Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Course

Everett Backcountry Ski Course - This course offers a great introduction to safely meeting the challenges of travelling in the Cascades backcountry on snow.

This course is designed for advanced alpine skiers, telemarkers, and splitboarders. This course is not for beginner skiers/riders. 

Prerequisite for the course: (1) completed an AIARE or AAA Level 1 course within the last 3 years. You need to show your completion certificate at the first course lecture. (2) demonstrated ability to ski ungroomed black diamond runs with at least 5 years of experience (>10 days per year). 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Become a competent and engaged group member on Mountaineers' day touring trips rated M1-M3 (no glacier travel) 
• Plan and execute day tours in the backcountry by evaluating important safety factors such as weather, terrain, avalanche risk, and group fitness
• Demonstrate correct use of the equipment necessary for backcountry touring
• Demonstrate mastery of backcountry touring skills such as kick-turns, ascending with climbing skins, skiing downhill on touring gear with a heavy pack, and transitions
• Demonstrate ability to build an emergency shelter in the snow
• Demonstrate successful practice of avalanche safety skills including route planning, observation, identification of avalanche hazards, beacon use, and companion rescue

COURSE FORMAT

This course includes 3 required lectures and 3 required day field trips. The field trips are tours where we put it all together, from planning where to go (tour planning) to making decisions on how to travel uphill and downhill (route finding). Everybody will get the chance to practice skills they have learned while receiving coaching and feedback.

Note: Field trip locations and dates may change depending on weather, avalanche forecasts, road closings, or other conditions.

The location and date of the field trips are subject to change and will be confirmed at the preceding lecture.

COURSE SCHEDULE

• Lecture 1 - Feb 20
  • Field Trip 1 - Feb 22
• Lecture 2 - Feb 27
  • Field Trip 2 - Mar 1
• Lecture 3 - Mar 20
  • Field Trip 3 - Mar 22

Field Trip Locations

Field trips will be wherever there's the best snow quality and coverage and the least avalanche risk! In general, this will range from Mt Rainier (Paradise), Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass and/or Mt Baker. The posted field trip locations are our Plan A; we'll review conditions and finalize the plan in the preceding lecture. So be prepared for locations to change.