Recreational / Level I Certification:

Course Cost: $295
We offer a certification program as an affiliate of the Canadian Avalanche Association and as members of the American Avalanche Association. While our Avalanche Awareness program is formatted as a Recreational Avalanche Class (hence RAC) and exceeds curriculum requirements according to published guidelines of both the CAA (for RAC courses) and those of the American Avalanche Association (for US Level I courses), our basic course is at the lower end of suggested temporal requirements of the CAA, 7.5 lecture hours and 7.5 to 8.5 hours of field instruction, depending on the time of year (the standard is 16 hours total).
 
The corresponding US organization, the American Avalanche Association, suggests a full 3-day Level I course. We feel that we have a moral obligation to be sure that students seeking certification be more than qualified. For that reason, we require those who want certification at Level I (and Recreational) complete our Avalanche Awareness program and one of our Advanced Optional field days. Additional field instruction and experience can only be beneficial to the student.
 
On completing these requirements, the Rrecreational / Level I student will have had between 22.5 and 25.5 hours of instruction, two-thirds of which is in the field. Previous attendees of our Avalanche Awareness course who have completed the basic course and seek certification in our Level II will have met curiculum and temporal requirements for both Level I and Level II.
 
* See our Rectreational Awareness Course and our Advanced Training pages for additional details.
 
2007-2008 Course Dates:       

* Custom Dates Available

Seattle REI          

    Lectures:  (Session #1)    Completed

        (Lecture Starts 6:15pm )
    Field Day: Choice of Jan 5th, 6th

    Lectures:  (Session #2)    Jan 29th, Feb 5th, 12th

        (Lecture Starts 6:15pm )
    Field Day: Choice of Feb 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th

      Level I optional additional day:  Feb 10th or 23rd

Redmond REI ( Redmond Town Center)          
    Lectures:  (Session #1)     Jan 28th, Feb 4th, 11th

        (Lecture Starts 6:15pm )
    Field Day:  Choice of Feb 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th

        Level I optional additional day:  Feb 10th or 23rd

Marmot Mountain Works          
    Lectures:  (Session #1)     Jan 8th, 15th, 22rd

      (Lecture Starts 6:45pm )
    Field Day:  Choice of Jan 12th, 19th, 20th

        Level I optional additional day:  Jan 13th, 26th, or 27th

Tacoma Backpacker Supply          
    Lectures:  (Session #1)     Jan 7th, 14th, 21th

      (Lecture Starts 6:45pm )
    Field Day:  To be announced

       Level I optional additional day:  Choice of Jan 13th, 26th, 27th

Optional Field Days: *At least 1 Additional Day is required to complete Level I Certification
Cost:   $110.00 Each
 
 
To Register, please call the Vertical World at (206) 283-4497 (Seattle), 425-881-8826 (Redmond), or contact Marmot Mountain Works at 425-453-1515
 
Certification has yet to save any lives!
The goal of avalanche students should be to obtain a baseline of knowledge and, even more, to develop a realistic perspective that enables the student to modify his or her behavior so that it becomes practice to observe time-honored planning and traveling methods; techniques that help one to avoid situations (risks) in which potentially dangerous avalanches are possible.
 
To accomplish this it is necessary to be aware of potential snowpack weak layers, utilize the afore-mentioned safe travel techniques, and route-find wisely.
 
It's important to keep the goals of certification in perspective: Certification is sometimes necessary to satisfy organizational, insurance and employment requirements; and, it is useful in assuring that students who are taking more advanced classes should be prepared for those classes.