Recreational vs. Professional Avalanche Education Track

US Avalanche Education is now divided into two tracks at the upper levels: Professional and Recreational. Everyone is encouraged to start with an 8-12 hour Avalanche Awareness or Skills class. A one-day Companion Avalanche Rescue training session is the next step, and/or a 24-hour Level 1. After the general Level 1 for all, the Pro and Rec tracks diverge. UMA has chosen to focus primarily on Recreational snow travelers, including backcountry skiers and snowboarders, snowshoers, mountaineers and ice climbers.

The Pro-Rec Split began in 2017-18, and aims to deliver better, more focused courses to each user group. The previous structure wasn’t serving everyone as well as it could. Recreational backcountry users have different needs from professionals, and having courses for both audiences meant everyone had to compromise in what they were learning.

Pros include ski patrollers, avalanche forecasters and mountain guides. Their next class after Level 1 is the 5-day Pro Level 1. Recreationists want to travel safely in avalanche terrain, NOT as a job. The Rec Level 2 is advised as a follow-up after the Level 1 and one or more years of backcountry travel. Its curriculum is now streamlined into 24-hours and much more useful for an experienced, non-professional seeking advanced avalanche skills.

In the Rec courses, UMA continues to teach snow science, forecasting and stability tests. We do less documentation and data recording than before the split. Instead the focus is on efficient snowpits and on-the-go tests, rather than data pits and study plots. The original Level 2 course was more of an entry-level professional course, heavy on snow science jargon and in-depth snowpack and weather observations. The meat of it was largely unnecessary for most recreationists. There’s still plenty of pit digging and stability testing in Rec 2, but someone who’s headed out with friends doesn’t always need to dig a full profile and record temperatures.

Now the goal is to arm Rec 2 students with effective tools for timely decision-making. After taking a Level 1 course, many recreationists ski tour safely by recognizing avalanche-prone terrain or snowpack and avoiding it. The Rec 2 builds on this knowledge. It caters to those seeking to ski or climb bigger lines; travel in diverse, complex terrain and snowpacks; and ski out-of-bounds safely even when avalanche danger is up. Broadly experienced UMA guides share with students the smart route selection and terrain management; bullseye data gathering and analysis; risk-reduction procedures; and practical methods they use to make consequential up and downhill route-finding decisions on a daily basis.