**ONE SPOT AVAILABLE! Please contact bcmc.courses@gmail.com**

This course is for groups of 6 to 8* BCMC members with backcountry ski touring experience, avalanche training (AST1 or higher), glacier travel and crevasse rescue experience, and overnight backpacking experience (summer or winter) looking to enter the world of ski mountaineering. Course will be held March 4 and 5 2016.

*Note 1: if this course is not fully booked, i.e. a minimum of 6 paid participants then this course may be cancelled and refunds will be provided to those that paid.

This course will be taught by an ACMG certified guide though the Mountain Skills Academy & Adventures (MSAA). MSAA is offering us a special price, just for BCMC members, of $250 (regular price for non-members: $450). Please read the SIGN UP PROCEDURES below carefully and be sure to follow all the steps.

Course Overview: 

This course will cover the following 8 lessons:
Lesson 1: snow and ice school - introduction to ski mountaineering equipment, ski crampons and boot crampons, ice axe use
Lesson 2: ascending/descending and moving in steeper/firmer/crusted/icy slopes
Lesson 3: Belaying and rapelling, anchors
Lesson 4: Roped terrain vs. unroped - belaying, rope management, short roping, boot packing, stowing skis on the pack, ridge walking
Lesson 5: Ski mountaineering objective: situational awareness, route finding and track setting in Class 3 (complex) terrain
Lesson 6: Glacier travel & alpine hazard evaluation
Lesson 7: Ski mountaineering ascent and descent technique and strategy
Lesson 8: "survival skiing" technique

This course will also cover overnight ski trip topics including lightweight snow camping especially for ski mountaineering.

Equipment: 

Participants are expected to provide their own equipment (gear list below):
- touring skis/splitboard with skins, boots, and poles
- ski crampons
- avalanche safety kit (shovel, probe, beacon)
- mountaineering axe
- harness
- glacier travel and crevasse rescue kit (3 locking biners, 4 non-locking biners, 2 x 5m prussics, 1 x 1.5m prussic, 1 autoblock belay device, 1 double length 120cm sling, 1 ice screw)
- minimal alpine rack, if you have (2-3 cams, 3-4 nuts, 4 shoulder-length draws)
- Rite in the Rain notebook and pencil
- glop stopper
- ski scraper
- map, compass, GPS, if you have
- personal first aid kit for blisters/personal medications
- 50m ski touring rope, if you have

SIGN-UP PROCEDURES (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!)

To sign up for this course, follow these steps:

(1) Sign up for this course in the BCMC website by clicking "Join this Trip" on the left hand side of this page. You will automatically be added to the Request List

(2) Answer the trip planning questions when prompted. Once the trip organizer has reviewed your answers, you will be added to the Waiting List (can take up to 48 hours). An email will be sent to you once you have been moved to the Waiting List, and your name will show up in YELLOW below

(3) Once on the Waiting List, you will have access to the payment link - see under "Course Online Payment" on the left hand side of the page. Follow the link and complete your payment directly with MSAA

(4) Once your payment is complete, you will receive a confirmation email from MSAA. Please forward your confirmation email to bcmc.courses@gmail.com, then you will be added to the Confirmed List

(5) Keep an eye on your inbox for future updates and details on logistics

Trip Organizer & Volunteer Instructor Incentive Program:

If you’ve volunteered your time as either:
(a) a Trip Organizer with 4 or more outdoor trips in the past 12 months, you may apply for a 25% rebate off the course fee, or
b) Course Instructor (primary volunteer organizer) in the past 12 months, you may apply for a 50% refund off the course fee.
Please email bcmc.courses@gmail.com with your request, along with a list of recent trips and/or course(s) you have been the primary organizer for.