SILVERTON – The Silverton Avalanche School is offering a new Level I refresher course Dec. 18-19 at the St. Paul Ski Lodge on Red Mountain Pass high in the San Juan Mountains.

The refresher is designed to give students who have taken a Level 1 in the past five years a chance to get an update on the latest techniques in avalanche science.

Meanwhile, the Silverton Avalanche School also has two other level one classes scheduled for Jan. 22-24 and Jan. 29-31, 2010.

The Level I school is ideal for current and aspiring backcountry travelers. It will provide an introduction to terrain evaluation, safe travel protocols, route finding, decision making, companion rescue, human factors, mountain weather, recognizing instabilities in the snowpack using observations and tests, simple snow pit profiles, and how to apply the current avalanche bulletin to tour planning.

A Level II course will be held Feb. 4-7. This is a four-day workshop for those who have completed a three-day Level I Avalanche course.

This course is geared toward backcountry travelers who have applied their Level I skills and are either aspiring professionals or recreationists who are ready for more advanced knowledge and skills.

This class will focus on technical and scientific aspects of avalanche study and hazard assessment. Students should come having spent time in the backcountry, practiced with their beacons, and have reviewed their Level I material.

This is not a Level I refresher. Level II offers a low student to instructor ratio, improving interpersonal interaction and learning.

And new to the Silverton Avalanche School this year is the Level I Babes in the Backcountry course, which will be held Feb. 19-21. Join Babes in the Backcountry for a unique all woman workshop or adventure trip to help you build confidence with traveling in the backcountry.

Through the guidance and expertise of our professional female instructors, students will gain the knowledge and skills to become a more educated traveler and to increase thier awareness of backcountry concerns and hazards.

Since 1962 the Silverton Avalanche School has educated skiers, snowboarders,

snowmobilers, ski patrollers, search and rescue personnel, and law enforcement officers about the hazards of avalanches. Over 4,300 students have learned how to recognize avalanche hazards, determine snow stability, organize and carry out rescue operations and handle avalanche emergencies.

Silverton, at 9,318 feet, is located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, 50 miles north of Durango, Colorado. Silverton is surrounded by numerous avalanche paths – a natural avalanche laboratory – providing students with an active and accessible classroom.

The school’s curriculum is taught by nationally recognized members of the American Avalanche Association (AAA) and a host of mountain rescue specialists. Furthermore, the Silverton Avalanche School adheres to the AAA’s Guidelines for Avalanche Course Curriculum.

Anyone interested in attending an upcoming course should enroll online at www.silvertonavalancheschool.com or call 970/799-3406