Date and Time:
- January 8, 2027: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Course fees include a $15 CPR certification fee.
Course Overview
Avoiding avalanches is the best way to stay safe in the backcountry, but accidents can happen. If your partner is buried, you have only minutes to act, and an effective rescue is challenging. You can’t rely on ski patrol or outside help; it’s up to you to be prepared. You also need the skills to care for a victim once they’re out of the snow. Basic wilderness medicine and CPR training can save your partner’s life.
This eight-hour, on-snow course teaches participants how to perform an avalanche rescue, use rescue equipment effectively, and apply essential wilderness medicine skills, including CPR, improvised splinting, and hypothermia management. Small student-to-instructor ratios ensure personalized coaching and multiple opportunities to practice realistic rescue scenarios.
After enrolling, you’ll gain access to our Student Portal, which includes pre-course materials, detailed course information, avalanche education resources, and more.
Who Should Take This Course?
This course is for anyone traveling in the backcountry, regardless of their mode of transportation. It is ideal for beginners, as well as those seeking a refresher who do not regularly practice rescue skills or want to learn the most current avalanche rescue and wilderness medicine techniques.
What is Required for this Course?
Please bring your own avalanche rescue gear (transceiver, shovel, and probe) if you have it. If you need to borrow any of these items, let us know in advance so we can make arrangements.
Course Goals
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the steps and procedures involved in an avalanche rescue.
- Properly use an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel.
- Perform a full avalanche burial rescue in less than 10 minutes.
- Efficiently transition from avalanche rescue to wilderness CPR during a rescue scenario.
- Perform both single-rescuer and multi-rescuer CPR.
- Recognize the signs and symptoms of the various stages of hypothermia and manage them in the field.
- Understand the basic principles of identifying and stabilizing orthopedic injuries in the field.
- Build effective improvised splints with materials commonly carried in backcountry packs.
- Identify the first aid supplies needed to perform CPR, treat hypothermia, and stabilize orthopedic injuries in the field.
Cancellation policy
Our cancellation policy can be found here. If you have any questions, please email education@utahavalanchecenter.org
Winter Weather and Avalanche Hazard Policy
In the event of extreme winter weather and/or dangerous avalanche conditions, the UAC reserves the right to reschedule courses to ensure the safety of our students and instructors. If a course needs to be rescheduled, we will work with students to find the most suitable date and provide refunds for those who are unable to attend.