Avalanche Courses & Consulting

Snow avalanches are Canada’s biggest natural hazard, threatening backcountry enthusiasts, as well as workers on highways, mines, and other sites. They are also a complex and fascinating phenomenon.

Your instructor has guided and trained mountaineers for 20 years, taught mountain guides and avalanche professionals, and developed snow avalanche control programs for government and industry. Christoph is a Qualified Avalanche Planner according to the legal requirements in British Columbia.

Basic Avalanche Skills Training

Basic Avalanche Courses for skiers, snowboarders, and ice climbers. Covers recognition and avoidance of avalanche terrain, self-rescue plus lots more. CAA RAC format. In this 2.5 day avalanche training course you can learn the basics: how snow avalanches work, how to recognize and avoid snow avalanche terrain, and self-rescue. You need to be able to travel confidently in winter mountain terrain. Snow avalanche gear- beacons, probes,and shovels are supplied. Ski mountaineering skis and skins are available for the course at no extra charge. Your instructor has 30 years of experience as a guide, instructor, forecaster and planner.

Dates

Fri 7 to Sun 9 January 2011: $300

The price includes:

  • instruction
  • rental gear as required

Not included:

  • meals and accommodation
  • access
  • 12% tax

Book Online >>
Check out our Avalanche Courses Schedule

Advanced Avalanche Skills Training

This avalanche course is for experienced ski mountaineers who already have the knowledge of the basic snow avalanche safety course, advanced backcountry travel skills, and some experience. It happens at the Burnie Glacier Chalet, so some very good skiing cannot be avoided.

This six day avalanche course will expose you to the real thing; observation and decision making at a high level.

While many avalanche courses concentrate on delivering knowledge without showing how to apply it, this intensive course does both. Most of it takes place in the field, so there is a lot of skiing! We also have sessions on such important and little known topics as the dynamics of decision-making in the mountains and the limitations of snowpack tests. Come to this course if you are serious about your leadership skills. The course uses the format of a professional guiding operation, involving you in the day-to-day evaluation and decision making that is crucial to backcountry forecasting. We also introduce Werner Munter’s methods into North America. Both recreational avalanche courses are now a pre-requisite for the professional snow avalanche courses of the CAA.

Dates

Fri 23 Jan to Fri 30 January, 2009: $1,875

The price includes:

  • flight to the lodge and back
  • all meals and accommodation at the lodge
  • guide’s services
  • rental gear when necessary

Not included:

  • your access to Smithers
  • meals and accommodation in Smithers
  • alcoholic beverages at the lodge
  • 5% tax

Book Online >>
Check out our Avalanche Courses Schedule

Avalanche Consulting

This website concentrates on our guiding business. However, Bear Enterprises Ltd. offers the full range of snow avalanche consulting: from hazard mapping and the development of comprehensive safety programs for industrial sites, to their implementation and day-to-day forecasting.

We are certified in all aspects of avalanche work (WCB blasting ticket with endorsements) as well as a Qualified Avalanche Planner for industrial projects, ski hills, and mechanized and non-mechanized backcountry operations..

Avalanche Consulting clients include the BC government, BC Hydro, Skeena Cellulose Inc., and Kemess Mines as well as the Northwest Institute.

We have provided this service for more than 20 years in British Columbia’s rugged mountains.