1.1.1 Avalanche

CSAA Impact Study The diverse terrain in the Far West Division includes the steep slopes and deep snow pack, which is conducive to avalanches. Every year, within this Division, general public as well as ski patrollers are being subject to and even caught in the troughs of avalanche slides.

The NSP Avalanche program is targeted toward educating both general public, and more so ski patrollers, to snow science, travel, and rapid and effective rescue in avalanche terrain. The NSP Avalanche courses fulfill all of the requirements of the level I and II curricula adopted by the American Avalanche Association with one important exception; the NSP courses includes additional topics related to organized rescue.

Please note that actual avalanche control work and rescue operations are under the direction and control of ski area management or other authorized local and state agencies.

1.1.1.1 Mission/Objective:

The Far West Division supports the offering of three NSP Avalanche courses: AFR, Ava-I, and Ava-II.

In a typical season, the Division, though NSP instructors, offers approximately 14 courses, which educates approximately 220 folks in Avalanche.

Whereas the Avalanche Fundamental and Rescue (targeted predominately to general public, e.g., SAR teams) and Avalanche Level-I are typically presented locally on the patrol or region levels to allow regular access to these offerings, the Avalanche Level-II course with its average of 13 hours of classroom instruction and three days of practical field work, is intensive, and is used mainly by advancing NSP Avalanche Instructors and NSP Professionals more adapt to work Avalanche Control for the Areas. As such, the Avalanche-Level-II course is more typically offered and taught by a combination of Region and Division resources.

Our goal and mission is to support and offer resources to all three courses, meeting the educational needs of our membership as well as general pubic across the division. The Division will identify Avalanche Centers of Excellence through out the division, and identify an Avalanche program offering schedule each ski season, so that access to these educational offerings serve all regions and patrols within our division boundaries.

The Centers may likely be:

Additionally, the Division would like to move toward implementing an annual 1-hour module that refreshes our membership in performing organized group rescue techniques used in avalanche recovery searches. We foresee this module being offered alongside lift evacuation refreshers and or on-the-hill OET ski and toboggan check-offs.

1.1.1.2 Supervisor: Name and Contact

Richard Bailey (559) 841-6286

Address 34114 Shaver Springs Road, Auberry, California 93602

Email: fwd-avalanche@farwest.org

1.1.1.3 Plan

  1. Identify Avalanche Level – II Offerings for 2009-2010 at either or both
    • Northern California’s Sierra Summit
    • Northern California’s Lake Tahoe Area - Combination of Squaw Valley, Heavenly, and SugarBowl
  2. Support Arizona Region in Avalanche Instructor Development (as required) at Flagstaff’s Snowbowl
  3. Register and Post all scheduled Avalanche Programs in August, soon after the Division’s Summer Conference
  4. Support the Fall Tri-Advisory Conference in Yosemite Valley, which is a joint multi-discipline educational conference hosted by FWD that features the Avalanche program discipline.

1.1.1.4 Budget – Avalanche Program

  1. Level-II Support in Northern California - $750
  2. Arizona – Support development at Flagstaff’s Snowbowl - $300
  3. TriAdvisory – Support Tri-Advisory - $300 (expense moved to Tri-Advisory)
  4. Procure Instructor Manuals for all instructors in the FWD (Proposal to be submitted to BOD)

Budget total: $1,050 + $850 for purchase and delivery of 36 Avalanche manuals to FWD instructors.

As for the Professional BOD position, attend the board meetings at Reno in the Fall, support Professional Division Director’s attendance at FWD Summer Conference - $225: Pro budget of $500.