Avi Path: The road to becoming an educator

December and January are the months of building. We build strong legs, while waiting for our snow pack to grow, we become inspired by the white peaks and start developing our season tick list, and we begin to keep track of what Ullar is laying down. Quickly, the anticipation for the winter season turns into deep powder days of excitement and before you know it, we have found our rhythm and are entrenched in the ski season.

For the past four years I have taken December and January to be a time of not only building my legs, and excitement but also building my understanding of the snow and mountains, where I spend most of my days. This season I chose to take my knowledge and dedication of understanding our snow to the next level.

Previously I had taken the level 1 AIARE Avalanche course, the Freeride Avalanche Summit over at snowbird, and countless refreshers, beacon clinics, and snow study discussions and seminars. This season, however I have decided to embark on a path a little more involved, marking the beginning of my long sojourn into the world of backcountry guiding.

There are many ways to approach such a career, but I thought there was no better way to begin this process than by working on becoming a snow science educator. The way I see it, if I am going to make a life out of being in the backcountry I want to make sure that the people I share that environment with are equally in the know of the potential hazards, proper travel and rescue techniques, and have and know how to use their avi rescue gear, because

…well, you never know who might be the one there to save you.

So, the first step was to take my level II Avalanche course. I chose to go through Crested Butte Mountain Guides as they have some of the most highly experienced and accomplished instructors, not to mention that learning the science of snow in some of the most dangerous and unstable snowpack in the country seemed to be an excellent opportunity to really get my hands dirty.

So on the 16th of December I packed up my truck and headed out with Weston D. for Crested Butte, CO.

I am not one of those people who loved school, or even excelled in the classroom environment, so needless to say embarking on this more classroom and science oriented program was more than slightly unnerving. Never-the-less I pushed on, following my desire to become a professional in the outdoors (beyond my career as an athlete).

With a new notebook, my BCA snow study kit, beacon probe, shovel, saw and a mind ready to be filled with terms, data, and concepts I headed into the classroom.

During the course of our Level 2, C.B. proceeded to get hammered with a southwest flow, locally known as “The Pineapple Express“. We received over 5 ft of snow in our three days and the storm could not have provided a better venue for learning and exploring in depth the bonding, layering, metamorphic process and a slew of other topics and concepts.

With a mind full of new dorky data and information based around snow crystal type and temperature gradient, I returned home to Utah just in time for the holiday season to kick into gear. I waded through the onslaught of family and friends all vying for attention, tried to catch a couple pow days in between, and just surrendered to the fact that, until  my AIARE Instructor Training Course in January, my life was gonna be hectic.

So on it went, and yes it was quite crazy, even managed to squeeze in a trip to Sister’s Oregon for Hoodoo’s annual Tele Festival. But, like you always do, I managed to make it through.

So here I now sit, having just completed my Instructor Training Course.

Being re-inspired by developing a new goal and vision for my future has been a really exciting process, one that started this past summer. However, I have decided that I really have to make sure that this “vision” I have for my future actually feels right in reality. While the Level 2 was the start and a prerequisite for the ITC (Instructor Training Course), it was not indicative of my hoped future career.

The real test was heading to Silverton, CO for my ITC. I headed out there alone, with the only familiarity being the Triangle Motel where I had stayed last year with the Trew Crew, and was staying again. It is interesting, when you come out of a period of feeling a bit lost and fragmented, those pieces tend to realign themselves, offering such clarity. And that was the space I was in heading out to Silverton last Sunday. I headed out with the only expectation of experiencing something new and by the end of the course feeling out weather my supposed path was holding up to reality.

The course could not have been more inspirational, educational, and valuable. Tom Murphy, Tim Brown, and Ben Pritchett came to the table with years of invaluable experience, clear teaching techniques, and a free flowing concept of a continued development framework that highlighted AIARE’s dedication to the continual growth a progression of Avalanche awareness and education.

It was an intensive 3 day course with each student teaching one mock level 1 section and an overall frame work of learning the Level 1 curriculum, Teaching techniques and skills, and then furthering our professional development on all aspects.

With only three days it is hard to imagine that so much could be accomplished. I was quite fortunate to be in a group and a class filled with seasoned guides, educators, and rescue workers all who had previously been in professional leadership roles dealing with backcountry safety. Now, at another point in my life (or even two weeks ago) I would have felt completely in adequate and self conscious. However, with my newly re-acquired perspective I was able to feel only inspired and look up to each of my classmates as mentors. With their experience they were able to ask insightful questions, add phenomenal first hand accounts that were applicable to the topics, and provide analytical commentary.

The course came and went and I felt like a sponge trying to soak up each morsel of information. I am not sure anyone could absorb, in entirety, the multitude of ideas and concepts of the three days. However, I do know that I have been inspired!

It is now the middle of January and I am finally feeling the flow. I have completed the first major step on this new journey and am hungry to start practicing my new skills and see where this all will lead.

Get your Holiday Gift Giving On… A Soft Goods Review

A couple weeks ago I posted about my favorite Hard Good Items and promised to follow up with the soft cuddly things that I love and rely on during those winter months. Get your Christmas list out, find a pen that works (or a pencil) and start adding to that all too long but oh so optimistic wish list…

The first Item is not the most cuddly of soft goods, hell it may not even be in this category, but without it those long fall days would be unbearable and the first couple months on snow would just feel a bit less inspired. Yes, i am talking about the one and only, Powder Magazine. This may not save your life if you catch yourself in avalanche terrain, it may not keep your fingers from frost bite, it may not even help you see when the light gets flat. But what Powder will do for you is keep your heart beating, blood pumping and inspiration ignited any time you are off the slopes. So stop by your local mag stand or ski shop and grab yourself the latest Photo Annual and start getting more creative on the mountain this year! While your at it Check out page 66:)

So after you have gotten yourself all amped and ready to go HUGE!! You are really going to want to ensure that your noggin is going to survive the next day on the slopes so that you can remember that huge back flip you pulled and stomped. The Helmet of choice… Smith Maze. This Helmet is light, comfy, and does the job. If you are a woman make sure you check out the New Allure Helmet. It is the same as the Maze, except it has a little smaller fit and a little more fuzz around the ears to keep us a bit warmer.

After you have your noggin protected we want to make sure that you are able to see where you’re going. The goggles of Choice- The Smith Phenom and I/O are my two top pics. Both of these goggles are part of Smith’s Integrated fit. Where the vents on the helmet works with the vents on the goggles to keep your lenses from fogging and your vision impeccable at all times. Not to mention that the style is just Rad!

Now that we have your head and face protected lets get down to the warm and cuddly stuff…

Weather your riding a lift, Skinning to the summit or taking sled laps, the key to a comfy day is in your base layers. That’s why I suggest CW-X as the ultimate performance base layer. Not only will the synthetic poly pro keep you dry, but the anatomical fit works with you body’s muscle configuration to support and reduce the amount of fatigue your muscles feel during a long day in the mountains. They have all different styles, and performance types so check out there website to figure out which style would be best for your body type and activity and then head over to Backcountry.com to get yourself some!

Outer Wear is key and I am beyond stoked that I came across the boys of Trew Gear about two years ago. Trew is a small company based out of Hood River Oregon. They have a mission statement that can be summed up in one word, “Technistylish”. They are using some of the most technically advanced fabrics and cuts in combination with some of the most cutting edge fashion forward designs to create a truly unique line that merges style and function. Constantly mixing it up these guys came out this season with a fresh line that was a complete departure from the loud colors of seasons past. This season Trew is using creative paneling and a mellow color pallet to show that your cloths don’t have to have loud colors to pop.  This line not only keeps you looking and feeling good but with the big “Thumbs Up” Logo it’s bound to spread the stoke to your buddies and that weird guy who has been check you out in the lift line.

Hands and feet can either make your epic pow day truly Awesome or they have the ability to make it truly unbearable, leaving you shivering, swinging your arms, kicking your legs, with that lump in your throat and those thoughts in your mind like,  “really am I gonna cry right now?” “If I cry and my toe falls off will my buddies still make fun of me?” “I think I might Puke!!!”. Yes we have all been there, and the answer is no, don’t cry. Yes your buddies will make fun of you no matter what. The answer! for your hands get yourself a pair of Hestra gloves. These things are hands down the warmest and most functional glove on the market. Whether you choose my two favorites, the Seth 3 finger Pro or the Kaj & Severre Pro model or just go with the Patrol glove you will never have to worry about shedding a tear over your mitts again. As for your tootsies… Well I use many different brands, but they all have one thing in common, Wool! I stay clear of synthetic fabrics when it comes to my feet.

The final piece of soft good advice I leave to you is this… Make sure whatever your rockin you feel comfortable. No point sagging your pants if you just have to keep pulling them up mid run, no point wearing super low pro “techy fit” clothing if your gonna be freezing your ass off all winter. Be warm, stay comfortable, and remember while outer wear is stlylie you look your best when you are feeling your best!