More time with a more experienced educator than any other course provider: CMI’s small class sizes, taught by a master’s-level outdoor educator and one of Alaska’s most experienced backcountry snow professionals, enables the learning to be personalized and differentiated according to individual and group needs. In addition to avalanche safety, the course focuses on backcountry travel skill development and understanding the snow-season mountain environment. The learning consists of pre-course study (online coursework, educational materials, recommended reading) and four days of hands-on, experiential instruction.

CMI’s philosophy is that the best value for your investment in avalanche education is as much time as possible in the mountains learning from an experienced professional. We don’t spend much time indoors with classroom learning. CMI pedagogy has you in the field practicing avalanche rescue scenarios, management of objective and subjective risks, group communication and decision-making, route-finding, safe backcountry travel techniques, terrain management, snowpack assessment (via red flags, sensory indicators, snowpits, formal and informal means of instability testing), and observation documentation.

Prerequisites: ability to ski or snowboard intermediate terrain in variable snow conditions, fitness to tour via ski or splitboard and function in potentially inclement mountain weather for consecutive days

Call/text 907-831-9686 or email Info@ChugachSnow.org for inquiries. To register complete steps 1-6 here: course registration. CMI will email you an invoice after receiving your registration form (delays aren’t unusual – we are often in the field for days without communication during the summer and fall).

Central Chugach (Valdez, Thompson Pass, Tiekel Valley) available dates:

• Thursday, November 27 – Sunday, November 30, 2025 (Thanksgiving holiday weekend)
• Saturday, December 20 – Tuesday, December 23, 2025
• Thursday, January 29 – Sunday, February 1, 2026
• Contact CMI with inquiries for private courses

Take your Level 1 in the most diverse and spectacular learning environment in Alaska with quick and easy access to all three primary snow climates (maritime-coastal, transitional-intermountain, and interior-continental), a variety of microclimates, some of the most incredible and varied terrain in the world, and an instructor that intimately knows the area. From CMI’s base just outside the town of Valdez, we can start skinning in less than a five minute drive (coastal) to no more than an hour drive (interior) with Thompson Pass ~25 minutes away. The extraordinary terrain, weather, and snow dynamics of the Central Chugach make it an exceptional learning environment where you’ll be able to develop more refined skills and knowledge than you could someplace smaller and more known. We’ll likely be breaking trail everywhere we go and won’t cross paths with any other parties. As a bonus, CMI will help you get to know this relatively intimidating area so you can enjoy it better on your own. The knowledge and skills you’ll develop by taking your Level 1 in this wild, information-sparse region will provide the most effective preparation for wherever you intend to recreate in the future (whether it’s a remote zone with no information or a more civilized area with daily avalanche forecasts).

Greater Anchorage Area (Hatcher Pass & Western Chugach) available dates:

• Thursday, December 4 – Sunday, December 7, 2025
• Friday, January 16 – Monday, January 19, 2026 (MLK Jr. holiday weekend)
• Friday, February 13 – Monday, February 16, 2026 (Presidents’ holiday weekend)
• Contact CMI with inquiries for private courses

Your instructor (Mat) lived in Anchorage for 16 years and has 1000+ days experience backcountry skiing, avalanche forecasting, and providing avalanche education in the Western Chugach, Kenai, and Talkeetna mountains. He established numerous first descents and new touring and ski mountaineering routes in these areas. For nine seasons he provided a grassroots, pro bono avalanche information program (through the Anchorage Avalanche Center) for Alaska’s most accessible avalanche terrain (Chugach State Park) that started as his outdoor education master’s thesis. Mat has intimate knowledge of the terrain, snow, weather, and avalanche patterns of the Hatcher Pass, Chugach State Park, Girdwood, Turnagain Pass, and Summit Lake areas with a refined ability to help students choose the best venues for achieving their learning, skill development, and riding objectives. Field locations north and south of Anchorage allow students to experience different snowpacks and snow climates.

Private Level 1 & Avalanche Rescue courses (pre-course study material and four field days) start at the following rates for dates and locations* of your choosing:

• 1 person: $2800
• 2 people: $1600 each
• 3 people: $1200 each
• 4 people: $1000 each
• 5 people: $800 each
• 6 people: $700 each

*courses outside the Central Chugach area (Valdez, Thompson Pass, Tiekel Valley) may require additional fees for instructor travel