Basic Avalanche Educator.

An application is only valid for 6 months after it’s been submitted. After that, you may use the same application again, but you must pay another $50 application fee. To arrange this, please contact Membership Services.

If you are using the same application months later, applicants are encouraged to review their applications to ensure they contain the most up-to-date information, especially in the work history tab.

A reference is only valid for 6 months after it’s been submitted. After that, you will need a new reference, even if you are still using the same referee.

Yes. Not only does your reference need to be from a member, but it also needs to be from a current CAA Avalanche Professional who has held that level of membership for at least 12 months.

You may use the same person as a reference for your application, but they will need to complete a new reference form. All of our reference forms ask different questions and assess different competencies to different levels. We require a more detailed reference to join the CAA than we do to attend a course.

The reference page is only accessible to Avalanche Professionals; you will not be able to view it. Right-click on the link to copy it and send it to your reference; they will be able to view it so long as they are logged in as an Avalanche Professional.

We only accept references from current Avalanche Professionals. Most Avalanche Operations in Canada should have an Avalanche Professional on staff or at least involved in the operation, so if you’ve been working in Canada, you should have come across one. A reference should be familiar with your work.

If you have not yet worked with an Avalanche Professional, you may need to seek out work experience with one to obtain a reference. Our Member Directory lists all active Avalanche Professionals.

If you have resigned your membership, or your membership has lapsed AND it is within three membership years of that date, then you may apply to be reinstated. To be reinstated, you must:

If it has been more than three years since you resigned your membership or let it lapse, you will need to reapply for membership.

To find out how to apply for membership, head to the page for the membership type you’d like to apply for.

No. The CAA does not regularly accept any external courses in place of parts of our curriculum (exception: NZ ARM L6 before 2019). If you wish, you can apply for a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to have a course equivalency granted. All information on PLA’s can be found here.

You may also apply for a waive of a prerequisite for a course, but the CAA does not accept waives for membership applications.

The CAA has streamlined membership application options for members of the CSGA, ACMG, and CMBGA. You can find all the information on streamlined membership application options on the membership page for each membership type.

The CAA does not have streamlined membership application options with any other association, including IFMGA or the AAA.

As an association, we require our members to remain current, and we don’t allow opting in and out as they see fit unless they’re on a career recess due to injury or life events. We require that members pay their dues for the year, regardless of how late in the year they are; otherwise, members will enter ‘Not in good standing’ 30 days after the invoice is issued. To get back in good standing, members are required to pay their outstanding dues. That said, we do appreciate that getting qualified and staying current in the industry is expensive, and we don’t enforce these rules without a need to.

If it is past the halfway point in the year, you will only be charged half dues.

Yes, anyone can apply, and CAA membership is recognized internationally. However, you must still meet all the requirements. CAA courses are required for all membership levels. If you have not taken CAA courses, certificates from non-Canadian courses are not accepted in the membership application process; you must first obtain a PLA Equivalency for any required courses.

A reference from at least one current CAA Avalanche Professional who is familiar with your work is also required, which may be difficult to obtain if you have not been working in Canada. If you are applying for Professional Membership, you will need references from two current CAA Avalanche Professionals. All references must have been a Professional Member for at least 12 months.

Because you’ve already paid your membership dues for the year, that amount will be credited toward your new membership dues. You will only need to pay the difference in membership dues for the remainder of the year.

Please note that if you move to a membership with lower dues, we will not refund you the difference.

If you want to move to a higher membership level, you will need to complete the application process. You can find the different membership levels on the Membership page.

If you would like to move to a lower membership level, you can find the steps for each membership type on the Changing Membership Categories page.

Yes, a single evidence file can often prove more than one competency.

For example: a route map that shows hazards, safe stationary sites, work objectives and your travel route can demonstrate these competencies as well as your ability to use technology.

Yes. Although your goal is to prove your competencies as concisely as possible, in order to provide proof for all of the competencies required, it is not unusual for a particular competency to be addressed by multiple evidence files. Additionally, if you feel your proficiency level is best shown using more than one example, it is fine to supply more than one evidence file for that competency. Be sure to list all evidence files you want the assessment team to review in the appropriate cells of the competency portfolio.

Ideally yes. The purpose of evidence is to provide proof for the experience you have described. We do understand, however, that sometimes it is difficult to provide evidence for an experience. In this case, you should add a note to the bottom of your “best” experience explaining that you do not have evidence for it. Then provide a second (brief) experience for which you can provide evidence.

If you don’t have access to reports, briefs, or other pieces of potential evidence, a letter from a supervisor can stand in its place. Please make sure these letters list the specific competencies and are signed, ideally by a CAA Avalanche Professional. If you have any questions or concerns about obtaining evidence, please contact Membership Services.

There are no modified competency portfolios for Apprentice Guides or CSGA Level 1 or 2 guides applying for Professional Membership. With these qualifications, you can use a modified competency portfolio to apply for Practitioner Membership or complete the full Professional Membership application process.

Yes, if you meet the criteria for 2 equivalency tables, you can review both and address only the competencies not met by either qualification. Remember, you will need to upload proof of these qualifications as part of your application.

No, you only need to address the competencies in the Competency Portfolio document. The Competency Portfolio document is customized for each membership category and recognized equivalent qualification from a partner association.

Make every effort to minimize the number of experience and evidence files required for your portfolio. Ideally, you do not need more upload slots than are provided. If, however, you do need to upload more evidence files than the application form allows, you may upload a zip file with more than one file in it. Regardless of how you deliver the files, be sure to name and number them appropriately.

No. If you are already a member and have paid dues for the year and change categories midway through the year, you only need to pay the difference between membership dues. If you are working on an application or waiting for a response from the membership committee, you should pay your dues for your current category to avoid entering not in good standing and membership services will adjust your invoice if you are approved.

Applicants should do their best to describe how they meet competencies through work in an avalanche-related field. If needed, to strengthen their testimonial, applicants may provide experiences and evidence showing how they strongly meet or exceed the required proficiency through other non-avalanche work. The Membership Committee will take this into account when assessing a portfolio; however, meeting a competency in a non-avalanche field is not automatically considered a substitute for proficiency in the avalanche field.