Avalanche Training
New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) is active in promoting avalanche awareness and safety in New Zealand and has offered avalanche training for over 25 years.
Avalanche Awareness Courses
Avalanche Awareness courses are for skiers, snowboarders and climbers, and provide a first step to gaining an appreciation of the avalanche phenomenon and what is needed to make decisions about personal safety when travelling in avalanche terrain.
Avalanche courses 2008: Check out avalanche awareness courses in your area.
The Avalanche Awareness course involves both a lecture and a field day and covers:
- Mountain weather
- Identification of avalanche terrain
- Basic route finding and decision making
- Companion rescue
- Safety equipment (including use of transceivers)
Avalanche Awareness Course costs vary throughout NZ.
The Avalanche Awareness course is a prerequisite for the Backcountry Avalanche course.
Backcountry Avalanche Courses
A more advanced Backcountry Avalanche Course is available for those interested in developing more advanced observation and route finding skills.
The Backcountry Avalanche course is provided over two weekends and covers:
- Characteristics of avalanche phenomenon
- Snowpack factors (layers and shear planes)
- Observation techniques
- Human factors
- Group travel in avalanche terrain
- Small group search and rescue
Backcountry Avalanche Course cost: $500
Lectures
A lecture is held in the evening prior to each field day, and lasts around two hours. Attendance is a prerequisite for the field days.
Field Days
Field days focus on practical aspects and last all day. For Avalanche Awareness a Certificate of Attendance is issued by the provider. For Backcountry Avalanche, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion, and those who reach the transceiver search standard will receive a Certificate of Transceiver Competence.
Instructors
All instructors are qualified avalanche professionals who have been vetted and registered by MSC. Most work in the mountain environment and have extensive experience to share.
Further Training
MSC also offers professional training programmes for individuals working in the mountain environment, now run through Otago Polytechnic, Whitireia Community Polytechnic, CPIT, Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, and Tai Poutini Polytechnic, which are a logical further step in training.
Avalanche Advisory: Check the status of mountains in your area.
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