M.A.S.T. Level 2+ Course Schedule

Day 1

Morning Meeting – 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM

Bring your coffee and get comfortable as we will be diving right into the course at 8:00 am sharp. The morning instruction will start with introductions, a broad overview of what to expect for the duration of the course. We will start with a review of the key points about avalanche rescue gear, rescue planning, avalanche terrain, and the avalanche bulletin as well as reviewing key knowledge that’s needed to use the bulletins. We will then select an appropriate riding zone for the days field component.

Field Instruction – 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM

With time being limited please show up to the course with your sleds fueled, gear, and food ready to make the move to the field. We will be starting with a review of avalanche rescue equipment and doing a quick check that your equipment is functional and in working order. We will then move to avalanche rescue techniques and planning. You will be getting hands on instruction with your equipment and mock rescues to make sure that you have a quality understanding about rescue planning and the skills needed to operate your rescue equipment.

As we travel through simple and challenging avalanche terrain, we will be working with you to make sure that you have the ability to recognize what is avalanche terrain. We will utilize what we learned in the avalanche bulletin and look to apply that to the current avalanche hazard we are traveling through. One of the main goals for the day will also be looking at the understanding of the group on proper travel habits through avalanche terrain as a team.

Day 2

Morning Meeting – 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

8:00 am sharp, feel free to bring coffee and treats. Assessing the group’s understanding from day one, our instructional team will focus on key review points for the group. Because we work with small groups, we can adjust to the needs of the individual students and focus on the retention of key knowledge. Looking at the Avalanche Bulletin forecast and applying our knowledge, we will plan and pick our riding location for the day based on its avalanche terrain and the current avalanche hazard.

Field Instruction – 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

With time being limited please show up to the course with your sleds fueled, gear, and food ready to make the move to the field. Like our morning meeting our instruction team will use their assessment from day one, to work with the group to review any key points about rescue gear, rescue planning, and missing rescue skills. From there we will be focusing on the group’s ability to apply those skills to mock rescues. As we travel through avalanche terrain we will be honing the groups’ ability to identify avalanche terrain, and the group’s ability to implement proper traveling habits through simple and challenging avalanche terrain.

Day 3

Morning Meeting – 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

8:00 am sharp, feel free to bring coffee and treats. At this point we all have a good understanding that weather creates snowpack, and that weather can affect the snowpack and avalanche hazard. So, each morning of the course we will be reviewing the bulletin as a team. This helps you apply the knowledge you have learned from your knowledge journey to your daily trip planning on choosing where an appropriate place to ride is with the current avalanche hazard. We focus on laying the current snowpack conditions over the avalanche terrain we would like to manage for the day’s field component. We consider and apply how the weather forecast effects the avalanche hazard for the day, and how sometimes the weather forecast, and avalanche forecast are not perfect in predicating the avalanche hazard for the day.

Field Instruction – 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Once again with time being limited, please show up to the course with your sleds fueled, gear, and food ready to make the move to the field. Now that we have made sure your equipment and rescue skills are at a certain level. We will be focusing on traveling larger amounts of terrain working on your observational skills. We will be teaching you about sled snowpack testing, other simple snowpack tests, and track observations. You will develop key field skills to assess the current avalanche hazard that the group is traveling in using terrain selection, and group traveling skills to minimize the risks. We get our heads into the snowpack with track pits and probe penetration to determine where we can dig a pit to help grow your understanding of avalanche formation.

Whisky & Words – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

At this point it’s been a long day. Depending on the group and planning we may move this time slot to 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and have supper as a group so that we can continue learning. This approach helps us keep you in the field so that you are getting the best bang for your buck applying knowledge, which equals retention. Now that we have had some time with the group, we will have formatted a plan on key things that need review for the class. From there we will be looking to grow the groups knowledge about avalanche formation, understanding of avalanche triggering, touchy / stubborn slabs, observational skills, snowpack testing, backcountry etiquette, traveling habits, mapping, avalanche rescue skills as well as planning, and human factors that contribute to avalanche accidents.

Day 4

Morning Meeting – 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

Once again at 8:00 am sharp class starts, feel free to bring coffee and treats. This morning meeting will be a bit different experience than the past few days. We will be looking to grow your skills to interpret the avalanche bulletin, and how you apply that to the day’s trip planning. What makes it different is how we will be teaching you to work as a team. The principle of five heads is better than one will be applied. As we all know with having mechanical machines in the back country it takes a group effort to resolve issues. Managing avalanche hazard is no different. Learning to work as a group to manage avalanche decisions is a key skill groups need to have to reduce the risk.

Field Instruction – 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Once again with time being limited, please show up to the course with your sleds fueled, gear, and food ready to make the move to the field. On the final day of the course, we will be looking to apply all the skills we have learned as a team and travel through simple, challenging and, if conditions allow, manage complex avalanche terrain. One of our primary goals for the day is to develop your avalanche rescue skills.

You will hone individual skills as well as your ability to work as a team to create a rescue plan and manage common issues like electrical interference, human communication, and the ability to use your machines as tools to save energy. The other key focus of the day is honing the groups’ ability to constantly assess the avalanche hazard as we move through terrain, using the knowledge and skills that we have taught you throughout the course. We work on the concept that application of knowledge equals retention. So, we will be constantly guiding you through terrain teaching you how to apply what has been taught in the field and hands on in the real world.

Further Hands-On Learning