Snow Studies Series: FLC’s PRO 1 Avalanche Course

The FLC community is uniquely positioned to work and play in this region, with the best access in the state to multiple ski resorts and natural laboratories. It’s also one of the few college campuses in the nation to be close to so many ski resorts, including local Purgatory Mountain, just 45 minutes up the road. To work and play in the San Juan Mountains requires more than just stoke, but also the knowledge of how to avoid dangerous scenarios on winter adventures.

Colorado has the highest avalanche-related death toll in the nation. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, almost 300 people have died from being on the wrong side of Colorado avalanches in the last 70 years. The 2022-23 season has already seen seven fatalities. It's more apparent than ever that backcountry travelers can mitigate avalanche incidents with proper training.

FLC's Outdoor Pursuits program is doing just that—offering a five-day PRO 1 Avalanche Course in collaboration with the American Avalanche Institute. It is separate from the Snow & Avalanche Studies Certificate offered through FLC’s Adventure Education program, which spans three years and takes a deeper dive into snow science.

Led by Josh Kling, coordinator of Outdoor Pursuits, the in-house professional avalanche course is the first in the United States to be offered by a collegiate outdoor program. Kling developed and launched the first PRO 1 course this past January.

“There are only five providers that can teach the PRO 1 course, and of those five, there are two national players: the AAI and the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education,” said Josh Kling, coordinator of Outdoor Pursuits. “Instead of contracting out the instruction, we brought AAI to teach alongside us for an FLC program. It was the first time AAI or AIARE had heard of a collegiate outdoor program doing that.” 

The course is open to anyone, including non-students, but FLC students have a unique advantage. Before taking the PRO 1 course, Kling treated FLC students to two additional days of instruction. Ben Iverson, a senior studying Business Administration, appreciated the two extra days of training that he received from Kling. 

“Josh went out of his way to plan those additional prep days for the course,” said Iverson. “He took us out for two days. During one of them, we dug snow pits, performed simulated rescues, and did some beacon drills. That gave us the momentum to get into that course and succeed.”

The Pro 1 Avalanche Course is designed for snow professionals who have completed AAI's Rescue Fundamentals and Recreation Avalanche 1 courses.

The course also builds on the knowledge base and hands-on skill building necessary to reduce risk, work effectively as a group, and meet legal and ethical responsibilities as guides while traveling in the backcountry.

In addition to being open to the public, the Outdoor Pursuits PRO 1 course is available to students from any program, beneficial for aspiring snow scientists who may want professional avalanche training without the burden of an additional degree track. 

“Our students can pursue whatever degree track they want and still get this professional training,” Kling said. “Degree tracks matter, but many mid-degree certificate programs are valued in the outdoor industry. A Bachelor of Science degree in Geology would be phenomenal during the job application process. But large companies and organizations like CDOT and Vail Resorts prize these extra certificates. There's tremendous value in these kinds of auxiliary certificate programs.”

Even though it's not part of a degree track, the first PRO 1 course is challenging. Students meet at 7:30 a.m. at Silverton or Red Mountain Pass and push through the backcountry for 10 hours, learning the ins and outs of avalanche science. The course is capped off by a 20-hour, self-paced online segment.