Level 1 avalanche course in spring?

Hi,

I had hoped that my first post here would be more exciting, with pics and vids of skiing and hot women, but I have an important question – so the stoke will have to wait for now…

I have skied 20-30 days per year since I could walk, but have stayed inbounds in North America and have always had a guide for lift serviced off-piste in Europe. I am very keen to begin to explore the backcountry, and want to start getting into some touring. However, before my skiing goes any further, I want to take a level 1 avalanche safety course. I have two more weeks of skiing planned this season, one week in Val Thorens (last week of March) and one in Tahoe, probably Squaw or Kirkwood, in the first week of April.

My question is whether it is advisable to do an avie course in the spring, or would it be better to do one next season with a more typical winter snowpack? I want to do the course as soon as possible, but I equally want to be able to get the best education possible from it and am worried that the spring snowpack will limit the course. I would prefer to do the course in the Tahoe area for language reasons, but it seems that the scheduled courses I have seen don’t run this late, though I know Kirkwood offer a private course if you have 6 people (which I probably would).

If this is a stupid question, let me know (I’m sure you will) and I’ll delete this, but I haven’t had much luck in finding an answer…

Just got an e-mail from here, and they added another Avi-1 course. I don't know if it is any use, but with the current Sierra snow pack it should still be a good course.

http://www.alpineskills.com/avalanche1.html

There may be a difference in course content between USA and Europe (there is between USA and Canada). What that difference may be I couldn't tell you, but you might want to check.

As for doing the course in the spring, I'd say do it. There is a lot more to the course than snow science, i.e. human factors/decision making, safe route finding, companion rescue. And even in a relatively boring springtime maritime snowpack (in terms of what you'll see in a snow pit), you'll still find something to look at.

I recently took the ASI course--if it's representative of most AIARE I courses, which it probably is, you'll only dig a couple pits.

A Level I course is really just the beginning of your snow science education. It is really not designed to get you identifying different grains and crystals with any regularity. You certainly will be looking at a number of different layers; however, a level II class is where you really begin identifying the differences between facets and rounds. I think a level I class is certainly very appropriate in the spring. With the depths of the Sierra snowpack you will still get a wide varity of grains and crystals. Take the class and begin your education. The important pieces of the Level I are more in the decision making, the fundamentals, general terms used, route selection, human factors, weather factors, terrain factors, and group rescue.

Thanks for the advice. I'll go ahead and try to do the class this spring. If anyone is interested in joining a privately organized AIARE level 1 course in the Tahoe or Kirkwood area during the first week of April get in touch...or if anyone hears about an existing course in the area, that runs such late dates, a heads up would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for being such a great forum.