While large avalanches can easily destroy anything in their path, smaller
avalanches are more often responsible for injuries or death to people. The overall survival rate for someone caught in an avalanche is one in
three. These sobering statistics indicate that it is critical to be well-versed in
both avalanche avoidance and avalanche rescue techniques.
NSP has been educating ski patrollers and other search and rescue personnel
since 1957, making it the oldest and most experienced provider of avalanche
education for professionals in the U.S. Recently, NSP has expanded its program,
offering avalanche education for general recreationists as well.
All NSP avalanche courses meet or exceed curriculum recommendations established
for each course by the American
Avalanche Association. Course content is frequently updated to incorporate the
latest science-based knowledge, skills, and techniques. All avalanche education
courses are taught by NSP-certified avalanche instructors who have undergone
rigorous training and evaluation of technical knowledge and teaching skill.
NSP is proud to support the
Know Before You Go program.
This program, in collaboration with the
Utah Avalanche Center,
Friends of CAIC and
Recco, is designed to increase basic avalanche awareness and education for Junior High through College age students.
For more information on a course, whether a simple awareness
presentation or a Level 1 avalanche program with extensive field training,
contact the NSP today. A
brief description of the courses offered is listed below.
Avalanche Awareness
This outreach presentation introduces inexperienced winter enthusiasts to the
basics of avalanche hazard and the knowledge and skills they need to learn before
venturing into avalanche terrain. It may be presented to clubs, school groups, or
other recreational organizations. It serves as a precursor to the Level 1
Avalanche Course.
Prerequisite: None.
Time Commitment: Flexible (30-90 minutes)
Fees: Determined locally
Credential: None
Continuing Education/Refresher Requirement: None
Instructor of Record: NSP-certified
Level 1 or Level 2 Avalanche Instructor
Required Text: None
Optional References:
Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avalanches, by
Jill Fredston
Introduction to Avalanche Safety and Rescue
This
course introduces fundamental principles of avalanche hazard, safety and
rescue. It is designed for interested ski patrollers, members of mountain search
and rescue groups, and others who operate/recreate in areas that lack
appreciable avalanche terrain. It qualifies as an NSP senior patroller elective,
but it does not meet Level 1 avalanche course standards and does not qualify as
a prerequisite for enrollment in Level 2 avalanche courses.
The organized rescue portion of this course
may be suitable for presentation to non-patrol resort personnel who may become
involved in a support capacity in avalanche rescue scenarios. It is also suitable
for personnel of agencies who may have jurisdictional involvement in an
avalanche rescue, but who would not physically work in the field. Optional field
exercises are available.
Prerequisite: None
Time commitment: Minimum of
eight hours classroom
instruction
Fees: Determined locally
Credentials: NSP Certificate of Achievement
Continuing Education/Refresher Requirement:
None
Instructor of record: NSP-certified
Level 1 or Level 2 Avalanche Instructor
Required texts: None
Optional references:
Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avalanches, by
Jill Fredston
Standard Level 1 Avalanche
This is a conventional Level 1 avalanche
safety course, considered by the American
Avalanche Association to be the minimum level of training for recreationists who
travel in avalanche terrain. It covers the essentials of safe trip planning,
hazard recognition and evaluation, route selection, decision making,
self-rescue/survival strategies, companion rescue, and group rescue.
The course qualifies as an NSP senior patroller elective,
but it does not contain rescue content essential for patrollers who may
engage in organized avalanche rescue operations.
Prerequisite: Ability to
travel through steep, ungroomed terrain under any weather or snowpack conditions
Time commitment: Minimum of 24 hours
of
instruction, at least 60 percent spent in the field
Fees: Determined locally
Credentials: NSP Certificate of Achievement
Continuing Education/Refresher Requirement:
None
Instructor of record: NSP-certified
Level 1 or Level 2 Avalanche Instructor
Required texts:
Optional References:
Level 1 Avalanche for Rescue Personnel
This is an enhanced Level 1 avalanche course
with supplemental organized avalanche rescue content for ski patrollers and personnel of
other organizations or agencies who may engage in avalanche search and
rescue operations.
Prerequisite: Ability to
travel through steep, ungroomed terrain under any weather or snowpack conditions
Time commitment: Minimum of 28 hours
of
instruction, at least 60 percent spent in the field
Fees: Determined locally
Credentials: NSP Certificate of Achievement
Continuing Education/Refresher Requirement:
None
Instructor of record: NSP-certified
Level 1 or Level 2 Avalanche Instructor
Required texts:
Optional References:
Level 1 Avalanche for Rescue Personnel Upgrade Module
This is a standalone module that upgrades
Standard Level 1 Avalanche certification to NSP Level 1 Avalanche for Rescue
Personnel certification.
Prerequisite: NSP Standard
Level 1 Avalanche Course or equivalent within the previous three years
Time commitment: Minimum of
four hours
of
instruction, at least 60 percent spent in the field
Fees: Determined locally
Credentials: NSP Certificate of Achievement
Continuing Education/Refresher Requirement:
None
Instructor of record: NSP-certified
Level 1 or Level 2 Avalanche Instructor
Required texts:
Optional References:
Level 1 Avalanche for Rescue Personnel Refresher
This refresher provides a review and update of
knowledge and/or skills for individuals with Level 1 certification more than
three years old or as preparation for the NSP Level 2 Avalanche for Rescue
Personnel course. It may be conducted as a single refresher course, or in a
three-year incremental cycle of annual refreshers that includes organized rescue
components.
Prerequisite: Level 1
Avalanche for Rescue Personnel course; no time limit
Time commitment: Minimum of 12 hours
of
instruction, at least 60 percent spent in the field
Fees: Determined locally
Credentials: NSP Certificate of Achievement
Continuing Education/Refresher Requirement:
None
Instructor of record: NSP-certified
Level 1 or Level 2 Avalanche Instructor
Required texts:
Optional References:
Level 2 Avalanche for Rescue Personnel
This is an enhanced Level 2 course for ski
patrollers or personnel of other organizations or agencies engaged in avalanche
search and rescue who want to upgrade avalanche safety and rescue skills to a
leadership level. It is a prerequisite for NSP avalanche instructor development
and for professional-level training offered by other organizations.
This course covers advanced knowledge and
techniques for hazard assessment and route selection, introduces avalanche
hazard forecasting and mitigation strategies, and develops organized rescue
management and leadership, including strategies for travel to an incident site
and conducting both an immediate search and extended operations. It also
includes incident/rescue documentation and development of avalanche emergency
response plans.
Prerequisites:
Level 1 Avalanche for Rescue Personnel course or refresher within the previous three
years; at least one intervening year of experience is highly recommended.
Time Commitment:
Minimum of 32 hours instruction, at least 60 percent spent in the field.
Fees: Determined locally
Credential: NSP Certificate of Achievement
Continuing Education/Refresher Requirements: None
Instructor of Record: NSP-certified Level 2 Avalanche Instructor
Required Text:
Optional Text: