Winter Programs

Custom dates available for your schedule

Thinking of taking an AST Level 1 or 2 educational course? If so, why would you take it with anything less than a Professional Educator? Each course that is offered is based on the curriculum of Avalanche Canada, and has a certification upon completion. From this frame work I customize the deliverables so that you get exactly what you are looking for. A course that is as unique as you are - every time.

My Winter Background

With more than thirty-five years of experience teaching AST 1 and AST 2, I bring both depth of expertise and a passion for guiding others into the mountains with confidence and awareness. My professional background includes a Level 2 Professional standing with the Canadian Avalanche Association (currently pursuing Level 3), a Master’s degree in Leadership and Training, certification as a Life Coach, and years of work as a Ski Guide, Professor at Capilano University, and Advanced Wilderness First Aid practitioner.

I believe the most powerful learning happens through experience—when you’re engaged, asking questions, and making real decisions in a supportive environment. My role as an educator is to create a space of trust, respect, and empowerment, where students not only gain technical skills but also learn to trust themselves in the backcountry. Teaching is never one-sided; every course is a shared journey where we all bring knowledge and wisdom to the circle.

Both AST 1 and AST 2 courses follow the framework set by the Canadian Avalanche Association, and successful participants receive official certification. But beyond the certificate, my goal is to ensure you leave with something deeper: the confidence to make sound decisions in the backcountry, a heightened awareness of risk and safety, and a stronger connection to yourself and the mountain environment.

Avalanche Skills Training 1

Course Fee: $305

Avalanche Skills Training 1 (AST 1) is your essential first step into safe and confident backcountry travel. Designed for skiers, snowboarders, and winter adventurers, this nationally recognized course provides the knowledge and hands-on experience you need to make informed decisions in avalanche terrain.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of avalanche formation and release.

• Identify and recognize avalanche terrain.

• Plan and carry out a backcountry trip with safety in mind.

• Apply the Avaluator 2.0 decision-making tool in areas rated by the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and supported by avalanche bulletins.

• Access reliable resources for terrain ratings, avalanche danger reports, and bulletins when they are not readily available.

• Practice safe and effective travel techniques in avalanche terrain.

• Perform a complete companion rescue.

• Recognize the limits of your training and when to seek further education or expertise.

AST 1 follows the curriculum developed by the Canadian Avalanche Association, ensuring you receive high-quality instruction and certification upon completion. Beyond the certificate, you’ll walk away with practical tools, greater awareness, and the confidence to explore the backcountry with respect, responsibility, and safety.

Avalanche Skills Training 2

$650

The Avalanche Skills Training 2 (AST 2) course is designed for those ready to take their backcountry decision-making to the next level. Over four immersive days in diverse mountain environments, you will deepen your understanding of avalanche hazard management and develop advanced skills to travel with greater confidence and independence.

This experiential course is delivered either over two weekends or in four consecutive days, blending classroom sessions with extensive field practice in real avalanche terrain.

Course Objectives

By the end of AST 2, you will be able to:

• Apply the Avaluator 2.0 as a filtering tool to recognize when advanced planning and specialized techniques are needed.

• Verify and interpret Avalanche Danger Ratings at a local scale.

• Utilize the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) technical model to create your own terrain ratings.

• Refine your route-finding skills to use terrain features strategically and manage risk effectively.

• Employ advanced travel techniques in avalanche terrain based on current conditions.

• Perform a proficient companion rescue in complex scenarios.

• Recognize the limits of your training and when to seek additional expertise.

AST 2 follows the Canadian Avalanche Association curriculum and provides formal certification upon completion. More than a credential, this course empowers you to take leadership in your backcountry adventures, combining technical knowledge, practical experience, and sound judgment to navigate challenging winter terrain.

Decision Making and Creating High-Performance Groups

Course Fee: $350

When it comes to avalanches, the number one factor in most incidents isn’t the snowpack—it’s human error. Poor communication, unclear roles, and flawed decision-making are often what put people at risk. This one-day course is designed to address exactly that, giving you the tools to recognize human factors and build strong, high-functioning groups that make better decisions in the mountains.

Course Format

• Morning Session (Indoors): Explore the psychology of decision-making, the stages of group development, and how personal behaviors influence group dynamics. Learn how to recognize patterns that lead to risk, and how to foster trust, communication, and accountability within your team.

• Afternoon Session (Outdoors): Put theory into practice with hands-on activities designed to strengthen leadership, communication, and group problem-solving in real-world scenarios.

What You’ll Gain

By the end of the day, you will:

• Understand how group dynamics directly impact safety in avalanche terrain.

• Recognize the stages of group development and learn strategies to accelerate progress toward becoming a high-performance team.

• Gain insight into your own decision-making tendencies and how they influence group outcomes.

• Develop practical skills to foster trust, clear communication, and stronger decision-making in backcountry groups.

• Leave with tools you can apply immediately in both outdoor and everyday team environments.

This course is ideal for anyone who travels in the backcountry with friends or organized groups, as well as leaders who want to strengthen their ability to guide teams toward safer, smarter choices.

✨ Great decisions don’t happen by chance—they happen when strong individuals come together as a high-performance group. Learn the skills to make it happen.

                                             “The Only Constant in Life is Change”

Heraclitus               

 1 Day Fundamentals Workshop - Squamish BC - 4 hours / Including tea, coffee, snacks $125

Put yourself in the expert hands of a certified WHM Instructor to learn the 3 pillars of the Wim Hof Method: Breathing Technique, Cold Exposure & Commitment. Find out how you can utilize oxygen and cold exposure to optimize body & mind, and learn about the underlying physiology.

This workshops is limited to 10 participants. The intimate quality allows for ample personal attention, and feedback tailored to your specific situation. Whether you are looking to improve mental or physical performance, relieve symptoms related to an illness, or are just curious to find out what the Wim Hof Method is all about— a WHM workshop offers something for everyone.

The program generally kicks off with an introduction to the Wim Hof Method, and always includes a breathing session and an (optional) ice bath. At the end there is ample room for reflection, and the Instructor is there to answer questions throughout the workshop.

The WIM HOF Method is based on three components that reinforce each other. These three components include: breathing techniques, the training of mindset/focus, and gradual exposure to the cold. Although there are various methods that separately deal with either breathing techniques, the training of mindset/concentration or exposure to the cold, no other technique, as far as we know, is based on the interactive basis between these components. It is the very interaction of these components that appear to provide proof of the positive effects on the body

https://www.wimhofmethod.com/activities/category/fundamentals-workshop

This one day workshop will introduce you to the techniques involved for increasing your breath awareness and effectiveness. A cold immersion experience coached, some stretching techniques, a healthy lunch, and hot tea.

Wild Water Immersion Preparation Course $100 (Course includes immersion and Mindset training)

Cold water immersion in the winter can be an exhilarating experience. It can also be very challenging if things don’t go as planned. Take this four hour course to learn how to plan for the unexpected. Topics to be covered. Tarp set up. Fire starting. Warming techiniques. What to bring with you. Emergency response protocols. Risk management and decision making under duress.

My background is a certified Association of Mountain Guides Hiking Guide, Advanced Wilderness First Aid, Instructor of Risk Management Capilano University, Avalanche course Instructor, Survival course Instructor and Wim How Instructor.

Mind over Water $125