NIKO Foundation

Niko course is purpose-built youth avalanche education meant to fill gaps in nationwide curriculum. Most avalanche programming has been developed for adults and therefore does not address known differences in the ways young people learn and retain information. The NIKO course teaches open communication within a team and builds confidence in both leadership skills and risk management techniques. Students learn skills and techniques for winter backcountry travel to support their decision-making process and apply these tools in the field. The NIKO curriculum was developed by working groups of experts in youth education, adolescent brain development, avalanche/snow science, and risk management. The result is a five-week program, both in class and in the field, to provide adolescents with the tools they need to recreate more safely in the wintertime mountains. In the process of creating this program, we also conducted a global study of youth avalanche education programs across nearly 40 avalanche education organizations around the world.