Heather on Mt Seymour for the AST1 safety course:
“Sixteen Wanderung members participated in the Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 course for snowshoers taught by Canada West Mountain School. This was a 20 hour course, with one evening class and two full days on Mt. Seymour. We all learned a huge amount of information and practical skills about avalanches, how to avoid them, and how to make wise and informed choices for winter mountain travel. The main topics of weather, snow conditions, and terrain were explored and backed up by practical observations, evaluations and skill practice. We had lots of time to snowshoe all over Mt. Seymour, estimating slope angles, picking safe lines of travel in the terrain, digging snow pits to evaluate the types of snow, practicing beacon searches and companion rescue, and generally finding out how important this knowledge can be for anyone doing backcountry travel. My group of eight had great laughs sharing yummy snacks, singing songs, feeding the birds and snow-shovel sledding amidst all the serious learning. A great course, highly recommended!”
