Going to sign up for a course in the Whistler area at some point before Jan 15. Should I wait for a significant buildup of the snowpack, or does it not matter?
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Going to sign up for a course in the Whistler area at some point before Jan 15. Should I wait for a significant buildup of the snowpack, or does it not matter?
Quote:
Originally Posted by seatosky
the short answer is before you go out and after you've read an avy book. it is nice to have a class when there are a few layers to observe but it's more important to just get the first class under your belt. besides, you'd be suprised how interesting a thin snowpack can be.
seatosky - did you see the post about the ARAC course? Even the RAC courses are good - CWMS has taught great classes. I personally think getting hte classes in early season are good. Nice educational article in Powder APD. Thanks for that
Cool, I'll probably take an IRAC course up in whistler around the 3rd of December. About 3/4 of the way through 'Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain', very educational.
I took one in Whistler two years ago in early December. The mountains were still mostly closed, and the snowpack wasn't huge, but I still learned a HUGE amount. Our out of bounds trip was just into Harmony Bowl as the lift was still not open for the season yet. Simply put, as long as there is a little snow, and there was even a little wind when it fell... there will be wind loaded areas that will be interesting to study.