The Chugach Mountain Institute is an American Avalanche Association recognized avalanche education provider for Alaska and this course significantly exceeds the national guidelines for Recreation Track Level 1 & Avalanche Rescue courses. It fulfills both prerequisites for taking Recreation Track Level 2 and Professional Track Avalanche 1 courses.The small class size, taught by a master’s-level outdoor educator and one of Alaska’s most experienced backcountry avalanche 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 (recommended reading, online coursework, and educational materials provided after registration) with four, full field days of intensive, hands-on, experiential instruction in the mountains. 

The CMI 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 other than planning and debriefing (you complete indoor learning on your own time via the pre-course study program). The 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 the four consecutive field days

Call/text 907-831-9686 or email Info@ChugachSnow.org for inquiries and registration.

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

• Thursday, November 28 – Sunday, December 1, 2024 (Thanksgiving holiday weekend)
• Thursday, December 19 – Sunday, December 22, 2024
• Thursday, January 2 – Sunday, January 5, 2025

Take your Level 1 in the most diverse and spectacular learning environment in the state 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) dates:

• Saturday, December 7 – Tuesday, December 10, 2024
• Friday, December 27 – Monday, December 30, 2024
• Thursday, January 9 – Saturday, January 12, 2025

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 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 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 a hour north and south of Anchorage (Hatcher Pass to Girdwood) allow students to experience all three primary snow climates, each with a variety of microclimates.

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: $2750
• 2 people: $1500 each
• 3 people: $1100 each
• 4 people: $850 each
• 5 people: $700 each

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