Back for this season we’ve teamed up with some of the top brands in the industry like Weston, Ortovox, Karakoram, Scarpa, ATK and DPS to bring you the Avy Savvy Winter Clinic series. This is the perfect place to start to help to start build a foundation for your backcountry travel, or a great refresher for the seasoned travler. With clinics like our Ski/Splitboard 101, Hut Tripping 101, Avy 101, and Trip Planning 101 we have something for everybody! And the best thing, they are all FREE and 1.5-2 hours in length!
Attend one of our clinics and receive 15% off an Intro to Ski/Splitboard or AIARE Avalanche Course! Clinics take place weekly November through February at a variety of hosting partners spanning from Summit County, to Grand county to the front range. Hosting Partners include Cripple Creek Backcountry, Bentgate, evo, Icebox Mtn Sports, Hideaway Park Brewery, Powder 7, and more…..
Check out our current clinic dates and registration links below and don’t hesitate to call us at 970-893-8007 with questions!
Colorado Adventure Guides is excited to announce a full season of backcountry safety and education programming again this season through our Avy Savvy Clinic Series. The series consist of five different clinics that focus on how to successfully prepare for the backcountry, stay safe while you there and get you home at the end of the day. All clinics are presented by members of our staff and the series is sponsored by our valued partners at Weston, Ortovox, ATK, Karakorum, Scarpa and DPS.
When: Saturday, December 2nd
Where: Venture Out Fest – Winter Park Resort Base Area
Beacon Park – Look for the Colorado Adventure Guides and ORTOVOX tents on Lower Hughes where we will have a beacon park setup to hone your search skills along with a transceiver checkpoint for practicing your pre-tour safety skills. Try out the new Diract Voice beacon & Litric airbag from ORTOVOX. Time: All Day- Cost: Free – No Registration Required
Avy Burial & Rescue Demonstration – Avy rescue skills are perishable! Join CAG’s Lead Snow Safety Educator, Justin Ibarra for this professional 30 minute demonstration focusing on the skills required to quickly and efficiently conduct an avalanche burial search and rescue. Time: 12:30 PM – Cost: Free – No Registration Required
Get On Up – Join guides from the WP Uphill Program, Weston and CAG on a short uphill tour where you can learn about modern AT & Splitboard touring equipment and uphill techniques from engageable outdoor professionals. Time: 10AM, 10:30AM, and 11AM – Cost: Free – Onsite Registration
In this 1.5 hour clinic you will learn about the resources used to make smart decisions in the backcountry. We will talk about the gear, using the forecast, and avenues for backcountry education. We will also end the clinic with an update of the current state of the snowpack.
Our Backcountry Ski/Splitboarding 101 Clinics will introduce skiers and riders to backcountry equipment and available resources. We will define what the backcountry is and take a look at the specialized equipment that is necessary to use while traveling in the snowy mountains.
As an ORTOVOX Safety Academy Partner we are pleased to introduce our new “Risk Management in Avalanche Terrain and Tour Planning” Clinic, an in-person, interactive snow-safety course.
Presented by ORTOVOX USA
Learn how to identify and avoid avalanche terrain on your next tour. Participants will form touring groups (4 groups of five) and through a variety of guided exercises will learn how to choose a tour that fits the conditions and minimizes avalanche risk.
ORTOVOX’s Safety Academy 3D Mountain model is used by each touring group as an interactive learning tool to graphically demonstrate avalanche terrain and simulate tour planning. Participants learn how to identify avalanche terrain, interpret an avalanche forecast, apply the forecast to their mountain model, and in the end will draw and explain their route.
Due to the hands-on nature of this clinic, attendance is capped at 20.
RSVP required, with standby and overflow allowed. Free with RSVP.
Each participant will receive a free gift from ORTOVOX!
Time duration: 1.5 hours
Join us on a Hut Trip 101 Clinic to learn the basics about using a backcountry hut in the winter. From tour planning to food and gear planning we will be covering a wide array of topics that involve your hut adventures.
2023/2024 Season dates will be posted soon!!
Terrain management is a tool we can use to reduce our risk in avalanche zones. In this intermediate-level snow talk, we cover the basics of how a backcountry traveler should arrive at choosing appropriate terrain for a backcountry ski or snowboard tour. We’ll look at weather history and forecast, snowpack conditions, an avalanche hazard forecast, the details of our group and human factors, and discuss how these ingredients help us make our daily terrain choices. Attendees will be introduced to the resources used by professionals and experienced recreational skiers, key observations, and considerations needed to make an effective tour plan.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Our backcountry clinics have limited capacity and tend to book up. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended.