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Canadian Avalanche Association Advancing avalanche risk management through professional excellence.

The CAA is pleased to recognize Alexandre Grandmaison as the recipient of the 2026 Austin Powder Blasting Scholarship.Al...
10/18/2026

The CAA is pleased to recognize Alexandre Grandmaison as the recipient of the 2026 Austin Powder Blasting Scholarship.

Alexandre’s career in the avalanche industry grew from a passion for snowmobiling and snowboarding into a commitment to avalanche safety and professional development.

Since 2022, he has worked as a Snowmobile Guide with Toby Creek Adventures in Panorama, BC, where he guides guests through mountain terrain while contributing to daily avalanche observations and operations.

Alexandre is a CMBGA Level 2 Snowmobile Guide and holds CAA Avalanche Operations Level 1 and AvSAR Level 2 certifications. This spring, he was accepted into the CAA Avalanche Operations Level 2 program, marking another step forward in his professional development.

The Austin Powder Blasting Scholarship will cover the course fees for Alexandre to attend the CAA Avalanche Control Blasting course in 2026, supporting his continued development in avalanche operations.

The CAA gratefully acknowledges Austin Powder for supporting the education and professional development of avalanche practitioners through this scholarship.

Congratulations, Alexandre!

As we look ahead to another winter season, now is a good time to review your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) a...
10/16/2026

As we look ahead to another winter season, now is a good time to review your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and make a plan for the year ahead.

CPD helps CAA members maintain and build the knowledge, skills, qualifications and professional competence needed to work safely and effectively in the avalanche industry. It supports continued learning throughout your career and helps ensure our profession maintains a high standard of practice.

What counts toward CPD? There are seven categories:

• Professional practice
• Formal/certified learning activities
• Formal/structured learning
• Informal/self-directed learning
• Participation and mentorship
• Presentations
• Contributions to knowledge

Check the CAA’s CPD guidelines to understand the requirements for your membership category.

Before the busy season, take some time to:

✔️ Update your CPD Activity Recording Form and check your progress toward your requirements.

✔️ Plan ahead. Are you on track to meet the requirements across the categories available to your membership level?

✔️ Consider whether you may need to apply for a CPD leave or relief option due to parental leave, injury or illness, or a career recess. If you anticipate difficulty meeting your requirements, review the relevant policy and contact Membership Services early.

✔️ Gather your evidence from last winter while it’s still easy to find. Save certificates, attendance records, employer sign-offs, presentations, and other supporting documentation, as applicable. Keep your records clear, detailed and organized. We have a template for employer sign-offs for mentorship, professional practice and structured learning on our website

Make CPD part of your preseason planning. Tracking activities and collecting evidence as you go makes it easier to monitor your progress and demonstrate compliance when needed. Visit the CAA website to review the guidelines, see this fall's CPD opportunities, access the Activity Recording Form, and find information on CPD requirements and leave options.

đź”— https://avalancheassociation.ca/membership/continuing-professional-development/

CAA CPD Update: Understanding the Latest ChangesThe CAA Board of Directors approved updates to the Continuing Profession...
10/15/2026

CAA CPD Update: Understanding the Latest Changes

The CAA Board of Directors approved updates to the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) policy earlier this summer. Join us for an informational session to learn what’s changed, how the updates affect your membership requirements, and how to plan and record your CPD.

CAA Professional Practices Specialist Brendan Martland will walk members through the updated policy, share best practices for tracking CPD activities, and answer questions during a dedicated Q&A.

Session details:
Online Session
October 21, 2026
6–7 PM PDT

Brendan joined the CAA staff in 2025. He brings experience as a mountain safety specialist, consultant and guide, with a background in ski patrol, avalanche forecasting, ACMG ski guiding and CAA ITP instruction.

Register for the session and join us on October 21. Visit the CAA website to learn more about the updated CPD policy and access the registration details on the CPD Opportunities page.

Mental health is part of professional health. Working in the mountains can be rewarding, demanding, and at times, diffic...
10/13/2026

Mental health is part of professional health. Working in the mountains can be rewarding, demanding, and at times, difficult. Creating space to talk about mental well-being, recognize when support is needed, and look out for one another is an important part of a healthy and resilient professional community.

The CAA is committed to supporting the psychological health and safety of our employees, members, instructors, and students and to building a professional culture where mental health is a priority, not an afterthought.

The CAA website brings together resources developed specifically for the professional mountain community, including valuable programs and organizations such as:

• Mountain Professional CISM — critical incident stress management
• Mountain Muskox — trauma and loss support
• Responder Alliance — resilience training

As well as video and podcast resources and additional external mental health and wellness resources. We encourage everyone to explore these resources.

Disclaimer: Our webpage does not provide medical advice. The resources listed are offered for informational purposes only.

This month, industry professionals returned to the classroom to complete the final step in the CAA's Industry Training p...
10/12/2026

This month, industry professionals returned to the classroom to complete the final step in the CAA's Industry Training progression, Avalanche Operations Level 3: Applied Risk Management.

Avalanche Operations Level 3 is the senior-level professional course, designed for experienced avalanche professionals working in forecasting, risk management, planning, and program supervision.

The curriculum emphasizes building a risk management framework derived from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 31000 standard. Students explore advanced concepts and real-world decision-making processes, preparing them to effectively analyze and communicate complex risk scenarios at both organizational and operational levels.

Congrats to all of this past month's Ops 3 students in Squamish and Kamloops, and thank you to our dedicated and knowledgeable ITP instructors: Iain Stewart-Patterson, Brendan Martland, Ken Bibby, Mark Vesley, Wren McElroy, Colin Zacharias, Lisa Larson, and Paul Harwood.

📸: Group photo of the students on the Ops 3 course in Squamish, BC, taken by Wren McElroy.

The CAA is pleased to recognize Julie LeBlanc as the recipient of the 2026 Everett Clausen Bursary.Julie graduated from ...
10/09/2026

The CAA is pleased to recognize Julie LeBlanc as the recipient of the 2026 Everett Clausen Bursary.

Julie graduated from the Adventure Guide Diploma program at Thompson Rivers University in 2005 and has worked in the avalanche industry ever since. Her career has focused on public avalanche forecasting, including with Avalanche Québec in the Chic-Chocs and remotely with Avalanche Canada for Western Canada.

She also teaches avalanche education in both French and English, including CAA Industry Training Program courses and Avalanche Canada skills training programs.

Now based in Cap-Chat on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, Julie continues to contribute to avalanche safety and education in Eastern Canada. The bursary supported Julie in a long-standing professional goal: completing Avalanche Operations Level 3 in Squamish in September 2026.

The Everett Clausen Bursary provides a $500 credit toward the CAA course of the recipient’s choice and is available to CAA members.

The bursary honours Everett Clausen, one of the CAA’s long-standing supporters. Everett Clausen and CIL have supported the CAA for more than 20 years, helping advance professional avalanche education and training.

Congratulations, Julie!

Members can now register and view session information for two upcoming fall CPD Series.The CAA's Winter Warm-Up CPD Seri...
10/07/2026

Members can now register and view session information for two upcoming fall CPD Series.

The CAA's Winter Warm-Up CPD Series:

Four webinars throughout October and November on updates to best practices, technology advancements and professional development. All sessions are hosted virtually and recorded to view later to suit our members’ schedules.

The Mountain Professionals CPD Series:

From November 2nd – 4th, we’re hosting the Mountain Professionals CPD series with the ACMG, CSGA, and CMBGA. Together, we’ll host three days of webinars for mountain professionals. Tickets are $20, and members of all four associations can attend. Sessions are spread across a variety of times to accommodate everyone’s schedule, and registrants will receive recordings.

Head to our CPD opportunities to register for a session (members only): https://avalancheassociation.ca/membership/continuing-professional-development/cpd-opportunities/

Introducing Sage Robine, the recipient of our Women’s + Avalanche Operations Level 1 Scholarship.To address women’s unde...
10/06/2026

Introducing Sage Robine, the recipient of our Women’s + Avalanche Operations Level 1 Scholarship.

To address women’s underrepresentation in the avalanche industry, the CAA covers the recipient's fees for the Avalanche Operations Level 1 course at Kootenay Pass, BC, from February 20 – 27, 2027. This scholarship is available to students who identify as women, gender non-conforming, non-binary, genderq***r, and/or other marginalized gender identities.

Sage (she/her) is an avid backcountry skier who works as a wildland firefighter in the United States and Canada. She grew up in Rossland, BC, so she’s excited to return to the Kootenays through the Women’s+ Operations Level 1 course.

She hopes that through this scholarship and future CAA courses, she can push for more open dialogue on gender, sexuality, race and discrimination in outdoor spaces. She plans to pursue a career in rural avalanche forecasting and education, combined with seasonal fire behaviour and fuels work. Through this work, she plans to improve access to resources and support for more q***r, trans, BIPOC, and low-income people via subsidized funding and targeted AST courses.

Congratulations, Sage! We can't wait to see what you accomplish next.

Only a few spaces remain for the AvSAR Pro Skills Update series: a valuable, one-day, in-person CPD opportunity for memb...
10/01/2026

Only a few spaces remain for the AvSAR Pro Skills Update series: a valuable, one-day, in-person CPD opportunity for members. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to brush up on your AvSAR skills before winter.

Workshop dates, locations and remaining spaces:

Canmore, AB - October 18th (1 space left)
Nelson, BC - October 31st (13 spaces remaining)
North Vancouver, BC - November 1st (7 Spaces remaining)
Revelstoke - November 15th (5 spaces remaining)

Attending this session will earn you nine formal learning points that can be attributed towards members' Continuing Professional Development.

Are you a Basic or Advanced Avalanche Educator member, or thinking of becoming one? Well then, this update pertains to y...
09/29/2026

Are you a Basic or Advanced Avalanche Educator member, or thinking of becoming one? Well then, this update pertains to you!

In July, the CAA Board of Directors approved a policy allowing Avalanche Educators to temporarily expand their scope of practice while working toward becoming an Avalanche Practitioner or Avalanche Professional.

The policy outlines the conditions and levels of supervision for work when using this expanded scope. The Avalanche Educator and their supervisor must sign a declaration agreeing to the policy and outlining the work to be undertaken.

If you are an Avalanche Educator looking to gain experience beyond recreational Avalanche Education, read the policy and apply for an expanded scope before the winter begins.

Find the policy here: https://caa.codeshed.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=8369&action=edit

Photo: Christian Schlumpf

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