Backcountry Skiing & Snowboarding

SAFETY FIRST.

For many people, the ultimate thrill of skiing and snowboarding is riding untouched powder. One of the main reasons many people take an ALLTRACKS Academy course is to develop their off piste technique so that they can fully enjoy the experience of riding the deep stuff – you will be pleased to hear Whistler usually gets well over 30 feet of snow each winter and Revelstoke generally weighs in at 40-60 feet each season. This latest season in Whistler (2009/10) has been outstanding with a huge amount of snow.

At ALLTRACKS Academy, not only will you improve your powder technique, but you will also further your understanding and knowledge of the mountain environment, the potential hazards and how to enjoy the mountains in safety.

The guides that oversee the ALLTRACKS backcountry training are certified members of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA) or the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) so everyone can be certain that they are in good hands when venturing into the backcountry on an ALLTRACKS Academy course. All the guides involved in our backcountry modules are qualified to deliver the training.

On every ALLTRACKS course, students will benefit from a thorough introduction to the backcountry environment.

BACKCOUNTRY ENVIRONMENT.

Safety Brief — highlighting possible risks.

OFFICIAL AVALANCHE SKILLS TRAINING COURSE (AST-1)
The AST-1 is an invaluable course for skiers and snowboarders venturing into unpatrolled areas. It is the only course of this type that is officially recognised by the Canadian Avalanche Association and it leads to an industry recognised Certificate.
It focuses on the ability to recognise and avoid avalanche terrain and how to effectively rescue a member of your group in an avalanche situation. You will learn about:

• Recognising and avoiding avalanche hazards
• Terrain evaluation
• Snowpack structure analysis
• Safe route selection
• Weather study
• Avalanche rescue techniques including the use of transceivers and other safety equipment.
• "Avalulator" programme for decision making support

It should be stated that just by attending the above course does not make you an expert in operating in the backcountry as this takes years of study and experience. What the AST-1 avalanche course does do, is give people an insight and the direction to go on and learn more if they wish. To that end, ALLTRACKS Academy only recommends riding off piste with one of the qualified guides.

Read ALLTRACK's Backcountry Article

overnight ski & SnowBoard Tour.

A real highlight of every ALLTRACKS ski or snowboard course, regardless of how long you are in Banff, Whistler or Revelstoke for. Led by your  guide, you will venture deep into the backcountry for an adventure of deep snow, fresh tracks and an experience of wilderness that is becoming increasingly hard to find. Even though most clients will never have done anything like this before, it really does make for 2 of the very best days of the course where you put to practice everything learnt before.