Assessment Belt Ranking Rubric
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StartIntro: 9 Avalanche Problems (0:54)
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StartLoose Wet & Loose Dry: No Big Deal, Except When They Are (8:55)
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StartStorm Slab Avalanches: Why Ski Patroller's Get To Throw Bombs (13:44)
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StartWind Slab Avalanches: This Problem Blows (8:13)
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StartPersistent Slab Avalanche: The Funhog House Guest
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StartDeep Persistent Slab Avalanche: The Sleeping Dragon (14:01)
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StartCornices: A Pissed Off Rattlesnake (13:28)
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StartWet Slab Avalanches: The Fickle Trickle (1:11)
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StartGlide Avalanches: Avoid The Brown Frown (1:05)
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StartPotentially Lethal Non-Avalanche Hazards (2:00)
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StartVince Anderson Shares A "Near Miss" (5:54)
Your Instructor
Mark Smiley has been climbing, skiing and guiding for the better part of this life. His passion for adventure has taken him around the world. 5 Denali expeditions, and 20+ expeditions to places like China, Peru, Ecuador, Across Europe, Canada and Alaska, have given Mark a ton of experiences to draw from.
He and his wife, Janelle, are the only people that have attempted to climb all 50 Classic Climbs of North America (48 successfully). Additionally, he was part of a team to set a world record skiing across the entire Alps Mountain Range in a mere 36 days.
His teaching style is fun, concise and easy to understand. As an IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide, Mark is among the world's elite guides to reach this status. More important than this certification, is his candid style of conveying to you the best of the best information and techniques that will really help you. Through this course you will tap into his expertise, skills, and knowledge for real world learning.
"I am in love with something that can kill me. I created this course for those that share this love. Educating ourselves about avalanches is the foundational action we can take to stay alive in avalanche terrain. Yet, upon completing the highest levels of formal avalanche training, I was left longing for practical steps and systems to apply this knowledge in the field. This course is designed to avoid that problem. You will have the knowledge to make better decisions to keep you safer while in the backcountry. This course is a tool, one of many, you will use to become an expert. Never stop learning."
-Mark Smiley
Victor Caldua was a friend and mountain guide who died in an avalanche on Alpamayo, Peru. He left behind a wonderful wife, Alicia, and two amazing and talented daughters, Vanessa and Estefani. 10% of the profit from this course will be gifted to Victor's family for their college expenses. Vanesse wants to be an engineer and Estefani wants to be a mountain guide.
Jan 4, 2021 Update: $5,800 wired to Victor's family, which will cover most of their school expenses for the next year. Mtn Sense is committed to supporting their needs indefinitely as more people enroll in this avalanche course.