By Alex Parsons - Head Guide, Thredbo Backcountry Tours
Alex undertook this course with partial fee assistance from Mountain Safety Collective’s Professional Development Fund.
From September 11-18 this year, the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) ran the first ever Avalanche Operations Level 1 Course in Australia at Charlotte Pass. 12 people were signed on, including ski patrollers from Thredbo and Hotham, backcountry guides, MSC ambassadors and more. It was a great privilege to join this group that is pushing snow safety forwards in Australia.
Huge thanks goes to Alpine Access Australia, Mountain Safety Collective and Arc’teryx who all put in time, effort and money to get this course off the ground.
CAA, AST, OPS - what does it all mean?
If you’ve ever done an AST course (Avalanche Skills Training 1 or 2) then you’ve interacted with the Canadian Avalanche Association. They’re the non-profit organisation that supports avalanche practitioners through professional training courses for instructors who then deliver recreational AST courses.
The difference between the AST and the Operations Level 1 (Ops1) is that it’s not a recreational course. Ops1 is the first step in the professional pathway of avalanche risk management work. That means ski patrollers and guides working in avalanche terrain, plus overseas transport, mining, forestry and other industries that operate in avalanche prone regions.
In essence, the course aims for professionals to get on the same page and learn standardized ways of collecting data so that we can all speak the same snow language.
The instructors - avalanche big dogs
We were lucky to have two industry heavyweights teach the course. First, MSC’s very own Lead Forecaster Craig Sheppard. Craig has his CAA Ops Level 3 and was the forecaster at Lake Louise for many years. He was also a heli ski guide, CAA course instructor and is a general pleasure to be around.
Our other instructor was Dr Iain Stewart-Patterson, who was flown out from Canada for the course! An IFMGA Mountain Guide who extensively teaches for CAA, Iain’s PhD was in Expert Ski Guide Decision-making and he has multiple publications in the realms of climbing and guiding. Iain’s impressive academic background is only matched by his stoke for snowmobiles.
What was it like?
They don’t call it an intensive course for nothing.
The Ops1 days were long and full. We would wake up before 6am and finish class close to 6pm, have dinner and then find ourselves doing homework, practice exams and studying until about 9pm. Spare time was scarce and our brains hurt frequently with the sheer scale of new information.
Ops1 is 40% theory and classroom work, and 60% practical application and field work. Every day we started early at the weather plot, recording wind speed, snowfall, crystal type and size, temperatures, and more while watching the sun rise (or not if it was a blizzard). Then we had breakfast and were ready for class at 8am. We went through theory for a few hours before lunch and heading out into the field to dig pits, assess terrain and do snowpack tests. In the afternoon we returned to the classroom for more theory, filling out our Field Books and PM reports, making snow profile graphs and more weather observations.
We dug pits in the sunshine, and in howling wind. We dug in 70cm of fresh snow and attempted to penetrate rock hard melt freeze crusts. We had it all.
Assessments went over multiple days and included snow profiles, layer and snow crystal identification, snowpack tests, an avalanche rescue scenario, theory exam, safe terrain choices, PM form, weather plot observations and weather telemetry. It’s worth noting that passing Ops1 is not competency based like a lot of our first aid courses, AST1s or outdoor education certs. Students need a minimum of 70% in all assessments and failing is a real risk if you haven’t put the work in. Luckily our crew had done the work!
Ops1 was a huge step up from any other snow-related course I’ve ever done and was incredibly worthwhile. Aside from extending my education, it provided a clearer pathway in the industry and it was a true joy to spend time with other industry professionals. The talent and passion in the Australian backcountry community is real.
Should you do the course?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re interested in a career in the snow industry. Ops1 is an excellent course and the most in depth learning I’ve done in the industry, ever. But it is a huge time commitment, requires a lot of study and pre-planning, is intense and not cheap. My advice is to only begin this path if you truly want to turn your focus towards a career in guiding, patrolling and other avalanche risk management work.
Tips for success
My friends and I practiced digging profiles, doing snowpack tests and filling out field books prior to the course and this set us up for success. We also buried and hunted out beacons many times so we wouldn’t have to worry about this assessment, which occurs early on in the course with no practice time and is a must-pass component.
Having strong systems in place for your touring will also see you well prepared. Have your systems absolutely dialed - how you like to pack your kit, your layers, your water and food intake, and how you like to study.
One thing that made me feel more comfortable was understanding and preparing for the structure of the course. I quickly recognized that this was a marathon, and looking after my physical and mental wellbeing was key. I was fully aware that this 8 day course would be intense and I was likely to roll through different stages and emotions. Everyone is different but my stages went like: everything is new and exciting, everything is overwhelming, good god I’m tired, my brain hurts and everything annoys me, things are making sense and I have a system now, I think I get it, hell yeah let’s do this but I am still tired.
Simply knowing that these different stages would occur meant that I felt better when they did arrive.
Why Australia is as good a place as any to do Ops1
People have asked me if Australia has the terrain or the snowpack to make the course worthwhile. Remember that the emphasis is on learning standardized ways of gathering data - these are skills you can take to any snowpack. And while we did mostly see melt forms during the week, we got some precipitation particles, crusts and very exciting surface hoar too!
In regards to terrain, you actively avoid putting yourself in avalanche terrain during this course as there is a low tolerance for risk. You observe and analyze avalanche terrain but do not ride it. So if you’re hoping to get better at skiing this is definitely not the course for you. The most riding you’ll do is back from your test profile to base (still fun though).
Finally, the snowpack we had and the avalanches we saw this Aussie season are clear evidence that there is a need for better snowpack analysis and avalanche risk management in Australia. The saying, “avalanches don’t happen in Australia” just doesn’t cut it anymore, and in my opinion climate change is likely to lead to an increasingly unstable snowpack.
What the Ops1 means for Australia
To produce 12 new Ops1 graduates is amazing for the Australian snow industry. It raises the bar in general, with advanced knowledge trickling down through guiding operations, patrol teams and outdoor education programs. It also means there are more people out in the Aussie backcountry with the skills and abilities to funnel solid information back to the MSC forecasters. This leads to more accurate daily conditions reports for the backcountry community.
It’s amazing to be a part of this cohort of people who want to advance snow safety in Australia. It’s estimated less than 40 people have this qualification in the country. Yet, we know that Australia’s understanding of snow safety is years behind that of Canada or other countries. The CAA Ops1 is just the starting point for snow safety overseas and we have a long journey ahead of us if we wish to progress.
If you’re interested in potential places on future Ops1 courses in Australia, please contact Alpine Access Australia.