AVALANCHE SKILLS COURSE (ASC1)
Learn route selection, decision making, planning, & avalanche rescue skills.
The Avalanche Awareness Course also known as Avalanche Skills Course 1 (ASC1) is a New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) accredited course for skiers & snowboarders.
The focus of the course is to give backcountry travellers the foundation skills and knowledge to make safe decisions when travelling in avalanche terrain and what to do if someone in your party is caught in an avalanche.
Queenstown Mountain Guides use experienced mountain guides, ski touring guides, heli-skiing guides, and ski patrollers that have real experience working professionally in the industry. Your experienced instructor will share with you their personal real life experience in decision making, avalanche forecasting, and avalanche rescue.
The Avalanche Awareness Course is held over one 3 hour evening session on the first night and then followed by a full day at the Remarkables ski field. Queenstown Mountain Guides use lift access so we can make the most out of the day and get as much learning in as possible. If you would like to do a ski touring accessed course we recommend our 2.5 day Backcountry Travel Course.
Prior to the course you need to complete the Online Avalanche Theory Course and QUIZ. This is a requirement for the field day and will help you get the most out of the course.
AVALANCHE SKILLS COURSE (ASC1) SYLLABUS
- Introduction to the avalanche phenomenon – snowpack layering, triggers, avalanche types, avalanche sizes.
- Avalanche terrain – slope angles, aspects, altitude/elevation, trigger points, terrain traps, avalanche terrain exposure scale
- Conditions – Identifying signs of snow instability
- Decision making
- Safe travel techniques
- Route finding in avalanche terrain
- Rescue – Avalanche Transceivers, probing, shovelling technique
LOCATION
Remarkables ski area, Queenstown
MEETING POINT & TIME
Evening lecture Friday night: Meet at 7.00pm for a 3 hour lecture and slide show on the avalanche phenomenon.
Field day Saturday: Meet at ski area at 9am. Full day at Remarkables Ski field. The field day will finish at 5.00 pm
lITINERARY
Note that this itinerary is a sample only. Your final itinerary is subject to weather and other conditions.
Evening Lecture – Friday night
3 hour lecture and slide show on the avalanche phenomenon.
Field Day – Saturday
You will meet with your guide and instructor at 9am at the Remarkables Ski field. The field day is run within the ski field boundary using the lifts to access avalanche terrain (backcountry touring equipment is not required for this day.) A full day lift pass is required for the field day. We use the lifts to maximise learning time.
- The courses running on the 12th-13th August and 26th-27th August will be ski touring or snowshoe based. Snowshoe hire is available for $20 for the day.
The field day will finish at 5.00 pm
AVALANCHE SKILLS COURSE 1
Course dates:
30th June – 1st July
14th -15th July
28th – 29th July
11th – 12th August
25th – 26th August
This trip is available as a pre-organised group trip as well as for private bookings.
BOOK A GROUP TRIP
PRIVATE TRIPS
| People | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | $650 | $375 | $375 | $300 |
INCLUSIONS
TRIP NOTES
Experience required
This course is for skiers and snow boarders. Participants need the ability to ski/ride off piste in a variety of conditions.
Before the course commences we ask that you complete the online theory course. Please see the link below.
What to bring
You will need to bring:
- Food and water
- A pack large enough to carry avalanche equipment as well as your spare clothing, food, and water.
- Warm clothing, windproof jacket and pants, warm gloves, sunglasses or goggle, and sunscreen.
- Ski or snowboard equipment
- A full day lift pass for the Remarkables ski field.
Clothing & equipment
Skiing & climbing in the New Zealand mountains requires that you have high quality equipment and clothing due to the extremes of weather we experience. Please ensure you look carefully at our equipment checklist.
It is important that you keep as close as possible to the equipment checklist. The focus is on ensuring that you have the equipment you need, but also on keeping your pack as light as possible.
Guide to participant ratios
The maximum guide to participant ratio is 6 participants to 1 guide.
