Avalanche Training Level II (Feb. 12-15, 2027)

Instructors: Troy Marino, Julian Lindholm Fiske

This course will build upon skills and theory covered in the Level 1 Avalanche Course. Students are required to have completed a Level 1 Course. The Level 2 avalanche course is designed for experienced winter backcountry recreationists, search and rescue personnel, and winter recreation managers. Students will learn advanced skills to understand the conditions that cause snow avalanches and avoid avalanche hazards.

This course includes eight hours of Avalanche Rescue Fundamentals, a prerequisite for the Level 2 course. This Level 2 course totals ~40 hours of curriculum (3 days of field instruction and self-paced online course) and will build upon the skills and theory covered in the Level 1 Avalanche Course. Students are also expected to have gained some personal experience (at least one season) since completing their Level 1 curriculum, a required prerequisite for Level 2.

Participants will discuss scenarios they encountered in their backcountry experiences to analyze decision-making practices, risk tolerance, and human factors. Instructors will emphasize accurate documentation of observations, test results, and snowpack analysis, strictly adhering to Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Observations Guidelines for the United States (SWAG) standards and terminology.

The field portions of the course will entail real-life decision-making in avalanche terrain. Participants must be prepared to use their skills, physical fitness, and personal equipment, and adapt to environmental conditions, to navigate near and above treeline terrain successfully.

Depending on conditions and weather, this course usually includes an overnight cabin trip into the Inner Basin. All students must have an avalanche transceiver, probe, shovel, and inclinometer.

An online meeting is held from approximately 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM on Friday before the field days.

This course may be canceled if snow is insufficient or enrollment is inadequate. 

KPAC staff will run the field portion of the course in the terrain surrounding the Arizona Snowbowl, the Kachina Peaks Wilderness, and the Inner Basin. 

The self-paced classroom components are online modules developed by The American Avalanche Institute. Students will spend seven to ten hours completing the online coursework. KPAC recommends that students complete the online course before the field sessions. Students must complete the online modules before receiving a Level 2 certificate. The online modules have optional "deep dives" for those wanting more information.