Courses are half in the classroom and half in the field. Level I and Level II courses follow course guidelines for content as presented by the American Avalanche Association. Level I Avalanche Class This course presents basic information about weather, snowpack, and terrain factors which contribute to avalanche hazard. Students dig snow pits, identify weak and strong layers, and practice route finding. The Level I Course begins with either one or two evening sessions, and then two full days with emphasis on field work. Level I classes involve 24 hours of classroom time and field work. Level II Avalanche Classes build on the Level I curriculum and include 18 hours of field time and 14 hours in the classroom. Introduction to Operational Forecasting: A Combined Level I and II Class This course allows the student to track the progression of the snowpack over a critical four-week period in its development. It meets Friday evenings and Saturdays, as well as one final Sunday. It will give the student the basis for understanding how a professional forecaster works. Five-Day Level III Mountain Guides Course is targeted to prospective ski and mountain guides going for AMGA certification. This is an intensive and rigorous course with some long field sessions. "Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States" (SWAG) and a field book are required. Winter Weather Forecasting Course This workshop will be focused on winter weather forecasting for avalanche forecasters, ski patrols, pilots, and anyone else who wants to generate a short term forecast in a very dynamic weather season. The focus will be on information that is currently available on the Internet. The course will be broadly applicable to all snow climate types (continental, intermountain, and maritime). At the end of the workshop, participants will generate a wind, temperature, and precipitation forecast on their own, using products available on the web. AVPRO (Professional Avalanche Workers Course) Offered through the American Avalanche Association, this is a comprehensive professional course aimed at all levels of avalanche workers. It follows the Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Guidelines of the American Avalanche Association (2004) and sets a proficiency standard of education for the U.S. avalanche community. Sixty percent of the course will be conducted in the field with the remaining forty percent of the course in the classroom. The course is intensive; eight days long and each day will be between nine and eleven hours of instruction. This course will provide expert instruction designed to provide participants the opportunity to become accurate and efficient in snowpack observation. The course will solidify the participants' understanding of snowpack physics and avalanche formation and give them tools to apply that knowledge to the assessment of avalanches and avalanche potential. Terrain assessment, route finding, group management, and decision-making will be examined and practiced daily. Avalanche rescue and beacon use will be extensively practiced, and participants will be brought to a higher level and expected to meet a standard. Additionally, the course will provide an overview into highly organized avalanche control programs (both at ski areas and highways), and provide industry-norm instruction in avalanche control practices. This course will benefit a large audience including: forecast center avalanche observers, ski patrollers, ski guides, search and rescue coordinators/trainers, highway technicians, and experienced recreationists who want to pursue a career in the avalanche realm. Instructors will be chosen from a pool of AAA Certified Instructors including some of the best practitioners and researchers in the avalanche industry. This course will have a pass/fail format with final evaluations being given at the end of the course. There will be course prework and assignments. For details, please visit the AVPRO web page or contact Sarah Carpenter at sarahlovessnow@yahoo.com or 208.201.5276.