Members sometimes change their membership type due to evolving professional roles, personal life circumstances, career breaks, or challenges in meeting ongoing professional development requirements. We encourage members to remain part of the CAA by transitioning to a membership type that best suits their current situation.

Avalanche Professionals

Moving from Avalanche Professional to Avalanche Practitioner

• Complete the Professionalism in the Avalanche Industry course
• If you're inttending on teaching AST Level 1 courses, complete the Instructing in Avalanche Terrain - Foundations course
• Compile the last 3 calendar years of CPD
• Complete the Moving from Avalanche Professional to Avalanche Practitioner application form
• No references are requried for this application

Moving from Avalanche Professional to Advanced Avalanche Educator

• Complete the Professionalism in the Avalanche Industry course
  
• Complete the Instructing in Avalanche Terrain - Foundations course
• Compile the last 3 calendar years of your CPD
• Complete the Moving from Avalanche Professional to Advanced Avalanche Educator application form
• No references are requried for this application

Moving from Avalanche Professional to Basic Avalanche Educator

• Complete the Professionalism in the Avalanche Industry course
  
• Complete the Instructing in Avalanche Terrain - Foundations course
• Compile the last 3 calendar years of your CPD
• Complete the moving to Basic Avalanche Educator application form
• No references are requried for this application

Avalanche Practitioners

Moving from Avalanche Pactitioner to Avalanche Professional

• Complete the Avalanche Professional Application

Moving from Avalanche Pactitioner to Advanced Avalanche Educator

• Complete the Advanced Avalanche Educator application

Moving from Avalanche Practitioner to Basic Avalanche Educator

• Complete the Professionalism in the Avalanche Industry course
• Complete the Instructing in Avalanche Terrain - Foundations course
• Compile the last 3 calendar years of your CPD
• Complete the Moving to Basic Avalanche Educator application form
  
• No references are requried for this application

Advanced Avalanche Educator

Moving from Advanced Avalanched Educator to Avalanche Practitioner

• Complete the Avalanche Practitioner application

Moving from Advanced Avalanched Educator to Avalanche Professional

• Complete the Avalanche Professional application

Moving from Advanced Avalanched Educator to Basic Avalanched Educator

• Complete Professionalism in the Avalanche Industry Course
• Compile the last 3 calendar years of your CPD
• Complete the Moving to Basic Avalanche Educator application form
• No references are requried for this application

Basic Avalanche Educator

To advance from Basic Avalanche Educator to any other form of membership please complete the full application process. See our Applying for Membership page.

Moving to Affiliate Member

• Any membership can move to Affiliate at any time by requesting the change through Membership Services.

Changing to Late in Career or Retired Member

An Avalanche Practitioner or Avalanche Professional member of the CAA who has been a member in good standing for no less than 15 years and is late in their career or retiring is eligible for applying to be a Late in Career or Retired Member. Please find all additional information here. 

Career Recess Status

An Avalanche Practitioner or Avalanche Professional who is currently not engaged in avalanche related activities as defined in the bylaws, and is registered as a full-time student, on extended jury duty, on medical or parental leave, other has presented other rationale deemed acceptable by the Chair of the Membership Committee, may declare themselves to be in career recess. 

A member who has declared themselves to be in career recess is not required to comply with the terms and conditions for Continuing Professional Development , is exempt from Membership Committee audit for Continuing Professional Development compliance, and remains a Member in good standing of the CAA as long as they maintain all other requirements of membership.

When a member declares to have resumed avalanche related activities the member will be required to comply fully with the Continuing Professional Development program, and the time that they declared themselves to be in career recess will be exempted from consideration in any subsequent audit for Continuing Professional Development program compliance.

A member who has declared career recess status for a consecutive period of time greater than two years or has been in career recess status for more than two of the past six years is deemed to have failed to comply with the CAA’s Continuing Professional Development program, and may become a Member in good standing of the CAA at a reduced level of membership as defined in the bylaws.

For more information regarding Career Recess, please refer to the Career Recess Member Policy.

Moving back to a previous category

If you change categories, within 3 years you can apply for reinstatement to the original category. After 3 years, you need to reapply. You may only change membership categories once per year. Members can change category a maximum of once per year. If you change category 3 times within 5 years- automatically triggers an audit.

Expiration of Course for Membership Applications

Avalanche Educator courses expire after 2 years (720 days from completion) if the student does not become a member and start maintaining CPD. As of Summer 2025- all members must take Professionalism in the Avalanche Industry. Introduction to Professionalism will be classed as expired at the end of 2025.