SWAG stands for Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Guidelines and is the reference used by U.S. avalanche professionals for making and recording standard observations. Upgrading standards improves the quality of the observations you use to make backcountry decisions, allows you to better understand information provided in avalanche bulletins and allows you to reliably share useful information with friends, colleagues, forecasters, guides, and other professionals.
This course is designed specifically for experienced backcountry travelers and aspiring professionals who have taken a Level 2 avalanche course in the past or a non-AIARE Level 2 course where SWAG standards were not fully addressed.* This course is highly recommended as a review for those preparing for their AIARE Level 3 Certification Course or for Level 1 graduates who want to start practicing these skills and providing useful information to professionals and forecasters.
* This course meets requirements to upgrade programs for both AMGA and AIARE program prerequisites.
SWAG Upgrade learning outcomes-
In this course you will learn to:
Observe and record field and station weather observations using current standards
Observe and record avalanches using current standards
Observe and record the snowpack in study plots and field locations using current standards
Understand the applications of observation techniques to specific objectives
Track observable variations over space and time
Better understand local avalanche bulletins
Increase your existing decision making skills through the same observation and recording skills used by professionals
We meet in June Lake at the base of June Mountain at 8am. SWAG books and field books will be available for sale if you have not already purchased them. We will then use the mountain lifts to access the lodge for a short classroom session.
9:30am - 4pm
Field-based SWAG observing and recording instruction and practice.
