Avalanche Safety Course

Thomas Moran: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (Oil on Canvas, 1872)

Website Links . . .

Course Materials:
Outdoor Literature.
Outdoor Leadership.
Methods
Avalanche Safety..
Map & Compass.

A Guide to Outdoor Literature
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(Extensive Outdoor Book Reviews, Award Winners, Lots of Reading Lists, Best Book Lists, and More)

Creative Work:

Books:
Idaho Paddling.
Winter Tales.
Never Turn Back.
Ski Camping.
Others.

Outdoor Resources

(Informational Articles, Equipment Lists, etc.)

Stories & Articles Index Page
(Outdoor adventure stories, profiles of old-timers, and reflections of days spent in the outdoors.)

Contact

.

Avalanche Safety (PE 286)
Ron Watters, Professor of Outdoor Education
Sports Science and Physical Education

PE 286 - 1 Credit - Spring Semester Only

Brief Description: Avalanches are, by far, the most serious mountain hazard in the winter, and this course helps equip winter travelers with the knowledge and skills to minimize or avoid these hazards. Lecture topics include: snow crystal identification, snow pack metamorphism and factors influencing avalanche formation. Field sessions include: snow pit analysis, use of transceivers, rescue techniques and backcountry safety considerations.

For more information:
    Class Syllabus.
    Avalanche Safety in the Backcountry. (Concise guidelines for winter travel.)

Other Information:

Avalanche Advisories. On this page, you find links to websites where you can obtain avalanche forecasts of backcountry areas in our region.

Teaching Avalanche Courses. This not a required paper for the course, but if you' like some background on the class, it provides details on my philosophy of teaching avalanche courses, the teaching progression I use for the class, and reasons why I cover certain types of material.

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