A 2-day Avalanche Safety course aimed at snowboarders, run by Steven McDonald, BASI 4 Snowboard Instructor and Austrian Snowboard Guide. The course will be primarily on the mountain and will include some nice freeride lines. At the same time we will cover basic and advanced transceiver rescue, safe-travel tactics, decision-making, avalanche forecasting and interpretation, risk reduction and snow stability tests. Some more theory-based content will be covered in advance and in the evening over a beer with most of our time over the two days spent on the hill both riding and working on practical skills. The course will run over the weekend prior to my pre-season freeride course, offering the possibility to combine the two into a week of riding.
Program:
The course will run over Saturday and Sunday 28th and 29th November. You'll need to be in resort in time for a 9am start on the 28th. There will be a post-ride classroom/pub session on the Saturday evening.
Accommodation:
Not included
Meals:
Not included
TRAVEL:
Tignes is a mega resort, with transfer options available from Geneva, Lyon, Chambery and Grenoble airports. The early-season dates can sometimes be tricky, let me know and I can advise further.
Riding level:
This course is for intermediate and up level riders with some backcountry experience. You should have at least 8-10 weeks riding experience and have at least some experience of enjoying turns in off-piste conditions.
fitness level:
You should have a reasonable level of fitness as we will very likely do some hiking during the week in order to find fresh lines. Usually about 1hr or 300m maximum.
Equipment required:
Avalanche safety equipment loan is included in the course price if you don't have your own. It's very likely that we will do some touring to find some untracked snow both for fresh lines and for snowpack analysis. Splitboard kit will therefore be very useful (rental available) but the touring will be short so snowshoes would also be sufficient and can be rented very cheaply.
additional costs (not included):
Travel, accommodation, meals, lift pass, insurance.
