This six-day course provides an introduction to snow avalanche mapping for individuals working or interested in working in the avalanche risk management industry. Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to conduct air photo interpretation and determine the location of avalanche paths, analyze climate data, conduct relevant field work by collecting and recording observations, estimate the size and frequency of avalanches occurrences and present data according to industry standards.
If you are interested in this course you should consider that it is designed for the following people who are:
50% of the course time will be spent working in the classroom and labs. The other half of the course will be spent conducting field work at avalanche sites in teh nearby area. The course will generally run from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, with daily assignments which will entail work in the evenings in the air photo lab. Refer to the Sample Schedule under "Related Links" for details. Note that students are responsible for their own transportation on the course.
Program Goals
Prerequisites
Please note that successful completion of this course does not qualify you to conduct snow avalanche mapping work without supervision.
Registration
On-line registration opens in early May. Note that full payment is taken at the time of registration
Tuition
$1500
Course Evaluation
Participants' learning on this course will be evaluated based on the daily assignments and the final assignment. Participants must attend the entire course and receive a passing mark on all assignments in order to receive a certificate.
Course Equipment & Materials
Refer to Sample Course Equipment under "Related Links" for an example of student equipment needs.
A course manual is included as part of the tuition for the course and includes course notes, pre-course assignments, exercises, and the CAA's Land Manager and Risk Determination Guides. The comprehensive text, Snow Avalanche Management in Forested Terrain, BC Ministry of Forestry. Weir, P. (2002) ISBN 0-7726-4881-6, is also included. There are however other technical references that are highly recommended to students. Each student should have personal copies of the following publications and be fully familiar with their content and use in the avalanche industry:
09/19/2010 - 09/24/2010
09/27/2010 - 10/02/2010