Avy 1

as far as location goes, it may be best to take the course in the same region that you'll be skiing and using these backcountry skills. if you're skiing and hiking in california, then taking the course in utah or washington might not make sense.

+k for you..and i have another question this may sound dumb but im new to backcountry skiing...i know beacons are a very important thing to have while in the backcountry but do you need one if your only skiing resorts with backcountry access?

absolutely. you also need a partner with one, who knows how to use it. average air supply while buried in an avalanche is 15 mins (this could be wrong). if you wait for the ski patrol to get to you youre most likely done for.

you don't need one at every resort because MOSt resorts usually bomb dangerous areas to reduce avalanche risk. however, it doesnt hurt to wear one if you skiing in bounds on a deep or dangerous day.

You really only need a beacon when you leave the ski area boundary or are skiing in the backcountry. That said, some ski areas that get considerable snow or avy susceptible terrain may advise, or even require, that you use one in-bounds. Ultimately, it isn't a bad idea to have one on you (while skiing with a partner) just because shit does happen, even in-bounds.

Find an AAIRE class here: http://avtraining.org/

so - you live in Georgia? good luck with that. gonna be a LONG drive to get to anywhere with any avy course worth taking.

this is true but i fly free with delta cuz my dad and i have a cabin in tahoe so its not that huge of a hassel

if you leave the resort boundaries of a ski resort you are basically in the backcountry. Be prepared when you duck the rope.

Anyone know of any online avy awareness videos on YouTube/Vimeo?

Check out a fine line, the sherpas movie from a little while ago. it was designed to raise awareness.

check out this free online course from the canadian avalanche association if you're interested in learning

http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/online-course

never ski alone.

It's impossible to fully absorb everything they teach in a short time frame. You need to focus on increasing what you have learned on the level 1, by spending many tenuous hours gaing experience in the field to really build on your knowledge.

I'm taking my AST1 this weekend..today was day 1. Really interesting. Previously had only practiced with friends who had taken the course and wanted to work on their skills. Mostly in class today with an intro to beacon searching and other techniques. There really is no substitute for taking the actual course, and just because you have it doesn't mean you'll be safe in the backcountry, we learn with experience. I'm in Revelstoke, so we have Rogers Pass near by but there's no way I'd go up without people who have experience there. In terms of skiing in bounds, it's smart to ski with at least a transceiver in case of inbounds slides. We had a size 2 inside the normal boundary (but outside the seasonal boundary) in december but luckily only one person was caught and only got buried to their shoulders, although the debris was as deep as 2 meters(approx 6 feet). I don't know about the differences for where you take it, but the experience offered can be different. My roomates last year took one that brought them up to Rogers, and I'm taking mine through the resort so we go out and do practice/simulations on the hill.