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This course will help you understand and recognize the treacherous conditions that one can encounter in the backcountry and prepare you for any challenges that might come your way. Your certified and knowledgeable instructors will make sure that you understand everything you need to know on the first day so that you can apply this newly-acquired knowledge in the field on Day 2. Learn avalanche safety theory and master the fundamental avalanche skills in the field to become a safer skier! The classroom allows all students to maintain the required 2m physical distancing guidelines and cleaning is performed before and after every meeting room use, as well as during every break.
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After you sign all the necessary waivers, your guide will review the AST Pre-Course before moving on to avalanche safety theory, covering decision-making exercises and discussion. The day will include a short morning and afternoon break, as well as a lunch break. After you’ve covered the fundamentals, your guide will end the day’s course with a debrief along with homework, some handouts, and a list of valuable resources.
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Following a short briefing discussing the current conditions and weather, your guide will have everyone perform a gear check. From there, you will head up the mountain, where you’ll get the chance to test and apply the skills you learned on Day 1. After a series of informative and engaging exercises, the day will end at approximately 4:30 pm with a quick debrief and some guidelines on what steps you should take after your AST1.
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57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Whistler, BC, please refer to the Tourism Whistler website.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
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What you get in this adventure:
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- An experienced, certified guide with extensive knowledge of the area
- A classroom day or online classes
- 30-minute pre-course interactive lesson and video
- A full day in the field
- Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 certificate (upon successful completion)
- A Companion Rescue Field Card acknowledging completion date at course end
- Avaluator booklet and Avaluator slope assessment field card
- Canadian Avalanche Association mandatory student fee
- Use of snow study kit with thermometer, crystal screen and loupe
What’s not included:
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- Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
- Accommodation
- Food and snacks
- Parking
- Lift ticket (unless you already have a Season Pass, Edge Card or Epic Pass) $50 USD
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In order to get the most of this adventure, you need to have a moderate level of fitness. You will be on your feet for a full day. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
Prerequisites: You need to be at least an intermediate skier seeing as you’ll need to be able to ascend moderate slopes using skins. All participants should be comfortable traveling in snow while carrying touring gear. You should also have an average level of fitness.
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For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
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- Alpine touring skis or splitboard with skins and bindings (can be rented)
- Touring boots and poles (can be rented)
- Avalanche safety equipment (can be rented):
- Digital, 3-antenna avalanche transceiver or beacon
- Lightweight snow shovel
- Avalanche probe
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
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- Helmet
- Sunglasses or ski goggles
- Gloves
- A warm hat/toque and balaclava
- Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex recommended)
- Ski pants (Gore-Tex recommended)
- Down or synthetic insulated jacket or vest
- Synthetic or wool base layers, underwear and socks
- Mid layer fleece top
- One triple-action locking carabiner or two conventional locking carabiners
- Repair kit and Leatherman for your equipment (can be shared between several people)
- Water bottle and 1L of water
- Thermos with a warm beverage — optional
- Food you can eat on-the-go
- First-aid kit with blister kit
- Sunscreen
- Daypack large enough to carry all items listed (around a 25-35L backpack)
- Pen, paper/notebook, face mask (for Classroom Day)
- Laptop (for Classroom Day) — optional
- Map, compass, GPS — optional
- Camera — optional
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All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. Your guiding service has teamed up with local rental companies to provide discounted rentals.
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- Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel and probe from Escape Route
- Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots and poles can be rented from Escape Route
- Splitboards can be rented from Escape Route
Ski rental locations are in Whistler and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
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Group sizes and pricing:
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- For the group courses, the max client to guide ratio is 8:1.
- Cost is per person and it doesn’t decrease as the group grows.
- For the private course, the max client to guide ratio is 6:1.
- The cost for the private course is per person and decreases as your group grows, making it a perfect opportunity to learn with your friends and family!
Courses in Whistler, BC, can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
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- If you are older than 19, you’re good to go.
- Minors may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis.
- Guests under the age of 19 must have a parent or legal guardian sign the waiver on their behalf.
If your group has skiers under the age of 19, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
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To get to Whistler, most people fly into Vancouver International Airport 1.5 hours from Whistler. From there, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location. If you’ve opted for the in-person course, you’ll head to the guiding company’s classroom location. Note that the nearest parking for this course is located at the Whistler Day Lots, a 3-minute drive from your guiding service. For the field day, the guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
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