Valemount AST1 Field Sessions for Sledders

Valemount AST1 Field – 8 hour Hands-on Mountain Training

Instructors – 
Mac Cochrane – White 2010 Chev truck and yellow 2 place trailer  250-566-3041 (c) /250-968-4498 (h)
Will Chitty – White F150 with Polaris   250-566-1498

Meeting Time         

~8:00am PACIFIC TIME unload, witness waivers, sign out gear, purchase trail passes ~$20-25

8:30am – Class start. Please be geared up and ready to ride for this time.  

Return Time ~ 5:30 pm MST (Be prepared to return in the dark!) 

When traveling from your home or hotel please allow enough time to account for road conditions, closures due to road maintenance, avalanche control and vehicle accidents. Class will still run if the highways are closed! Please plan accordingly.

CLICK HERE to view available field dates
Choose ONE field day for the practical exercises.

All field classes will run with a maximum of 8 students per instructor.
Field days may be added or canceled depending on the number of registered students and instructor availability.

Book asap as these Valemount dates fill quickly.

The AST1 Classroom session must be completed before attending this field session.
CLICK HERE to register for a classroom session

2021-2022  – Horsey Creek Staging area – Valemount, BC

For a Horsey Creek Google Map CLICK HERE
The parking lot is located in a gravel pit on Horsey Creek Road, which parallels the Yellowhead (Hwy 16) approx 15 min west of the Hwy 16/Hwy 5 or Tete Jaune junction.  The group will travel approximately 9km in on a Forest Service Road to the training area.  This is a quiet staging area with good visibility of avalanche terrain from safe training areas.

Please fill in your WAIVER with Horsey Creek, BC as the field location.  Thank you!

COVID SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS:

Please be prepared for the following Zacs Tracs COVID Safety Protocols in order to participate in your training session.

• Multiple Balaclavas / Buff face coverings for general use throughout the outdoor day.  Please bring multiple so that you have a DRY one at all times.  Face masks that are damp or wet are not effective.
• AHS approved face mask with 2 or 3 layers.  CLICK HERE for info related to approved masks and instructions on how to wear a mask properly.  An approved facemask will be required should there be any close contact working activities or a First Aid emergency.  
• Hand sanitizer (Minimum 60% alcohol content) must be used prior to class start, before and after eating, following any personal breaks and after touching any shared equipment.
• Complete the COVID pre-screening questions AS SOON AS YOU AWAKE in the morning of your field day.  It is important that we received completed questionnaires from all students early so that this information can be confirmed by the field instructors BEFORE they are out of cellular reception.  These questions will be TEXTED to you the evening before your field day or early the morning of.  Please ensure that EVERYONE in your group, including youth, complete a separate questionnaire.  The link can be used multiple times.  The instructors will  have paper copies of the questions if you forget. 
  CLICK HERE for a copy of the Pre-Screening questions and information.
• No sharing of personal equipment.  Please handle training equipment with clean winter gloves.  Students may handle transceiver pelican cases, however, students should not open or manipulate the transceivers themselves.
• Maintain a minimum distance of 2m (6’6″) between instructors and students outside your family or cohort whenever possible.  

TO BRING:

• AVALUATOR – slope evaluation card (received in the classroom – $15 if you forget)

• Companion Rescue Card (received in the classroom)

• Warm clothes, thick soled boots for standing on the snow all day

• Any emergency gear that you would normally bring on a day of riding

• Lunch, thermos with hot beverage. NO ALCOHOL (Expect a ‘working lunch’. Eat while listening, snack between exercises. We will not access the cabin or a fire for lunch.)

• Access the North Rockies Avalanche Bulletin – Horsey Creek  or the North Columbia Avalanche Bulletin – Clemina Creek before you leave cellular service.  Then you can still access the content on Airplane Mode.   

• Review any recent MIN (Mountain Information Network) posts for the area.  These posts are available by clicking the pin drops/location pointers on the Avalanche Canada bulletin map.

• ~$25 cash for trail fees
  • Let the attendant know that you are completing the AST1 and VARDA may reduce your trail pass by $10! Please bring correct change and thank them for their generosity!
    VARDA has supported Zac’s avalanche classes for many seasons!

• We will be completing NEW waivers in the parking lot. We recommend that you tear out the waiver from your classroom workbook or download a  COPY OF THE WAIVER BY CLICKING HERE
  • If you print, read and fill out your contact details beforehand you can bring the completed waiver to the staging area and one of your instructors will act as your witness. We will bring copies of the waiver to the staging area however it is a bit nicer for you to complete the paperwork ahead of time rather than in the snow!

CLICK HERE for the minimum gear we suggest for a field training day
CLICK HERE for recommended backcountry gear for riding days

Snowmobile Information relevant to Valemount

VARDA – Valemount and Area Recreation Development Association
For more info contact VARDA directly
Phone: 250-566-4817
info@ridevalemount.com

CLEMINA CREEK riding area

GENERAL SNOW CONDITIONS or WEATHER forecast? CLICK HERE

THE WEATHER NETWORK – town of Valemount

Rogers Cell phones do not work in Valemount
Telus Cell phones will work in Valemount
Cell phone service cuts out a few miles outside of Valemount. Satellite phones and GPS emergency communication units are recommended as risk management tools.