Backcountry Education Courses
Intro to Backcountry Skiing 2.5 Day Course
Unlock Backcountry Adventures: Join Our Beginner-Friendly Course!
In this 2.5 day course, participants will start to establish a solid set of backcountry foundations. This program is perfect for newcomers and those looking to enhance their skills. Learn essential avalanche awareness, companion rescue techniques, and skiing/snowboarding improvement.
From how to pack your backpack for a day of adventure in the backcountry, to food prep, to trip planning and route finding, terrain evaluation, to the joy of making turns downslope, our instructor guides break down a day in the backcountry into an easily accessible curriculum to help participants establish a set of solid backcountry foundations.
This course covers equipment essentials, including skis/snowboard, bindings, and avalanche beacons. Gain experience in terrain analysis, expedition behavior, and risk assessment/trip planning. Prepare for real-world scenarios through practical applications.
This course takes place at two venues: One weekday evening for trip planning and indoor classroom review, and two weekend (Saturday and Sunday) days in our outdoor classroom.
Ages: 16+
Max. Enrollment: 10
Min. Enrollment: 6
Cost: $375 per participant
Inclusions: 2.5 days of instruction, transport to and from outdoor classroom venue if needed, snacks/hot beverages, avalanche terrain guide and education equipment (you must bring your own shovel, probe, beacon), dinner on Wednesday evening session.
Exclusions: Backcountry equipment: Avalanche Beacon, skis/split board, skins, clothing/outerwear, helmet, poles, etc., lunch on both weekend days.
*If you need to rent equipment like backpacks or poles, we can offer rentals at low cost on a first-come, first-served basis.
What to Pack: We will send emails and communicate logistics and packing lists upon completion of participant registration.
Prerequisites: none – all skill levels welcome to come, learn, and share.
Where:
- Weekday evening: 1343 G St., Suite 105/Anchorage, AK 99501
- Day 2 and 3 (Saturday and Sunday): Backcountry Terrain, Outdoor Classroom-Location Options TBD during our pre-trip meetings.
When: Dates Coming Soon. Fill out this form if you are interested in taking this course-let us know dates that would work for you!
- Sign up by clicking the date on the calendar that works for you. **Dates still TBD for the 2023 winter season** Click here to let us know if you’re interested in the course, and we’ll email you when it is open for registration.
- Input the required information where indicated (name, age, etc.), and pay the course’s 25% deposit fee.
- Fill out and sign our Waiver and Release Form online, and our registration form online.
- Let us know if you have any questions at hello@intothewoodsalaska.com! We will email participants the course handbook upon successful completion of registration.
Fill out the Waiver
Please be sure to read and sign the waiver and registration forms at least 30 days before your trip!
"Mountains Don't Care"
Disclaimer: A note on Safety and Risk in Outdoor Recreation
Outdoor Sports like bouldering, hiking, alpinism, mountaineering, camping, rock and ice climbing, activities that occur in the backcountry and avalanche terrain, and water-based activities, and simply being in the wilderness environment involves inherent and other risks and cannot be made safe. Observing our training, rules, and best practices for these sports cannot guarantee participants will be free from harm. When venturing outdoors to engage in recreation in the wilderness setting, either on one’s own, signing up on behalf of your minor participant, or as part of a group setting, please remember that there is an assumption of risk that we undertake in order to do these activities, teach skills, and learn.
CLIMBING, ACTIVITIES IN THE WILDERNESS AND BACKCOUNTRY, AND CLIMBING/WATER-BASED ACTIVITIES ARE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES that may result in serious injury or death. Into the Woods, LLC has a thorough risk assessment process in addition to extensive planning, training, policies and standards. We do this in order to meet the appropriate amount of risk for each group, activity, and setting, and mitigate risk to the largest extent possible during our courses, expeditions, trips, and all programs. However, while we are prepared, plan, and train, we are not able to guarantee that these wilderness sports and activities can be made 100% safe.