Youth Avalanche Education

Our school offers a variety of winter safety program targeting backcountry and avalanche awareness education for grades K-12.

We travel to schools throughout the state to deliver age appropriate lectures with the popular Know Before You Go program.

For a more in-depth experience, check out our 1-day “Backcountry 101” classes for kids 6^th-12^th grade. These courses are a great way to learn the basics of avalanche awareness without costly investment in touring gear.

We invite young adventurers in 9^th-12^th grade to attend our youth specific multi-day Level 1 avalanche courses. See our schedule below.

Backcountry 101

8 hours / $125
This course is specifically designed for youth new to the backcountry. Heavy on practical, usable skills and local information, this is a great place for students to start building their avalanche skills. Recommended age range for this course is 13-17 years old. Ski Areas make ideal settings for young backcountry users, allowing BC 101 participants to maximize field and practice time. Students will finish the course with understanding of: Avalanche… More

Know Before You Go

1 hour
Youth Avalanche Awareness Lecture Just as students in Hawaii learn about the dangers of rip tides and shore breaks at an early age, Alaskan students need to learn about avalanches. Know Before You Go (KBYG) is a free avalanche awareness program originally developed by the Utah Avalanche Center. Usually about an hour long, KBYG is focused on awareness and doesn’t bog the audience down with complex science or formulas to… More

Level 1 (Youth)

Online learning / Classroom, 3 field days (24 hrs) / $475
This intensive, hands-on course is geared toward skiers, boarders, climbers, and other outdoor enthusiasts who want to build winter backcountry skills. The Level 1 course combines Online Learning/Classroom time and field sessions to provide a comprehensive overview of avalanche hazard recognition and evaluation. By the end of the three-day course, graduates will be able to: Make a trip plan Gather pertinent information Know what kind of avalanche problem they face… More

Avalanche Level 2

Alayne Tetor

This course helped me to understand how weather and terrain effect snow conditions and how to collect and discern critial information for safe skiing in the backcountry. Even though I have almost no science background, the instructors made everything very accessible to learn and practice.

Avalanche Level 1

Erin Kilbury

Last year I took the first Level One Avalanche Course at the Manitoba Hut, hosted by the Alaska Avalanche School. It was an inspiring, humbling and empowering experience that I highly recommend to anyone doing winter travel in the mountains. Whether you are new to Alaska’s terrain and snow or have been playing in the mountains your whole life, this course delivers high-value, essential information for making safe and educated decisions.

Avalanche Level 1

Jessica Cobley

This was a fantastic course to introduce me to learning about avalanche safety! All of our instructors were knowledgable and fun to be around. I now have a much better idea about what to look out for when backcountry skiing and am looking forward to practicing what we learned! "Don't just know better, do better. - Fredrik"

Avalanche Level 2

Anna Ferntheil

The AAS level 2 class dove deeper into avalanche and group mechanics. The knowledge presented in the course will help preapre students wanting to take the next steps in backcountry travel. I feel much better equipped to make well informed snow travel. I feel much better equipped to make well informed snow travel decisions- even if limited information is readily available.