 |
Professional,
Technical, and Educational |
Avalanche Education Programs
2009 - 2010 Course Schedule
Our schedule this season consists of field days offered in support of the online course we developed which is now offered through the avalanche center, using the facilities incorporated into their Avalanche Institute. This is explained in overview fashion on our "this season" page, and full details of the online course are available at the Avalanche Institute. (You will find an unprecedented amount of content detail there, including objective, topics, outlines, resources, and more for each module in the course.)
The original plan was for the online course to be fully rolled out by the Avalanche Institute and promoted early in the season. As a result of limited resources this did not happen so field days are still sparse this season, even though the course is fully open and available to anyone who wants to register. We will be including early season field days next season for those who do the online work late this season or over summer. So doing that now will get you a spot on our schedule in the fall. We can still add field days this season but for most locations this requires 2-3 students to be committed and registered in the online portions.
Current Field Day Schedule:
Unless otherwise noted all field days will be available for any number of confirmed participants, even just one if necessary. If necessary we can easily add additional days before or after the ones listed. In this case they may be weekdays. (Weekdays can be the primary dates also, on request. We favor weekends in our initial schedule because that seems to accommodate more people.)
February 20, 21 - Bend / Central Oregon
One or both of these days could be held in the Mt Hood area if there is enough demand, but request this early if you are interested. Additional field days in this region (from Bend to Mt Shasta) are easy to schedule on request for any number of people. Most of our pilot program field days were in this region.
March 6, 7 - Central Sierra, California
This weekend has been scheduled to accommodate currently enrolled students. It is not full and additional spaces are currently available.
Additional Locations and Field Sessions
We have received numerous requests for field sessions in other areas recently. However, these have been from scattered individuals who may or may not register for the online parts despite our schedule. Therefore we cannot add anything firm to the schedule based on this. At this point in the season we can continue to offer on-demand sessions anywhere between Bend and Mt Shasta. For other locations we need 2-3 people who are committed and registered for the online portions to add something firm to our schedule. We will be considering next seasons schedule before too long. We will accommodate anyone who is doing the online work late this season or over summer with early season field days.
Field Session Notes:
Field sessions are scheduled as warranted by demand, both anticipated and actual. We also anticipate working with groups in some locations, and this may lead to additional field sessions. Groups of any size, from two up, can schedule their own dates, but when these are not full they become available to other students as well. This means our schedule will be updated throughout the winter so check back. And if you need a location/date not on our schedule feel free to contact us.
Field days are free to anyone meeting the prerequisites but will be booked on a first-come first-serve basis. Currently certified students can sign up for field days as free refreshers, and students who successfully challenge the required modules are also eligible to register.
Special Classes, Private Arrangements
Private classes or field sessions and special classes tailored to a groups needs can be arranged upon request. Also, groups of 8 or more students taking the online course not only get a discount from the Avalanche Institute but also a chance to schedule field days specifically and exclusively for their group. Contact Us with any questions.
Registration:
Contact us to register for a field day or to request an addition to the schedule. In order to register or make such a request you must be enrolled in the online course so we know you will meet the prerequisites, unless you have completed it in the past or have successfully challenged the required modules.
It is extremely rare for us to cancel a field session, if it has happened at all we can't remember when. In many cases the number of students registered is not a factor and the field day can be held with even one or two people if necessary. However, situations beyond our control are always possible. In the case that some unforeseen situation requires us to cancel or reschedule a field day we will not be responsible for any incidental expenses you may have. These are minimal for most people, but keep this in mind if you travel a long way for a field session. You might consider travel insurance and/or airline tickets that are transferable to new dates.