AST II – Day 1

Avalanche Skills Training 2

We were up early, partly because we’re always up early but we also had a lot of equipment to get together for the start of our AST II course. Once we’d gathered ourselves and our equipment we headed off to Portobello’s to get some breakfast (excellent breakfast wraps)and a large coffee.

After we’d fuelled ourselves up for the day we set off for the Chamber of Commerce (above the Tourist Information Centre) where our course was to kick off with some theory

Classroom

Our group consists of 6 students (us, Tim & Brigitte, Chris from WAGB, and Melissa) and the instructor from WAGB. After introductions and a few technical hitches the course started with a fast paced review of AST I with slightly more focus on group dynamics (F.A.C.E.T.S.), terrain evaluation and route finding than I remember from our first course. We’ve been given a copy of Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper which looks like a comprehensive and interesting read.

Harmony Base

After dropping our textbooks and assorted other kit off at the Hilton (location for the evening class) we set off up the hill. After our first experience of trailhead procedures (essentially checking essential equipment and that everybody understands and is happy with the plan) we set off down GS towards the base of Harmony. Whistler had finally decided it was safe enough to open Harmony and given it was around 12pm everything was totally tracked out. It’s a shame we missed it but this course should put us in a good place for many years of frenzy free powder.

Transceiver Practice

We split into two groups of 3 for transceiver practice. Everybody was pretty quick, even when Brigitte tried an analogue search with her shiny new transceiver. Trees were causing a little confusion but making the practice much more realistic. I was pleased with my fine search but I need to make sure I don’t rush the search.

Transceiver Variations

It was interesting to see the different ranges we each managed (2-3 generations of DTS Trackers and a Mammut Pulse). I was concerned to see how easy it was to get my transceiver to lose the signal by rotating the transceiver we were searching for. I think I’ll upgrade before next winter. I hear BCA have a new version of the Tracker coming out.

Uphill

After we finished practicing we switched to uphill mode and went for a short walk through the trees up the lower part of Harmony Ridge. We switched leads several times and picked a winding route staying on terrain with an angle less than 30 degrees. The snow quality was incredibly variable. In the smaller trees the snow was light, dry and fluffy but in the larger trees the snow was crusty and wet, apparently the trees absorb heat from the sun and then re-radiate it back to the snow. By now the light was starting to fade and we had more classroom work to do!

Back to the classroom

We split into groups again and planned routes up Harmony Ridge (to Lesser Flute) and a route in the Duffey Lake area. The Lesser Flute trip was planned for the following day so we discussed this in some length including possible hazards and any route finding issues that could cause problems.

We also talked about where we can source weather and avalanche information (most of which I have covered already in Let it Snow! and Avalanches & Avalanche Safety)

I’d totally forgotten that the CAC have a trip planner that uses the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and the current avalanche report to help you plan trips. Apparently John Baldwin (author of Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis: A Guidebook to Mountain Ski Touring in Southwestern British Columbia) is writing a new book including ATES ratings.

We finished up at around 7pm and went to Dups Burritos to get some food and a beer before we collapsed into bed. Dups is great for quick, tasty and relatively healthy food. It was also a good refuge from the hundreds of drunk American teenagers wandering up and down the Stroll and filling the bars. (It was Martin Luther King Day – a long weekend for the US.)