Advanced Workshop

ADVANCED AVALANCHE HAZARD EVALUATION WORKSHOP

The ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Program sponsors an Advanced Avalanche Hazard Evaluation Workshop, which consists of two evening sessions and one Saturday field session. Course content includes: snowpack metamorphism, the mechanics of avalanche failure and fracture, and decision-making problems. Different topics are covered each evening session. The field session includes snowpack analysis, and avalanche rescue problems. The course emphasizes increasing the decision-making skills of the students. Instructors are Ron Johnson and Karl Birkeland.

Course Requirements:

We assume that each student has basic knowledge of avalanche terrain, weather factors that contribute to avalanches, and the development and relationship between slabs and weak layers. Therefore, each student should have taken the equivalent of a ten-hour basic avalanche course, including a field session. Each student needs to have and know how to use an avalanche rescue beacon. Each student needs a shovel. Participants need skis or snowboard and able to efficiently negotiate non-groomed, intermediate slopes. Each student will need either climbing skins or snowshoes, to facilitate access to field sites.

ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED with priority given to students and staff of MSU. Costs are: ASMSU-$35.00, MSU-$40.00, and the General Public- $45.00. Contact The ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Program at 994-3621 for more information.

Dates:

Evening Sessions: February 4 and 5, 2009, 7:00 to 9:30 p.m., at MSU in the Strand Union Building.

Field Session: February 7, 2009, 9:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Bridger Bowl.