fbpx

Hakuba & Niseko avi skills courses 2015-16

snow action team 12.11.2015

1. HAKUBA
Dave Enright needs little introduction to regular Snow Action readers – since appearing on our cover back in 2009 he has been a regular contributor, most recently with the story behind how they opened up the back country at Tsugaike in the Hakuba Valley last season.
He is a recognized professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and local guru of the Hakuba backcountry. The list of talent he has guided and looked after there reads like a who’s who of freeskiing and boarding – Jeremy Jones, Travis Rice, Johnny Moseley and more, and no one has worked harder to get terrain open at the resorts there and around Japan so we can all enjoy it. Fundamental to this is improving avalanche awareness, hazard control and skill levels for professionals and recreational skiers/riders alike.
Evergreen Outdoor Centre instructors Dave Enright, Bill Glude and Jon Conway are all professional members of the Canadian Avalanche Association and between them have decades of experience instructing recreational & professional avalanche courses. The Avalanche Skills Training (AST) courses have been developed by the Canadian Avalanche Center and are considered the standard in recreational avalanche training.
If the dates they have scheduled don’t work for you, and you have a group of 6 or more, contact them and they may be able to organise a special Avalanche Skills Training course for you.

© www.evergreen-hakuba.com

© www.evergreen-hakuba.com

For the 2015-16 season Evergreen have a full program of courses scheduled in Hakuba as follows:
The two day AST 1 course
This course is where you’ll learn the fundamentals of traveling in avalanche terrain. An AST 1 course comprises a minimum of seven hours of classroom instruction with one full day in the field, and is suitable for people with basic training and little experience.
December 2015: 8-9, 18-19
January 2016: 5-6, 16-17, 25-26
February 2016: 5-6, 17-18, 27-28
March 2016: 7-8
Cost
¥30,000
Location
Hakuba, Tsugaike Shizen-en etc
Includes
Textbook, Evaluator, two full days of instruction (one day indoors & one day in the field), BC insurance, tax.
Bring
Winter clothing for all conditions, warm hat or knit cap, goggles, gloves, skis, or board equipment, snowshoes or skins and climbing system, pack with shovel, probe, extra hat/gloves/vest, water, lunch and of course Avalanche Transceiver. Rentals available at discounted prices for course students.
Complete Course Outline
A complete course outline of the AST 1 can be found on the Avalanche Canada website (click ).
Restrictions
16 or older. At least intermediate skier/snowboarder/snowshoer.
Course Objectives
Understand the basics of avalanche formation and release.
Identify avalanche terrain.
Know the steps required to plan and carry out a trip.
Use the Avaluator2.0 as a decision-making tool in areas where trips are rated using the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and where avalanche bulletins are available.
Find resources for obtaining ATES terrain ratings if their trip is not rated.
Find resources for obtaining avalanche danger ratings and avalanche bulletins if these are not available.
Use appropriate travel techniques in avalanche terrain.
Carry out a companion rescue.
Understand the limits of their training.

AST 1+CRS (Companion rescue skills)
The two day AST 1 course, plus a one day CRS (Companion Rescue Skills) course – both developed and authorized by Avalanche Canada. A Companion Rescue Skills course is a must-have for all backcountry recreationists in any sport, because it teaches life-saving search and rescue techniques.
The CRS course may be the first step of your avalanche training, or an important refresher for those with previous training.
The one-day CRS requires a minimum of seven hours in the field.
December 2015: 8-10, 18-20
January 2016: 5-7, 16-18
February 2016: 5-7, 17-19, 27-29
Cost
¥45,000
Course Objectives
As for AST 1 (see above), plus CRS includes the following:
Consider and incorporate preventative measures.
Prioritize actions if caught in an avalanche.
Understand the function of airbags.
Understand transceiver functions & practice transceiver skills.
Apply search and rescue techniques.
Practice searching without a transceiver.
Consider multiple burial situations.
Organize a group rescue.
Identify post-incident considerations.

The five day AST 2 course
The five day AST 2 course is developed and authorized by Avalanche Canada. The AST 2 course is suitable for people with a moderate degree of training and experience and who have taken an AST 1 course. An AST 2 course builds on the foundations of your AST 1, and provides an intermediate decision-making framework for traveling in avalanche terrain. An AST 2 course comprises a minimum of 9.5 hours of classroom instruction with a minimum of three days in the field.
2015-2016 Schedule
January 2016: 25-29
March 2016: 7-11
Cost
¥69,000
Location
Happo-one, Tsugaike Shizen, Hakuba Backcountry
Includes
Textbook, instructor/evaluator, one full day & three evenings of classroom and four days in the field, BC insurance, tax.
Bring
Winter clothing for all conditions, warm hat or knit cap, goggles, gloves, skis, or board equipment, snowshoes or skins and climbing system, pack with shovel, probe, extra hat/gloves/vest, water, lunch and of course Avalanche Transceiver. Rentals available at discounted prices for course students – see our rental gear and prices here.
Complete Course Outline
A complete course outline of the AST 2 can be found on the Avalanche Canada website (click here).

Restrictions
16 or older.
Advanced skier/snowboarder.
AST-1 is NOT a prerequisite for AST-2.
Course Objectives
Use the Avaluator2.0 as a filtering tool to determine when additional planning and travel techniques are required to travel safely.
Be familiar with Avalanche Danger Ratings verification techniques for personal use on a local scale.
Be familiar with the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) technical model as a means to develop personal, local terrain ratings.
Use routefinding to take advantage of nuances in terrain to manage personal risk.
Use travel techniques in avalanche terrain appropriate to the avalanche conditions.
Proficiently carry out a companion rescue.
Understand the limits of their training.

Book with Evergreen-Tours

© Matthew Standal  www.hokkaidobackcountryclub.com

© Matthew Standal www.hokkaidobackcountryclub.com

2. NISEKO

Clayton Kernaghan and the team at Black Diamond Tours have played local host to talent including GoPro with John Jackson and Chris Benchetler, Red Bull with Sean Pettit, Richard Permin, Mark Abma and Joe Shuster, and Nimbus Independent just last season. Speaking of local, their AST 1 & AST 2 courses offer special early and late season discounts for hokkaido residents, ideal for anyone doing the season up there with requisite id.
Black Diamond Tours offers avalanche skills training courses in Niseko. This 2 day course will give you the knowledge and skills to reduce the risk of being caught in an avalanche. At the end of the course participants will be able to recognize avalanche terrain, conduct various tests to determine snow stability and should an avalanche occur, perform a self- rescue.
The course is recommended to anyone who enjoys skiing/riding powder and intends to do some off-piste, sidecountry or backcountry over the course of the winter. The AST course is recognized by the Canadian Avalanche Association and participants will receive a certificate upon its completion. Please click here for more info or visit the Canadian Avalanche Association website for full details on all courses, curriculum, prerequistes and loads of excellent free information on safe backcountry travel.
two day AST 1 courses 2015-2016
Dec. 12 & 13, 2015**
Dec. 17 & 18, 2015**
Dec. 21 & 22, 2015
Jan. 5 & 6, 2016
March 1 & 2, 2016
March 10 & March 11, 2015**
Cost
¥25,000
**Special Early/Late Season Locals Discount only ¥18,000
Additional course dates will be added dependent on interest. If you would like to take this course but none of the above dates work for you let Black Diamond know and they will do their best to arrange additional courses.
AST 2 course date 2015-2016
Dec. 14 – 17, 2015
Cost
¥55,000
Additional course dates to be added soon
Note: AST 1 certification is a prerequesite for AST 2.
(Course fees includes manual and all necessary backcountry gear)

Details/Book with Black Diamond

**Locals discount is available to all Hokkaido residents. Please bring a valid foreign resident card or Japanese ID indicating your residency in Hokkaido to qualify