This course introduces students to travel skills and rescue techniques needed for moving over mountainous and technical terrain in the wintertime. Students will earn an 8-hour AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course Certification while learning how to travel on backcountry skis or split-board through snow-covered slopes in Vermont and/or New Hampshire. Emphasis will be on trip planning, route-finding, communication, teamwork, rescue protocols and uphill/downhill travel techniques. Additionally students will spend 2 days learning technical mountaineering skills and basic ice climbing techniques as a way to broaden their winter backcountry travel toolkit.
Course Faculty
John MacKinnon
Prior to joining the faculty at Sterling, John spent ten years teaching in two different college outdoor education programs in Colorado. His previous courses focused on snow science and avalanche…