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Professional,
Technical, and Educational |
Avalanche Education Programs
2010 - 2011 Course Schedule
Our schedule this season consists of field days offered in support of the online course we developed which is now offered through the avalanche center, using the facilities incorporated into their Avalanche Institute. This is explained in overview fashion on our "this season" page, and full details of the online course are available at the Avalanche Institute. (You will find an unprecedented amount of content detail there, including objectives, topics, outlines, resources, and more for each module in the course.)
Field days are still being scheduled for this season. Times and locations depend on a number of factors. In the Cascades and central/northern Sierra Nevada we are able to schedule days on relatively short notice. We can even schedule them for a very small number of students if they are held between Bend, OR and Mt Shasta, CA. There will be field days available any day during the third and fourth weeks of January in UT upon request, for any number of students. We will be scheduling at least one in the central Sierra of CA for existing students and will try hard to accommodate any additional students at the same time. There are likely to be additional field days in that area as well. We are working on making field days easily available in CO but have no firm announcements on that yet.
Remember that you may attend any and all field days you wish to in the future as long as you meet the prerequisite requirements.
Current Field Day Schedule:
Unless otherwise noted all field days will be available for any number of confirmed participants with no minimum. If necessary we can easily add additional days before or after the ones listed if enrollment exceeds our maximum. In this case they may be weekdays. (Weekdays can be the primary dates also, on request. We favor weekends in our initial schedule because that seems to accommodate more people.)
December 11-12 - Mt Hood, Oregon (Tentative)
We have offered to hold field sessions on this weekend for a group in the area. However, they have not yet confirmed their registration for the prerequisite material and until they do it is considered tentative. If this weekend is confirmed there will be space available for other individuals as well. Currently enrolled students will probably take some of these spots. The alternative is the not-so-bad drive to Bend the following weekend.
December 18-19 - Bend / Central Oregon
Confirmed, space available. Additional field days in this region (from Bend to Mt Shasta) are easy to schedule on request for any number of people. Most of our pilot program field days were in this region, many of them for 1-3 students.
January 2 - Central Sierra, California
Confirmed, available spots for Field Day #1. Exact location TBD, but it will be in the Reno / Carson City / Truckee area somewhere.
January 8-9 - Bend / Central Oregon
Confirmed, space available. Additional field days in this region (from Bend to Mt Shasta) are easy to schedule on request for any number of people.
January 18-31 - Wasatch Mountains, Utah
This time frame spans the winter Outdoor Retailer show. Days will be set up on request for any number of students, any day may be requested. We expect the demand to be primarily in the Salt Lake area, but locations from Spanish Fork to Logan are possible.
February - March
These months remain open for scheduling at this time. The sooner people request a date the more choice they will have, just remember that your choice means nothing until you've registered for the prerequisites. Or already challenged them.
Anticipated locations include Oregon (Bend and Mt Hood), Colorado, California (Central Sierras, maybe Mt Shasta pending interest/demand), and perhaps others pending requests.
Additional Locations and Field Sessions
We have received numerous requests for field sessions in other areas recently. However, these have been from scattered individuals who may or may not register for the online parts despite our schedule. Therefore we cannot add anything firm to the schedule based on this. For most locations we need 2-3 people who are committed and registered for the online portions to add something firm to our schedule.
Students who are in scattered and unscheduled locations are encouraged to complete at least the first field session on their own. The required modules provide all of the background necessary, the guidelines provided ensure that you complete the right exercises, and the write-up makes sure you review and synthesize what you learned. This fully engages the student in the learning process and can be a very powerful approach, and it does not preclude taking one or more scheduled field days later.
Field Session Notes:
Field sessions are scheduled as warranted by demand, both anticipated and actual. We also anticipate working with groups in some locations, and this may lead to additional field sessions. Groups of any size, from two or three up, can schedule their own dates, but when these are not full they become available to other students as well. This means our schedule will be updated throughout the winter so check back. And if you need a location/date not on our schedule feel free to contact us.
Field days are free to anyone meeting the prerequisites but will be booked on a first-come first-serve basis. Currently certified students can sign up for field days as free refreshers, and students who successfully challenge the required modules are also eligible to register.
Special Classes, Private Arrangements
Private classes or field sessions and special classes tailored to a groups needs can be arranged upon request. Also, groups of 4 or more students taking the online course not only get a discount from the Avalanche Institute but also a chance to schedule field days with us specifically for their group. Contact Us with any questions.
Registration:
Contact us to register for a field day or to request an addition to the schedule. In order to register or make such a request you must be enrolled in the online course so we know you will meet the prerequisites, unless you have completed it in the past or have successfully challenged the required modules.
Disclaimer - It is extremely rare for us to cancel a field session, if it has happened at all we can't remember when. In many cases the number of students registered is not a factor and the field day can be held with even one or two people if necessary. However, situations beyond our control are always possible. In the case that some unforeseen situation requires us to cancel or reschedule a field day we will not be responsible for any incidental expenses you may have. These are minimal for most people, but keep this in mind if you travel a long way for a field session. You might consider travel insurance and/or airline tickets that are transferable to new dates. Refunds from us are not an issue since this is all done on a volunteer basis and you will not be paying anything to us anyway.