Learn at your own pace
Complete the online learning at your own pace on any day before the November 29 field day.
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AST1 for
AVALANCHE TRAINING · CANADIAN ROCKIES
AST1 for
Ice Climbers.
Field day: November 29, 2026 · With Kris Irwin
Online learning + one field day · 8 places
Avalanche training with the ice climber in mind. Join Kris Irwin, an accomplished Canadian Rockies ice climber and fully certified ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide, for a climbing-specific AST1.
Complete the online learning at your own pace on any day before November 29, then put your learning into practice during the in-person field day with Kris.
The format: self-paced online learning completed before November 29, and one in-person field day with Kris on November 29, 2026. Lodging is not included.
$405.00 CAD
Per person · Includes 5% GST
AST1 FOR ICE CLIMBERS
Avalanche skills for the climbs ahead
A dedicated AST1 course for ice climbers in the Canadian Rockies. Learn with Kris Irwin, an accomplished Rockies ice climber and fully certified ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide. This is an opportunity to study avalanche awareness through the lens of climbing: the approaches, terrain above your route, and decisions that shape a day on the ice.
COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
Built around ice climbing
Learn from a full mountain guide
Work with Kris Irwin, an accomplished Canadian Rockies ice climber and ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide.
A climbing-specific perspective
Bring avalanche learning into the context of ice climbing, from your approach to the terrain above the climb.
Flexible online learning, one field day
Choose a day that suits you for the online learning, then join the in-person field day on November 29. Arrange your own lodging if you need it.
THE LOCAL EVIDENCE
Avalanche training belongs in ice climbing.
Climbing’s March 2023 article reports Grant Statham’s figures for avalanche deaths over 25 years in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay national parks.
41%
of avalanche fatalities were climbers
Skiers accounted for 37% of avalanche fatalities in the figures reported by Climbing.
10:1
estimated ratio of skiers to climbers (at least)
Statham estimated that at least ten times as many skiers as climbers recreated in these parks during that period.
Climbers accounted for a larger share of avalanche deaths despite a much smaller estimated participant population. These figures highlight a disproportionate burden on climbers; they do not establish an exact per-person or per-day risk multiplier.
Make avalanche education part of your climbing preparation. Our climbing-specific AST1 connects foundational avalanche learning to the terrain and decisions ice climbers encounter.
WHY CLIMBERS NEED AVALANCHE TRAINING
The hazard can be above the ice.
In his American Alpine Club article, mountain guide and avalanche forecaster Grant Statham explains why avalanche awareness belongs in every ice climber’s skill set.
Terrain overhead matters
A climb can sit beneath avalanche slopes you cannot assess from the base. Conditions high above the route may differ from those at your feet.
Small slides. Serious consequences.
Gullies can funnel moving snow onto a climb, and cliffs can turn a small avalanche into a fatal fall.
Time on the route adds exposure
Climbing and belaying can leave a team beneath avalanche terrain for hours. The approach and descent also need consideration.
That is why this AST1 focuses on ice climbers: building a foundation for understanding avalanche terrain and making informed climbing plans with Kris Irwin.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
An ice climber. A full mountain guide.
ACMG / IFMGA MOUNTAIN GUIDE
Kris Irwin
Kris Irwin is the owner and lead guide of Higher Ground Mountain Guides. An ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide, he has completed the Canadian Avalanche Association’s Operations Level 2 program. His experience spans the Canadian Rockies and international mountain ranges, including first ascents of routes and previously unclimbed peaks in North America.
Kris brings extensive ice climbing experience in the Canadian Rockies to this climbing-specific AST1. He will lead the in-person field day on November 29, 2026.
Feedback on Kris’s instruction
“Great knowledge and teaching/instruction from him. Learned so much and had lots of fun.”
Bow Summit
Banff National Park. One of the proposed locations for the November 29 field day; the final location will be confirmed before the course.
Black Prince
Kananaskis. An alternative proposed location for the field day. Wait for the confirmed meeting instructions before making your way to either site.
YOUR COURSE
How the course unfolds
1
Before November 29 | Online learning
Complete the self-paced online learning on any day that works for you, before the in-person field day on November 29.
2
November 29, 2026 | Field day
Join Kris in the Canadian Rockies for the field component. Bow Summit in Banff National Park or Black Prince in Kananaskis are the tentative locations; final details will be confirmed before the course.
BEFORE THE COURSE
Frequently asked questions
When do I complete the online learning?
The online learning is self-paced. Choose a day that works for you and complete it before the in-person field day on November 29, 2026. Access instructions will be shared before the course.
Where is the November 29 field day?
The field day is tentatively planned for Bow Summit in Banff National Park or Black Prince in Kananaskis. The final location and meeting details will be confirmed before the course.
Is accommodation included?
No. Lodging is not included. Please arrange accommodation separately if you need it.
What equipment do I need?
Avalanche gear rentals are available through SkiUphill. GearUp offers avalanche and ice-climbing gear rentals. A detailed equipment list will be provided before the course.
What time does the course start?
The field-day meeting time and location will be confirmed before the course.
Sources & further reading
The statistics above are those reported by Climbing in March 2023. The later ISSW paper is included as further reading and reports different figures.
Source: Keely Dickes · Climbing · March 16, 2023
Read Grant Statham’s “Ice Climbing and Avalanches” · American Alpine Club, 2020
Read more: The Ice Climbing Avalanche Atlas · Statham & Hueniken, ISSW 2023
Refund and cancellation policy
For participant cancellations, the non-refundable portion of the total course price is: 10% more than 120 days before the course; 35% at 90–120 days; 65% at 61–89 days; 85% at 30–60 days; and 100% less than 30 days before the course. If we cancel, participants may choose an 85% refund or a 100% e-gift credit. We strongly recommend trip cancellation protection.
Weather or itinerary changes alone do not qualify for a refund.
