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GUIDING
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AVALANCHE SAFETY TRAINING Anyone who hikes or skis in snow-covered mountains should be able to evaluate the possible risk of avalanche from the route planning stage onwards. Hence, AMG offers both an introductory one-day course to avalanche safety as well as a more in-depth, three-day course looking at risks and hazards associated with this mountain phenomenon. In the three-day course, clients learn to recognise areas and snow layers that present a high risk of avalanche, to assess these various avalanche zones when choosing safe routes through mountains and when testing the stability of the snow-pack itself. There is also a considerable amount of time spent practice rescuing – and then learning how to provide immediate first-aid for – victims, using a variety of transceivers, probes, and snow-shovels. Finally, learning how to read the weather is also an important part of making decisions about where to go in the mountains, since this can have a significant impact on the snow and therefore, on avalanche risk. We are happy to provide avalanche safety courses in a number of different locations. To date, we have run them in many of Northern Finland’s ski resorts, in the Kilpisjarvi region of Finnish Lapland, and in Norway’s Lyngen Alps. Avalanche Course This three-day course provides a comprehensive overview of avalanche risk and safety assessment for all who travel in the mountains. We start with the theory about how avalanches start and how to choose a safe route through mountain areas before going into the basics about snow crystal types, snow-structure and the impact of these upon snowpack stability. Once armed with such knowledge, it is possible to assess the likelihood of an avalanche starting. However, we will also go through practical exercises and rescue scenarios using different types of avalanche transceivers etc. During these we will cover a number of different practical tools and techniques for judging snowpack stability and initiating independent avalanche rescues - as well as considering how the weather, slope orientation and altitude can all play a role. By the end of the course, each participant will be able to evaluate potential avalanche risk, choose a safe route through mountainous areas and carry out a rescue should an avalanche occur. Place: Kilpisjärvi, Lyngen, Tromsø Time: January - May Duration: 3 days Number of participants: 3 - 5 Price: 300 Euros per person Price includes: guiding, required avalanche equipment. Snow-Safety Day This is a one-day course targeted at those looking for either a quick insight into avalanche- and snow-safety or for those wanting a quick refresher course. No special outdoor skills are needed for participation so anyone interested is welcome to join in. During the snow safety day, we discuss the theory behind how avalanches start, dig some snow-profiles to talk about how the different snow layers affect the overall snow-pack stability, and then reinforce that learning by carrying out a shovel test – a great evaluation tool for assessing the avalanche risks. We conclude the day with a practise rescue scenario. Place: Northern Finland’s ski resorts, Kilpisjärvi, Lyngen, Tromsø Time: December - April Duration: 1 day (about 8 hours) Number of participants: 1 – 20 Price: 1-10 persons 320 Euros per person, additional people at 30 Euros per person Price includes: instruction, required snow-safety equipment, etc Ski-safety Day Skiers are at particular risk of avalanche because of the way that their tracks cut across slopes. Hence, in this version of our snow-safety day, we cover all of the basics – the theory behind how avalanches start, the need for digging snow profiles and carrying out shovel-tests to assess snow-pack stability etc, and basic rescue scenarios using transceivers. However, the focus of the day is on applying this knowledge to the particular hazards that skiers face so that they know how to reduce the risk of their causing an avalanche as much as possible by good route choice based on a strong understanding of snow-pack stability. Place: Northern Finland, Kilpisjärvi, Lyngen, Tromsø Time: December - April Duration: 1 day (about 8 hours) Number of participants: 1 – 20 Price: 1-10 persons 320 Euros per person, additional people at 30 Euros per person Price includes: guiding, required avalanche equipment |
