Here is a photo from the Winter Alpine Intro course yesterday, in Italy whilst being trained on snow stability tests and route finding. Conditions could not have been more realistic, with over one meter of snow falling in 24 hours. In this picture the group are constructing a Rutschblock (also known as an isolation block or sliding block test) to judge the stability of the snowpack. Avalanche awareness and safe route finding is a key focus of this course, which explains its popularity. There are just 3 spaces left on the course running 14-20 March 2010. To read the course itinerary please visit; http://www.icicle-mountaineering.ltd.uk/winteralpineintro.shtml