In every big ski town in North America, there are ski-mountain sponsored athletes who get to ride early trams, slash massive POW turns for marketing departments, and spread the skiing stoke for the masses of locals and weekend warriors alike. Every one of these folks I know are in fact real-life generational athletes who deserve far more than a free lift pass and/or early-ups. There are also a small army of paid professionals who tirelessly work day-in and day-out to educate and collectively raise the safe-T-bar in the backcountry. Sleet, snow, sun, blinding wind, desperately cold…doesn’t matter..they are out there digging pits and letting the safety information rip.
Also, on any given weekend all over the country, thousands of students are working with certified guides to learn about snow-science and backcountry travel. These courses are taught by a special group of people who love nature and sharing knowledge more than most. They live in vans, and travel hard when they have time off to work on their outdoor projects/dreams, returning home to refill the bank and work with neophytes like myself around critical outdoor arts like climbing, snow safety, wilderness first responder, and more.
On a snow filled Friday I had the opportunity to refresh my avalanche rescue knowledge with a KAVU friend, and local certified AIARE guide, Trevor Husted. We met at a parking lot around 8 am and spent the next eight hours doing beacon and digging drills followed by snow cave construction practice. I have been backcountry skiing for 15 years with mixed frequency over that time, but taking this course was game changing, literally, for my rescue proficiency where someone will possibly live or die depending on how fast/current you are with your rescue skills. Time is critical when someone is buried and I would highly recommend a refresher if it has been a while since you practiced with your beacon and digging. I caught up with Trevor to get an idea of what guide life is like, what are some of the most common mistakes he sees folks make, how to find a good progression and program, what’s in his pack, and how he fends off all of the attention lavished on him by his adoring fan base?
Nick: Trevor, what are the potential steps on how to become more proficient with rescue and avalanche education?
Trevor: I think the number one step is practice. We never intend to be in these chaotic emergency situations but in the unfortunate event that we are it is important to be dialed with your emergency rescue skills. In terms of avalanche education, learn how to read the advisories and be able to proficiently link that problem to the terrain, be cautious with where you choose to ski/snowboard given the hazard, and go in with a plan with your team because group dynamics are such a huge part of making healthy decisions in the backcountry.
Nick: Can you give us a preview on what should be in one's back for a day out on snow? Anything you carry in particular after years of refining your pack? Something you take now after being out there without it?
Trevor: Aside from the essentials (beacon, shovel, probe, food, water, extra layers), i think it is important to have a repair kit that is unique to your setup, a first aid kid, and some sort of small tarp or emergency blanket in case you have to use it for evacuation or to keep warm given an injury or loss of navigation. A Garmin InReach never hurts, a thermoflask of hot liquid, head lamp and ski straps are also great!
Nick: What do you like most about working as a guide ? What do you like least?
Trevor: I really love working with people and the opportunity to see them get excited about learning is awesome! So many cool stories and different life backgrounds make that aspect of my job fun!
I think the least glamorous aspect is the hustle…..you always have to hustle and have something else on the docket. So many times I will have work get canceled and if I can’t be quick to pick up extra work I lose a good portion of income.
Nick: What personal objectives do you have your sights set on this year?
Trevor:A big objective for me is to try and get up to Alaska to do some heli-ski guiding and passing my advanced ski guide course this spring. Also, I want to learn from the master, Nick Greece and learn how to paraglide!
Nick: How can folks interested in finding good courses to take near them search? Are there certain certifications they should look for? What would be some of the questions you would ask if you were trying to figure out if a course being offered was legit?
Trevor: A fair bit of outfitters offer avalanche rescue courses as well as recreational level 1 and 2 courses. Some great resources to look into this are American Avalanche Association, Avalanche.org, and AIARE. If you live near the mountains or are planning a vacation specific course the websites above list the providers in those areas. One thing to pay attention to is whether the course is a hybrid (two day course with online work) or a three day course, really just depends how much time you can devote towards the course.
Trevor Husted
Trevor's IG
Nick Greece
Nick's FB
Nick's IG
Nick's Favorite KAVU Item
© 2026 KAVU
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)