avalanche certification

[powder11]

i felt like an ass posting this sort of thing in a thread where someone passed, but i feel its an important topic to bring up considering resorts are making it easy to access the bc. the # of avalanche related deaths recently should be an eye opener that bc skiers could avoid much of this if they had basic avalanche knowledge and training. the attitude bc newbies get from bc vets is not just about being cool, its about saving lives. we all know you can die out there and most everyone here has bc exp, carries the necessary avi gear, etc... in my opinion, anyone entering the bc (even the ec) should at least take an avalanche certification course. make sure your partner for the day has as well because he/she will be the one looking for you. i got certified at the u of u back in the day and that knowledge has turned me away from skiing a line many times. people spend thousands on gear so a couple hundred more for a class is worth saving your or someone elses life. its cheap and easy to do. going with someone experienced is always a good idea, but if they are the one who gets burried, everyone else is screwed. avalanche training and knowledge is just as important as carrying a beacon, shovel and probe. sorry for the soapbox, but we all need to play it safe out there.

[AltaPowderDaze]

this is true but it is widely accepted by avalanche professionals is that the most dangerous person in the bc is one that has just taken an avy 1. i think in a prefect world you could ready the books, then take the class and shortly after you could get out with an experienced traveler that can expound on the things you may have learned in class. if you don't get out soon after the class then you should probably take another one. you lose a lot of knowledge if you don't use it. just being out on a stable day and thinking about what you have learned is enough to keep it fresh. there are all sorts of situationals that you can pretend to have and react accordingly. just my opinion.

[LaramieSkiBum]

maybe they should stop calling it a "certification" for level 1. Its my understanding that "certification of level 1" or whatever is just a bunch of BS. I'm level 1, but holy shit I'm a jong - like APD says, I know just about enough to get my self in deep shit, literally.

No one ever recognizes that anyway right? Not until much more education is taken do certifications really mean anything, no?

It should be "trained but inexperienced" instead of a word that suggests mastery, maybe we should start a movement and have it called "Level 1: Inexperienced and Dangerous".

[gramps]

I've taken a couple of avy classes, and neither has really focused on the Level 1, 2 thing. I realize now that I got a little complacent after having taken those classes, like it didn't even cross my mind to sign up for another one at the beginning of this season. Getting out with APD has definitely got me thinking more about conditions, pits, etc., and I'd like to take another class, or at least go to a talk soon.

I think we can be a little spoiled here in the Wasatch, the snowpack usually stabilizes in a couple to a few days, and the avy report tells me if there's anything strange going on. But there is a lot more to the story than that, something I'm appreciating again.

[divegirl]

It's not called Avalanche Level 1 "Certification," but rather, "Certificate of Completion." That's what it says on my certificate. It doesn't say I'm "certified" in anything. And neither should anyone else's.....

There's a big difference.....I don't think I'm certified in ANYthing when it comes to backcountry safety - but rather, I have completed a course that has given me the tools and basic knowledge to know where NOT to go on certains days when avi danger could be considerable, high, or extreme.