Grade 10 students at Banff Community High School will take part in Avalanche Skills Training (AST) presentations on February 9, 2026, followed by field days at Lake Louise Ski Resort on February 11 and 12, 2026.
The sessions follow the Avalanche Canada AST 1 curriculum — a classroom/theory day and two field days — combining classroom instruction with companion-rescue practice and terrain-assessment drills in controlled backcountry terrain. The program is run through the Canadian Rockies Public Schools Outdoor Learning Centre and follows Avalanche Canada training standards.
Funding from the Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation helps offset student and transportation fees and supports the Outdoor Learning Centre; local reporting and district materials say this funding reduces or eliminates user fees so families should not face additional charges for the trip. The school will operate its regular yellow-bus transfers and adjust Grade 10 timetables to accommodate the off-site days.
The initiative is part of the division’s Wim and Nancy Pauw Wilderness Experience Program and the CRPS Wilderness Experience offerings that integrate mountain safety into the Grade 10 curriculum, reflecting the district’s ongoing shift toward place-based, outdoor education in the Bow Valley.
