Kokanee Cabin AST 2

Expanding on the skills that you learned in AST 1 the AST 2 course is designed to teach you to explore more advanced terrain. Field days will have a heavy focus on getting students in the lead and making decisions on the move. Teaching you how to lead and route plan for your own trips. Your instructors will introduce a variety of new snow stability tests, as well as a more advanced set of snowpack analysis skills and their application, not previously introduced in the AST 1 course.

All our students receive a certificate upon successful completion of the course. The AST 1 is a prerequisite certification course you are expected to have before attending AST 2

• • • • Day 1: Meet in Nelson, BC, at the Kootenay Valley Helicopters Hangar at 8am where you will be introduced to your group and your instructors. There you will fly into the Kokanee Glacier Cabin Hut by private helicopter (on a clear day be sure to look at the beautiful peaks of the Southern Selkirks). There will still be plenty of time for a first day of learning once you arrive and unpack. This is a good opportunity to review gear, companion rescue skills briefly before being orientated to the area by your instructors. 
    • • Day 2 – 7: There are so many great terrain options for avalanche skills training its hard to say what each day will bring. As your instructors equip you with the skills and opportunity to practice everything you learn!
    • • Day 8: Pack up, take some final pictures of the breathtaking views and travel back to Nelson by helicopter 

Intermediate

To receive the AST 2 Certificate, participants must first take the AST 1 Program. This program is open to all ACC members who are at least an intermediate or type II skier and have an interest in learning about avalanche phenomena in more challenging and complex mountain terrain. Participants can expect longer and more physical days than on the AST 1 Course.

Please make sure you review both the ACC and the AST waiver before registering for the course.

Food

Evenings will be spent enjoying great food, socializing in cozy hut surroundings and resetting for the next day’s adventure. Food supplies will be flown in by helicopter (no dehydrated stuff here) and cooked up by our dedicated chef.  All meals are designed to be healthy, sumptuous and plentiful and special dietary needs can be accommodated. Because we want you to be able to focus on the learning not the cooking! 

Accommodation

The Kokanee Glacier Cabin sits on the shores of Kaslo lake in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. The area is a ski touring paradise, and the Kokanee Glacier Cabin is situated to best take advantage of the endless skiing terrain, and to provide you with an unforgettable experience. Kokanee Glacier Cabin offers an exciting backcountry adventure for the whole family. This is easily our most well equipped hut. In addition to all the dishes for cooking and dining that our guests have come to expect, there is electricity. That means there is a coffee maker and kettle.

Located north of Nelson, in southeastern British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains, beautiful Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is a year-round recreational paradise. Sitting mostly above 1,800 metres in elevation, the park has three glaciers – Kokanee, Caribou, and Woodbury – which feed over 30 lakes and are the headwaters of many creeks.

Instruction

This course will be provided by trained members of the Canadian Avalanche Association, who have many years of instructional experience and are familiar with the terrain around Kokanee Cabin. To make sure you can get the most out of your course!

Gear and Rentals

Don’t have everything on the gear list (found on the right hand side of this webpage)? We recommend heading to Gear Up in Canmore to grab any items your might be missing. To ensure availability of items call ahead to book. ACC members get a 10% discount.