Avalanche Courses

Book your avalanche course in our new course offering

Whether for ski tours or for free-riding: When you’re on unsecured terrain, you have to be able to estimate the risk of an avalanche. Careful planning, appropriate behavior on the mountain and the experience required to recognize potential hazard areas are the basics needed to ensure your safety on a tour. Since 2008, we have spread this knowledge by offering safety and avalanche transceiver training for beginners and advanced mountaineers in cooperation with around 35 mountaineering schools. With its avalanche courses, the SAFETY ACADEMY is the world’s largest avalanche prevention training initiative. Get educated and reduce the risk! It’s the only way to avoid emergency situations. The aim of the avalanche courses: Safety and risk management for ski touring and freeriding on unsecured terrain in winter.

Avalanche Courses

Book your avalanche course in our new course offering

Whether for ski tours or for free-riding: When you’re on unsecured terrain, you have to be able to estimate the risk of an avalanche. Careful planning, appropriate behavior on the mountain and the experience required to recognize potential hazard areas are the basics needed to ensure your safety on a tour. Since 2008, we have spread this knowledge by offering safety and avalanche transceiver training for beginners and advanced mountaineers in cooperation with around 35 mountaineering schools. With its avalanche courses, the SAFETY ACADEMY is the world’s largest avalanche prevention training initiative. Get educated and reduce the risk! It’s the only way to avoid emergency situations. The aim of the avalanche courses: Safety and risk management for ski touring and freeriding on unsecured terrain in winter.

Training Basic

Well prepared for an emergendy (1 day)

The right equipment on the mountain is mandatory, but it is of no help in an emergency unless you really know how to use it. The Safety Academy “Basic Training” avalanche course is perfect for beginners, but also for advanced mountaineers who wish to refresh their knowledge. You’ll be provided concise, necessary information on how to use avalanche equipment, as well as the strategy for successful companion rescue: The correct way to act after an avalanche, including intensive training in how to search for burial victims, probe, and quickly and efficiently shovel the victim free.

Included in this course:

Overview of equipment, snow and avalanches
Essential rules for avalanche search and rescue
Procedure to be taken when an avalanche occurs
Practical training and correct procedure when on tour
The chance to rent the latest ORTOVOX emergency equipment for free
The chance to rent “advanced emergency equipment” for free
Course led by state-certified mountain and ski guides
Dourse fees and organization

Training Basic (one day): from €95 (RRP)

Tour and training basic

Basics for staying safe in deep snow for ski touring and freeriding (2 days)

Our avalanche course "TOUR AND TRAINING BASICS" is offered with two main focuses: ski touring and freeriding. The freeride courses specifically cover the fundamentals for increased safety in deep snow while freeriding. In both courses, our state-certified mountain guides will teach you not only how to use avalanche equipment so that you can handle a companion rescue after an avalanche, but also the essentials of sensible tour planning and how to translate your tour plan to the terrain. The second day is a full day of touring and we’ll head out into the snow. This is where your knowledge of tour planning will be tested and put into practice. You’ll get an initial insight into finding a route and setting a track, recognizing and evaluating dangerous areas based on the prevailing conditions, and applying decision-making strategies.

Included in this course:

Overview of equipment, snow and avalanches
Information and tactical tips for tour planning
Interpretation of the avalanche bulletin
Use of assessment methods
Procedure to be taken when an avalanche accident occurs
Active search and rescue training
Basics of modern risk management
Group tour or freeriding on day 2
The chance to rent the latest ORTOVOX emergency equipment for free
The chance to rent “advanced emergency equipment” for free
Course led by state-certified mountain and ski guides
Course fees and organization

Tour & Training Basic (2-day course fees): from 250€ ski touring and 260€ freeriding (excluding overnight stay and meals)

Tour and training advanced

Intensive avalanche risk management for ski touring and freeriding (2.5 days)

The “Advanced Training & Touring” avalanche course runs over 2.5 days and is ideal for freeriders and ski tourers who are already familiar with their avalanche equipment (how to use emergency equipment and simple search strategies), have already gained experience in the backcountry and wish to deepen their basic knowledge. You’ll learn how to independently choose and plan a tour that matches the group and conditions. On tour, the focus will be on identifying potentially dangerous areas in the mountains, evaluating them and performing a risk assessment. As part of this, you will practice making the right decisions and taking suitable measures. This way, you will be gradually introduced to independent, responsible ski touring.

Included in this course:

Intensified victim search
Procedure to be taken when an avalanche accident occurs in difficult, realistic conditions Information and tactical tips for tour planning Greater focus on touring and freeriding(2 full days of touring)
How to lay tracks in difficult terrain
Use of evaluation methods in the field
Two longer tours for learning how to employ additional aids for solving problems
More emphasis on practical training
The chance to rent the latest ORTOVOX emergency equipment for free
The chance to rent “advanced emergency equipment” for free
Course led by state-certified mountain and ski guides
Course fees and organization

Tour & Training Advanced (2,5-day course fees): from 350€ ski touring and 370€ freeriding (excluding overnight stay and meals)