Taking the First Steps in Your Backcountry Education

Every backcountry skier I know who has some experience under their belt can still remember their Level 1 avalanche course. They can picture the snowpack profile, whether it was sugary and shallow and unstable or deep and bomber; they can share some nugget of wisdom that their instructor doled out; they can name the mistakes they or others made during their first beacon drill under pressure. A Level 1 avalanche course is a necessary and often formative part of every backcountry traveler&rsqu