The AST level 1 is an introductory avalanche course in which we were taught how to recognize avalanche terrain, manage a self rescue, understand how weather contributes to avalanche hazard, interpret avalanche bulletins and be able to analyze the layers in the snowpack.
We stayed one night at the Coquihalla Lakes Lodge. Jasmine brought her things up from the cabin in one trip.
Headed for the left of Mt. That. Nak Peak is to the left of it.
Pic 1: Crossing at the base of the Zoa pipeline road. Pic 2: The 1 km trail to Falls Lake. Pic 3: Falls Lake (east end).
Paul told us to cover our eyes. Most people think they can walk a straight line. Notice on the third pic how far off course Jasmine and Molly are going.
Crossing to the west end of the lake for more instructions and for lunch. We steered clear of the steep north facing slope.
Back at the east end of Falls Lake. It was too cold to stay immobile for too long.
Back at the base of the Zoa pipeline we dug straight walls into the slope. Christie's shovel could convert into a hoe. Then we put twigs where the different layers were. The weaker layers were harder, thinner and lighter in colour. Paul cut a block out with a saw and did the tap test. By placing a shovel at the top of the column and tapping with increasing force, the compression test can find many of the weak layers and give an indication of stability.
The last thing we had to do was a timed rescue. After 10 minutes chance of survival drops drastically. On our first day there, a ski-mobiler was buried and died in an avalanche only 20 km from us. An average of 13 people die every year in Canada from avalanches and most of them are here in BC. But if equipped with avy gear and the knowledge of how to use it, the chances of survival are 80%!
Two weeks after taking the Avy Course, I took this First Aid Course.
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