Avy Level 1 course

Avalanche Level 1 Course

Module 1: Nov. 21, 2015 – Pajarito Mountain, NM (Classroom Day) 

Module 2: Jan. 23 & 24, 2016 – Ski Apache, NM (Field Days)

Are you a backcountry traveler that wishes to learn how to navigate avalanche terrain, or to  rescue your partner should they be caught in an avalanche? Are you a ski patroller desiring avalanche education, whether for application in the line of duty or for personal recreation in the backcountry? If so, then this course is for you. 

Some of the best winter recreational locales are situated amidst avalanche terrain. If you venture into the backcountry during snow seasons, it is a very good idea to take an avalanche course.

This National Ski Patrol (NSP) Avalanche Level 1 course conforms to the curriculum of the American Avalanche Association (AAA), and includes the opportunity to attend both classroom lectures and on-the-snow field exercises, including the following topics: 

• Avalanche triangle: terrain, snowpack, weather 

• Beacon search, shoveling, and probing 

• Safe travel in avalanche terrain 

• Practical in-the-field snowpack stability evaluation methods 

• Immediate search for buried victims 

The class will be taught by Karl Geisler, an NSP Alpine Senior Patroller and certified Avalanche Level 1 instructor, with help from several other Level 1 and Level 2 avalanche-trained patrollers who have extensive backcountry ski/travel experience. 

Course schedule:

Module 1 (classroom) – Nov. 21, 8am – 5pm– Pajarito Mountain Ski Area, NM

Module 2: Jan. 23 & 24, 2016 – Ski Apache, NM (Field Days)
Please contact Karl Geisler at karlrgeisler@gmail.com for more information.