Winter is here in full force with snow in the mountains, ski resorts are opening and Canada West Mountain School has completed our first series of AST-1 courses under our new Covid-19 protocols.

However, Covid-19 is still with us and we all still need to pull together and help reduce the risk of transmission. While we continue to adhere to our strict Covid-19 operational protocols on all CWMS programs, we have also been advised by Avalanche Canada that Avalanche Skills Training Programs (AST-1 and AST-2) have been recognized by the British Columbia Provincial Health Authority as being an “Essential Public Safety Service”. This allows Canada West Mountain School to continue our outdoor mountain travel safety training programs during the period affected by the recently issued Provincial Health Order regarding social gatherings and travel restrictions in BC.

We have confidence that our AST courses are delivered in the safest manner possible to avoid the increased risk of transmission and we will continue to run our programs while maintaining all precautions possible, with the following enhanced changes in effect for all Canada West Mountain School programs:

• Courses will be conducted with a combination of online E-Learning through our Virtual Classroom, and Practical Field sessions held outdoors. No in-person classroom sessions will be conducted.  This includes Custom programs organized for private groups and families
• When possible, students are encouraged to postpone their training until after the current 2-week Provincial Health Order expires
• Students currently enrolled in any program scheduled before Dec 8th may request to re-schedule to a date later in the season
• Students traveling from outside of the Vancouver Coastal Health Region are advised to refrain from registering on any CWMS program offered in this region, until further notice. Any students from outside this health district who are currently enrolled on a  course will be eligible for rescheduling or refund.

We look forward to seeing everyone out in the mountains this winter, but we all need to do what we can to reduce the spread of Covid-19 before we can get back out and truly enjoy the mountains with our friends and family again!