AVALANCHE COURSES

IMPROVE YOUR BACKCOUNTRY SKILLS

Gain the skills to stay safe and have fun in the backcountry. Improve your backcountry skiing/boarding, travel and understanding of avalanche terrain under the expert guidance of professionals. We offer three practical, on-the-snow courses to suit a range of ages and abilities.

AVALANCHE PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE

SNOW SAFETY FOR YOUTH - Available on request

This one-day course is designed for youth who ride at club fields and like to venture into the more challenging terrain. It's important to give our youth the skills to understand the terrain they are riding in and keep them safe.

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AVALANCHE SKILLS COURSE 1 (ASC1) - 13-14 Aug, 3-4 & 5-6 Sept 2024

A must have if you're thinking of going back country. Learn the basics of avalanches and learn to ski/ride with ease and efficiency in challenging backcountry conditions on our 2 day/1 night course. 

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FIVE DAY BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE COURSE (ASC2) - July 23*-27 2024

Our popular, in-depth course. Gain confidence and technique for riding in the backcountry and spend four days on the slopes learning how to analyse snow profiles, practicing snow tests and develop your route finding and terrain analysis skills. *Arrive on Monday evening July 24th.

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COURSE DATES AND PRICES

 COURSE

   DATES VISITOR CHILL PASS HOLDER MEMBER MEMBER SEASON PASS
Snow Safety for Youth   TBA $85 $85 $85 $85
Avalanche Skills Course 1 - 1 13-14 Aug $570 $470 $TBA $TBA
Avalanche Skills Course 1 - 2 3-4 Sept $570 $470 $TBA $TBA
Avalanche Skills Course 1 - 3 5-6 Sept $570 $470 $TBA $TBA
Five Day Backcountry Avalanche - 1 25-29 July $1940 $1595  $TBA  $TBA

Note: Payment by Visa, M/C & Debit Cards attract a 2.5% surcharge.

BR Snow Safety For Youth Course2

Snow safety for Youth

This course is aimed at youth who ride at club fields & like to explore more challenging terrain. It's important to give our youth the skills to understand the terrain they ride in and not become complacent about avalanche safety.

In this hands-on course participants will learn how to:

  • assess snow stability & minimise risk when they're exploring the slopes
  • find avalanche information & interpret the Avalanche Advisory
  • look at the Broken River's avalanche procedures
  • identify avalanche terrain and safe terrain
  • use a transceiver and rescue companions
  • understand the very basics of snowpack assessment

PRICE

  ALL PARTICIPANTS    
         $85 Price excludes lift ticket  

 Course available on request. Participants must be 13-18 years and strong intermediate skiers/boarders (can ride all of Allan’s Basin in most conditions). Course runs 9am-4pm.

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avalanche awareness course

Avalanche Skills Course 1

Your course days with a half-day off piste course to improve to improve your skiing skills with a highly-qualified ski instructor. You will:

  • gain confidence and technique to improve your off-piste riding
  • learn to ski with ease and efficiency and fun in challenging conditions 

The avalanche skills section of the course starts after lunch at 1.30pm with inside session. This Mountain Safety Council-accredited ASC1 course takes you through the basics of avalanche and making sound decisions about personal safety while in the backcountry. The next day you're out on the mountain with a day of hands-on learning. This part of the course covers:

  • understanding mountain weather
  • how to identify avalanche terrain and safe travel zones
  • route finding and decision making
  • companion rescue
  • how to use avalanche safety equipment, including transceivers

PRICE

 COURSE

 VISITOR CHILL PASS HOLDER MEMBER MEMBER SEASON PASS
13-14 Aug $570 $470 $TBA $TBA
3-4 Sept $570 $470 $TBA $TBA

Price includes 1 nights Catered accommodation, lift passes, course fees & tow belt hire.

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BR Backcountry Avalanche Course

Five Day Backcountry Avalanche - Avalanche Skills Course 2

This amazing hands-on comprehensive course is aimed at recreational skiers/riders looking to an indepth knowledge for safe backcountry touring. On Day One you focus work on riding skills to improve your own backcountry experience in two 1.5 hour off-piste clinics with a highly-qualified ski/board instructor. These techniques set you up with the skills to make the most of your backcountry time during Days 2 to 5. At the end of Day 1 you will:

  • gain confidence and technique to improve your off-piste riding
  • learn to move with ease and efficiency in challenging conditions 
  • gain skills to enjoy the backcountry crud
  • have free time to practice what you've learnt


Days 2 to 5 includes a comprehensive backcountry avalanche skills course and includes a mix of field time and lectures.  During this four day Mountain Safety Council-accredited Backcountry Avalanche (ASC2) course you'll learn to:

  • understand the characteristics of avalanches and how to identify them
  • analyse the snowpack, study snow profiles and practise snow tests to better understand snow conditions
  • assess slope stability, terrain analysis & route finding out on the slopes.
  • choose safe routes and travel safely in avalanche terrain
  • tour to different locations to put into practise what has been learnt.


Your avalanche instructor, internationally-certified UIAGM/IFMGA mountain guide Anna Keeling, has taught avalanche classes & guided backcountry skiing, rock, ice & alpine climbing in NZ, USA, India, Canada, Africa & Europe for over 20 years.

PRICE

 COURSE

 VISITOR CHILL PASS HOLDER MEMBER MEMBER SEASON PASS
23-27 July $1940 $1595 TBA TBA

 

Price includes 5 nights Catered accommodation (Mon-Sat morning), 5 BR lift passes, 4 packed lunches (Wed-Sat), course fees, course materials & tow belt hire. You are required to be at BR on Monday night before the course starts.  

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ASC1 & FIVE DAY AVALANCHE COURSE INFORMATION

Minimum requirements: You must have a high-intermediate or above skiing/snowboarding ability. These courses are not designed for people with minimal ski/snowboard experience. 

Some previous experience using a "nutcracker" rope tow.  If you haven't ridden a rope tow before we'd be happy to help you learn get comfortable with this lift system, but this must be undertaken BEFORE your course start date.

Gear to bring: your own snow shovel, probe and transceiver. These can be hired in Christchurch or Darfield. 

For the Five Day Backcountry Course: skiers should have touring skis, skins and ski crampons, snowboarders should have poles, foot crampons that fit their snowboots and 60 cm or longer ice axe. This is a "hands-on" course. You will be earning your turns so need a moderate level of fitness (able to stay out on the slopes for 6-8 hours) and a strong intermediate or better skier/boarder. You should also be capable of riding a rope tow wearing a 5kg pack on and have the fitness to skin or hike at least 500m up hill. A good base level of fitness from running, hill walking, cycling and other aerobic activity is essential. We will send out a detailed gear list several weeks prior to the course start date.

More questions? Please do contact us if you require more information.