Avalanche
If you are planning to visit an area where avalanche terrain regularly exists, you may want to enroll in the eight-hour Introduction to Avalanche Safety and Rescue course to learn the fundamental principles of avalanche hazards, safety, and rescue. This is particularly true if you are planning to ski/board outside of the controlled ski areas, where avalanches are more prevalent. This course also qualifies as an elective requirement for the NSP Senior Program.
The potential for avalanches exists wherever snow lies on steep slopes. It’s not only an issue in “big mountain” areas. Avalanche problems are widespread in geography and degree of hazard. To meet the varying challenges represented by this avalanche danger, the NSP has established several avalanche training courses.
The NSP’s avalanche courses fulfill all of the requirements of the Level I and Level II curricula adopted by the American Avalanche Association with one exception; the NSP courses include additional topics related to organized rescue. Please note that actual avalanche control work and rescue operations are under the direction and control of ski area management or other authorized agencies.
The NSP program includes the following courses:
- Avalanche Awareness (About 30 to 90 minutes): If sufficient students and an instructor are available, this course can be taught just about anywhere at any time of the year. The current limitation is the availability of qualified instructors. This course is designed to expose its audience to the nature of avalanche hazards and the kinds of things they need to know before venturing into avalanche terrain. It serves primarily to develop respect for avalanche hazards and to encourage people enroll in an Introduction to Avalanche Safety and Rescue course. This course does not qualify as an elective requirement for the NSP Senior Program.
- Introduction to Avalanche Safety and Rescue (About 8 hours). If sufficient students are available, this course is intended to be offered twice a year within the Division. Once at the Southern Division annual conference in Kingsport, TN in August and possibly at Massanutten or other northern patrol in the Spring of each year. This course introduces fundamental principles of avalanche hazards, safety, and rescue. This course does qualify as an elective requirement for the NSP Senior Program, but it does not meet Level 1 avalanche course standards and does not qualify as a prerequisite for enrollment in the Level 2 avalanche courses.
- Level I Avalanche (Minimum of 24 hours with at least 60% taught in the field). This course is typically not available in Southern Division, since we currently do not have the instructors or equipment to teach the full curriculum. Please see the Eastern Division and Central Division training calendars for training opportunities.
- Level II Avalanche (Minimum of 28 hours with at least 60% taught in the field). This course is definitely not available in Southern Division, since this course can only be taught in terrain that is prone to avalanches. Please see the Eastern Division training calendar for training opportunities, when it is held every other year at Whiteface Lake Placid, NY in an area appropriately called “The Slides”.