My STEP Signature Project involved completing an AIARE Level 1 Avalanche course with Apex Mountain School near Vail, Colorado. This course provides crucial information about travelling in the backcountry during winter, along with teaching a risk management framework and group decision making strategies. This was a 3-day course consisting of a full classroom day teaching all the content before 2 field days on backcountry ski trips involving beacon search practice and digging a snow pit to analyze current snow conditions.
Throughout the course, I learned more about my relationship with risk along with feeling more confident in leadership positions with outdoor activities. My instructor was a seasoned outdoor professional, supplementing the course content with real experience of avalanches and impactful experiences which helped me understand how to manage risk safely in the backcountry. One example that helped me transform my understanding was a discussion on recreating in the backcountry with high avalanche danger. All the participants agreed that we wouldn’t go in the backcountry in the scenario, but the instructor explained how we could still safely ski if the route carefully avoids any avalanche terrain and does not have any avalanche prone terrain that would slide onto our route. This helped me understand that even in the most severe conditions, we can control avalanche triggers and safely venture into the backcountry by avoiding dangerous weather and terrain and finding safe options by planning well, since the only avalanche trigger we can control impact from our skis.
During the classroom education on the first day, I quickly realized that I didn’t know anybody in my group and I was in an unfamiliar setting without as much as a vehicle for travel. I realized that part of this course would be learning how to adapt to new situations and take control of my experience, navigating the new situation and connecting with my classmates and instructors over skiing, lifestyles, and life experiences. This would prove to be an important step in the process, as I would have to get several rides from the field location to the classroom throughout the course, building communication and leadership skills. Another lesson during the class day helped me trust my instincts and myself making decisions I wasn’t entirely sure about. We learned about the science and examples of different avalanche scenarios for 8 hours throughout the day and in several questions posed I felt overwhelmed with the information and confused with all the possible answers, I realized I knew the content well and needed to trust my instinct which was built during the online coursework I completed before the project. This would be built upon during the drills in the field where time was of the essence and I couldn’t spend all day making sure everything was 100% correct and following procedures when life is on the line.
The first field day was the most impactful notable due to the rescue practice, working under controlled pressure and watching how others reacted. I have rarely been in a similar situation before where we were doing a search and rescue using beacons and burial equipment along with hearing personal stories from our guides about rescues they have been involved with. In such a stressful situation where you only have minutes to locate and dig out somebody, your mind and body transform into a state of adrenaline and you get tunnel vision about the task, leading to a struggle to remember all the steps of the procedures. Through the practice and pointers from the guide, I became more comfortable in high stress situations, using framework learned in the classroom to focus on the task at hand and work through the pressure.
After the first field day, we went back to the classroom and all the students worked together to plan the tour for the next day, debriefing about the day and talking about the next day. This included checking current conditions and talking about how to safely travel within the given risks which included closing riskier terrain off and checking problematic areas for slide possibilities. After checking the terrain, we wrote down expected conditions and any specifics for the day such as digging a snow pit during the tour to analyze snowpack and understand the dangers of the day better. Once we got to the trailhead the next day, we did equipment checks and made sure nobody had concerns since planning occurred, starting our tour in the morning and checking in before lunch for the snow pit analysis and food break. After confirming we were all comfortable with the plan given the snow pit results, we proceeded on skiing and continued for the next few hours before heading back and doing a debrief at the trailhead. This experience helped transform my understanding of taking leadership of a group and better understand how to safely bring a group into the backcountry with uncertainty and risks every day, especially when everybody else lacks the knowledge and experience I had after taking this course. I now feel confident to safely bring others into the backcountry and take control of every aspect of the trip from planning, navigating during the tour, and emergency procedures if something negative happens.
This transformation is significant in my life as it gives me the confidence and skills to safely guide others through the backcountry and share my love of skiing to others. I am heavily involved with the Mountaineering Club and work at the campus climbing gym, allowing me to interact with many people that love the outdoors. I have always wanted to lead a skiing trip over winter or spring break but never felt confident guiding a group safely or having the skills to navigate in the backcountry but since taking the AIARE course, I feel confident to lead a backcountry trip and safely guide others throughout various weather conditions. There are many skiers in Mountaineering Club, but only 1 other person I would feel safe skiing within the backcountry, this course allows me to fill the gap of backcountry knowledge in the club and gives me experience to help others venture into the backcountry on trips.
