Hosted by: Asociatia Club Sportiv Linx Climbing Club

Date: 11 February – 4 March, 2025

Location: Fogaras Mountains, Romania

Accomodation: Cabana Paltinu, Balea Lac

The aim was to organise Training Meeting 2 in the Fogaras mountains in Romania to share experiences, knowledge and practices on how to increase winter mountain safety for ski alpinism. Furthermore with the help of professional trainers the project partners trained together in the below detailed specific topics to deepen their knowledge and share their experiences and also had the option to receive the qualifications ASG2 (ASG Trip Planning, AAA Rescue, and AAA Level 1), ASG3 (includes ASG Advanced Trip Planning, Snow/Avalanche Science, ASG Advanced Rescue, AAA Level 2, and AAA PRO1 Content) and ASG4 (includes, Navigation Science, Advanced Snowpack Development, AAA PRO2 Content) of the American Avalanche Association (AAA) recognised provider: Avalanche Science Guides. The courses included workshops, plenary lectures and field training. A specific workshop was held to discuss climate change, ecologically sound practices and environmental protection related to ski mountaineering.

Learning outcomes

Learning Outcomes for ASG2:

1. Understand snow science: snow metamorphism and slab avalanche fracture mechanics. Anticipate the impact of weather in the snowpack. Track precipitation, wind, and temperature critical thresholds driving avalanche instability.

2. Make relevant weather, weather, and avalanche observations. Target observations relevant to the avalanche problem of the day.

3. Familiarity with CAA OGRS / AAA SWAG. Competency with ATES frameworks. Awareness of CMAH.

4. Recognize avalanche terrain and the role of slope angles. Identify, estimate, and measure slope angles and recognize terrain connectivity.

5. Develop terrain navigation tools and skills, such as stability wheel, structural weaknesses, and reactivity tests.

6. Adopt safe travel protocols when traveling in avalanche terrain and recognize human factors impacting the team’s safety.

7. Introduce Avalanche Release Conceptual model and develop a systematic method for avalanche risk assessment and execution of safe travel plans.

8. Reliable identification of slab and weak layer structures in snow pits. Characterize snowpack structure reactivity with basic stability tests.

Learning Outcomes for RESCUE Module:

1. Gain an understanding of avalanche beacon technology.

2. Training in avalanche companion rescue techniques for D2 and D3 avalanches sizes.

3. Conduct transceiver functional verification at the trailhead.

4. Knowledge of the value and function of avalanche rescue equipment.

5. Demonstrate professional-level probing techniques.

6. Reliable single avalanche victim companion rescue.

7. Familiar with two-victim avalanche scenarios.

8. Effective communication during avalanche rescues.

9. Capable of generating Emergency Response Plans.

10. Internalize that an avalanche incident is a medical emergency, and develop familiarity with potential injuries and medical issues common to buried avalanche victims.

11. Develop awareness about the value of wilderness or outdoor medical training.

Learning outcomes for ASG3

1. Conduct transceiver functional verification at the trailhead.

2. Understanding of the value and the function of avalanche rescue equipment.

3. Demonstrate the operation of a transceiver/beacon.

4. Demonstrate professional-level probing techniques.

5. Become a reliable avalanche rescue companion.

6. 1. Comfortable executing avalanche single victim rescues with a team

   2. Competent rescuer during two victims’ avalanche scenarios.

   3. Demonstrate or identify the steps necessary to be able to complete two-avalanche victim rescue in less than FIVE (5) minutes in a 50×50 meter area.

   4. Effective communication during avalanche rescues

   5. Capable of generating Emergency Response Plans.

   6. Internalize that an avalanche incident is a medical emergency, and develop familiarity with potential injuries and potential medical issues common on buried avalanche victims.

   7. Develop awareness about the value of WFA/WFR/OEC/WEMT training.

7. Enhance ASG2 advanced training in avalanche companion rescue techniques with multiple victim scenarios and triage.

8. Review ASG2 concepts:

1. Recognize avalanche terrain, develop a systematic method for avalanche risk assessment, and execute safe travel plans.

2. Science of snow crystals, metamorphism, and slab avalanche fracture mechanics.

3. Understand the impact of weather on the snowpack. Track precipitation, wind, and temperature critical thresholds driving stability.

4. Reliable identification of slab and weak layer structures in snow pits. Characterize snowpack structure reactivity with basic stability tests.

9. Become proficient with AAA SWAG nomenclature, snow/weather/avalanche observation recording. Understand SWE.

   Generate snow pit hardness and temperature profiles. Relate season weather history with snowpack structure and layering.

10. Target standard and non-standard stability tests for various avalanche problems.

11. Competent in the application of avalanche release conceptual model and the integration of danger diagrams that assess risk in complex avalanche terrain during trip planning.

Learning outcomes for ASG4:

1. Understanding of snowpack tracking development twcniuques and CAMH avalanche forecasting

2. Integration of AAA-SWAG field observations to avalanche forecasting workflow

3. Competent in operational risk management, AM/PM meetings in terrain  navigation planning

4. Team rescue in under 8 minutes for a D+ avalanche type with 4-victims burial.

Main conclusions: all in all the Meeting itself was a huge success, it’s a really rare occurrence to get such high quality training in avalanche education in the region for such a wide audience. Both due to time and financial requirements not many people opt to seek such high quality education in this field, including even professionals like course providers or mountain guides. However by providing this opportunity to 36 well chosen people in the region with the help of the EU funding we hope to spread the word, pass on the knowledge and the motivation to seek these opportunities. We already know that some of the participants are even considering training to be able to provide this kind of education in the future. Furthermore even already now we see that the knowledge gained during the courses is being slowly built into the future avalanche education in the 3 countries by the participants (at all levels, so into professional course materials, rescue team training materials, community trainings, club trainings, lectures, etc.)

Participants: The training included altogether 36 people from the 3 countries. First two separate 4 day long ASG2 Level courses were held to people with no previous AAA certification (First course: 7 Romanian, 6 Hungarian, the Croatian party wanted to travel together due to easier travel engagements, so they chose to take only part in the second ASG2 course. Second course: 3 Hungarian, 5 Romanian, 5 Croatian). After that a joint 10 day long ASG 3 and 4 course was held for people who already held an ASG2 (or equivalent) certification (6 Hungarian, 4 Romanian, 4 Croatian). These were partly people who got their ASG2 certification during our previous Erasmus+ MountainSafe Project that ran between 2019-2020, and partly people who had their certificates from other sources. The training was provided by 3 trainers from Avalanche Science Guides. 

Due to the exceptional nature of the training there were lots of applicants for all courses, so we were able to choose applicants whom we hope will be able to make the biggest impact. We tried to prioritize people who will most likely pass on their knowledge. So training participants included: guides, national mountaineering association trainers, course leaders, club course

roviders, mountain rescue personnel, local avalanche forecasting personnel, skimo coaches, mountaineering education committee personnel, etc. 

Reviews

At the end of the meeting we asked all participants to write 2 pages of their main experiences, one participants review of the training sessions is below. A photo gallery from the Meeting is available on the Project website: https://www.sialpin.hu/mountainsafer/

“ASG 2 Course Report

Location: Lac Balea, Fagaras, Southern Carpathians, Romania

Date: 11-15 February 2025

Training is an essential part of being an accomplished mountaineer, let alone a rock climbing instructor. Travelling in backcountry in alpine winter is one of the most complex and challenging activity outdoors that one could undertake. The complexities are far reaching: technicalities, assessing and mitigating risks, understanding various features of weather and terrain as well as comprehending leadership issues are just a few of those factors to consider.

Organizers

This event was facilitated by the ERASMUS+ program and was concentrating on skiers and alpinists of the region. It was organized by the Hungarian Ski Mountaineering Association (HSMA) with hosts from the Avalanche Science Guides from Idaho, USA and with 13 participants altogether: 6 from Hungary (from the HSMA and the Excelsior Alpine Club) and 7 from Romania from various ski clubs/associations. Each of us had already taken training in avalanche risk, rescue and backcountry skiing before in certain frameworks largely complying with the UIAA standards.

Goals

The overall objectives of the course were set in accordance with the standards of the American Avalanche Association (AAA) at level 2 (ASG2). The requirements for the certificate were the following:

• Establish the ability of safe guiding of self and a team in the winter backcountry

• Effective risk management in different terrain complexities

• Successful avalanche rescue of 1 buried team member (1.5 m depth) under 5 minutes

• Demonstrate the ability of planning and debriefing a tour in the backcountry for self and the team

Course overview

The first day of the course was classroom day (unfortunately with the best weather during the whole course), with the purpose of introducing and developing a conceptual model of avalanches and associated risks in backcountry. Day 2-4 were entirely field training exercise (FTX) at close destinations to the base (Palatinu mountain chalet).

Objectives of the classroom day – the conceptual model of avalanche risk management, trip planning, team briefing and trip debriefing

Tools. The instructors provided each participant a set of tools including safety and travelling protocols, a comprehensive guide to avalanche risk assessment and planning (“bitácora”), trip planning tools (“bitácorinas”) and a scale to measure snow crystals.

Avalanche model. Based on the standards of the AAA, we were introduced to the basics of snow science, and the conceptual model of avalanche risk management. This included the understanding of various weather models, including the energy balance, precipitation rates, wind, their nomenclature and their implication on avalanche risks. The model also includes the evaluation of the regional and local avalanche forecasts, the avalanche nomenclature (avalanche problems, destructive size, sensitivity, spatial distribution and their relation to fatalities. The course was specially focused on the most prevalent avalanche problems in this latitude (primarily PWL – persistent weak layer, but also wind, storm and wet slabs) and their causes. It also explored physics and the mechanics behind the avalanches.

Terrain connectivity. A great emphasis was laid on the understanding of the terrain connectivity, and especially the importance of slope angles in various type of avalanche problems and therefore its implications on planning and route selection. Another conceptual model was introduced for terrain classification, which was in turn a great help in trip planning on the FTX days.

Complementing these models and the use of bitacorinas a number of case studies were also given to the group to study accidents in relation to various avalanche problems or terrain complexities.

Objectives and results of the FTX – safe travelling, recognizing and understanding terrain complexity, rescue

From Day 2 on our task was to implement these principles in training. The most important objectives were recognizing the key features of the terrain and classifying it as simple, challenging, complex or extreme. As per the ASG2 reference grade we were not allowed to travel or approach extreme terrain under any circumstances and given the avalanche problems we were expecting to face with we had to assess the viability of oplan. Given the conditionality of the plan viability in certain terrain types, the objectives of our trips were to test the initial hypotheses provided by the travel plan and the regional meteo/avalanche forecasts. Our toolkit included measuring slope angles with our phones and/or maps, testing the avalanche problems with quick pits and quick pit+ tests: snow profiling, fracture initiation, quality and fracture propagation tests. In addition, rescue exercises were part of the objectives every day.

Major takeaways for future reference:

Backcountry risk management take-aways: the methodology and the conceptual framework introduced during the course was a major novelty. Because the conceptual framework was science and data backed, its theoretical and practical foundations were solid and far more coherent than that of the curriculum of the European, let alone Hungarian avalanche trainings. The only shortfall is the lack of relevant statistical data in the majority of European mountain ranges (such as the Carpathians), therefore the applicability requires some extra care in these ranges. The rescue objective was finding 1 buried victim (1.5 m burial) with a rescue team of 2 in less than 5 minutes, which is less than the industry average (8 minutes). The methodology we used was novel but appeared to be far more effective than I knew. Leadership take-aways: Some of the most important skills (beyond those associated with backcountry travel and rescue, were those associated with leadership skills. The most important take-aways to this extent for the preparation were:

1. Selecting and training your team
   

2. Setting protocols and rituals for avalanche travel and rescue before going out
   

3. Allocate time for planning
   

4. Starting early
   

5. Briefing
   

For the actual fieldwork:

• Situational awareness
  

• Managing teamwork
  

• Simple and effective communication
  

• Prioritize and execute travel objectives
  

1. Empowering the team and decentralized command
   

2. Debriefing the day
   

Conclusion

There is a need for such courses in the ski-alpinist community in CEE. There is a considerable effort put in the concept of this training, which can significantly elevate the backcountry skills of people here. Not only it should be integrated in basic mountaineering curriculum, but regular FTXs are essential to maintain mountain safety, which means, that I’m looking forward to the next stage anytime soon.”