If you have any questions about your course or the qualifications of the instructor, please consult with the provider directly.

Earlier this year, Louisville, Kentucky, police officers shocked a man with a stun gun so many times that his children asked whether he was dead, a Justice Department investigation found.

Police have been known to shock people as young as 11 years old and as old as 75, so it's important to know how these devices affect the brain and body.

Taser's common X26 model administers a shock of about 1.9 milliamperes, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers — well below the 10 milliamps needed to cause a severe electric shock but still enough to have an effect.

An AST 1 refresher is a great way to make sure you're staying sharp in the backcountry, but if you're looking for the next step, try a Managing Avalanche Terrain course, or consider AST 2.

"A Taser, while intended to be nonlethal, can still incur serious effects, which in some cases, can be life-threatening," especially for those with a heart condition or who are on drugs that affect the cardiovascular system like cocaine and methamphetamine, said James Giordano, a professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center and an expert on military medical ethics.

An AST Provider is a business or organization that offers Avalanche Canada courses; an AST instructor is the person who delivers the courses. Every AST instructor has to be a member of the Canadian Avalanche Association, the organization representing avalanche professionals in Canada, and have liability insurance coverage.

MAT is a very focused field-based course designed to expand on the terrain management taught in AST 1. This course will help you develop more advanced winter backcountry travel skills and mitigate your risk by honing your terrain evaluation and travel skills.

First, your pain receptors and nerve endings are overstimulated by the electrical shock, making them more sensitive. Second, the strong muscle contractions can induce the same sort of muscle fatigue you might experience after hitting the gym.

This temporary effect on memory has led to a push for police to delay questioning or the reading of the Miranda rights to people who have recently been shocked, until they have the chance to recover cognitively.

Scrapes and bruises are also possible since many people fall over after being hit by a CEW. A study from 1987 found that 38% of people who were shocked reported lacerations or scrapes.

An AST certificate does not have an expiration date, but we highly recommend you continue the learning process by refreshing your education annually, or at least every two to three years. You can spend a lifetime learning about avalanches. As you continue your adventures in the backcountry, stay open to new opportunities for learning so you can know more, go further, and always come home.

An electrical strike from a stun gun could "lead to disruptions in heart function that can range from moderate to severe and possibly fatal," Giordano said.

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In an AST 1, you’ll learn how to recognize avalanche terrain, understand the avalanche forecast, plan your trips, and perform a companion rescue. An AST 1 is a minimum of two days and has both online/classroom and field components. Everyone in your group should take an AST 1—it’s the first step to travelling safely in the backcountry.

A study attributed at least some of the deaths following a Taser X26 shock to cardiac arrest, which can be a consequence of VF.

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Many Tasers and some other CEWs have two probes with pointed metal barbs that shoot out and puncture the skin. While the wounds are typically minor, at least one person reported he needed surgery to remove a barb.

After being hit with a stun gun, you might not be able to recall short-term memories. And you may have trouble processing new information, which could last for up to one hour, one study found.

An AST 1+ is usually a three day course, with one online/classroom day and two field days. You'll learn everything that is taught in an AST 1 in the first two days. Then you’ll spend an extra day in the field, learning more about terrain management and developing more advanced winter backcountry travel skills.

A quick note before we get into it: Taser is a brand name for a specific type of CEW. Put another way, all Tasers are stun guns, but not all stun guns are Tasers. Some of the research cited below involved stun guns, and not Tasers specifically.

Of course, you'd still need to cope with secondary injuries like bruises, cuts, memory impairment, or, sometimes, long-term emotional or psychological trauma.

"Since a Taser shock is an incredibly stressful and painful experience, there can certainly be neurocognitive side effects," like trouble finding words or processing information, Rasouli said.

Many instructors can offer AST 1 packaged with Companion Rescue Skills or Managing Avalanche Terrain. Check out the course schedules to see what is right for you.

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Another study from the '80s on CEW injuries found that 0.5% of people studied experienced testicular torsion, or twisted testicles. That can happen to men when their muscles contract severely, Giordano said, even if a Taser doesn't hit the pelvis directly.

Those proteins can damage kidney function and even induce kidney failure. Rhabdomyolysis is treatable, but without medical attention, it can be fatal, Giordano said.

Although Avalanche Canada does not control, supervise, oversee, or manage the instructors or their courses, we do provide the curriculum and resources. Always choose a licensed AST Provider for your avalanche training. Look for the logo below or check the list of licensed providers here.

The AST 1 Refresher is aimed at individuals who have completed an AST 1 and are looking to refresh their skills and knowledge. This one day, field-based course provides a review of the material covered in the AST 1 and includes any industry updates to the curriculum. The course is ideal for those who want to keep their basic avalanche training skills up-to-date or those who simply desire a refresher day in the field with an instructor.

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"If you were to shake that jar a hundred times as fast as you can and multiply that by a thousand," the person told Reuters.

"Basically, Taser energy weapons send a signal to your muscles telling them to flex," or seize up, Amy Nguyen, the chief safety officer at Axon, which manufactures Tasers, said.

Police and law enforcement have been using Tasers, known generally as stun guns, since 1974 as a safer alternative to guns. But risk of death is still a concern. There have been more than 1,000 reports of deaths involving a Taser or another conducted electrical weapon (CEW).

The Companion Rescue Skills course is an important refresher for those with previous training and a great way to improve the rescue skills you learned in your AST 1. This hands-on, one-day course takes place in the field.

Please note: Not all course providers post their courses on our website. If you can't find a course in your region, search our provider database to find contact information of instructors in your region.

Some people who are hit with CEWs experience muscle soreness for a few days after the fact. This happens for two reasons, Giordano said.

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Need another reason? Head to our interactive mini site, Rescue at Cherry Bowl, to find out how training saved the lives of three skiers against all the odds.

While there's limited research on the psychological effects of CEW jolts, being shocked may contribute to trauma. The physical and emotional pain of a strike is an "objectively traumatic event," Giordano said.

During testicular torsion, one or both testes twist on their spermatic cords, tissue that sends blood to the scrotum. That can cut off blood flow to the testicles and cause the testicular tissue to die if blood flow isn't restored within six hours.

Still, with the reports of cardiac arrest after strikes from CEWs, Rasouli said, "scientists are not exactly sure yet" about the likelihood of a stun gun affecting your heart.

See what taking an AST 1 course is like: watch the riders from Boondock Nation take their AST 1 course and find out what they’d been missing.

So testicular torsion isn't just very painful but also a medical emergency, though it's rare for people who are shocked by a stun gun.

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This induces a state called neuromuscular incapacitation, which hijacks the communication link between your body and brain, making it difficult to make any voluntary movements.

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The electrical pulses from a Taser strike last only five seconds. After that, most people return to their normal muscle function right away.

Avalanche Canada Training courses are the national standard for recreational avalanche training. The courses are designed by Avalanche Canada to suit the needs of recreationists and delivered by independent third-party providers, who are licensed by Avalanche Canada.

The same study that found puncture wounds to be a common injury also found evidence for rhabdomyolysis in one out of 1,201 people hit with stun guns.

The AST 2 curriculum is built around the daily process, which emulates the same approach used by professionals. It expands on the foundations of your AST 1 and provides a more advanced decision-making framework for travelling in avalanche terrain. AST 2 comprises a minimum of 9.5 hours of classroom instruction with a minimum of three days in the field to put what you’ve learned into practise.

About 90% of law enforcement in the US issues Tasers, and given that there are roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies, that corresponds to more than 140,000 Tasers nationwide.

In one study involving 1,201 cases of shocks from stun guns against criminal suspects, about 83% of people reported a mild injury of superficial puncture wounds, making these wounds the most common injury associated with Tasers.

Strikes from stun guns "cause severe, uncontrollable contractions of your muscles, which are very painful," Dr. Jonathan J. Rasouli, a neurosurgeon with Staten Island University Hospital, said, adding: "This is what gives Tasers their incapacitating power and can stun an individual quickly and reversibly."

This is an important area of research, since many people who're hit with stun guns are already in a high-stress situation and experiencing emotional distress. Rasouli said more research was needed on how a strike might contribute to mental illness long term.

"Rhabdomyolysis occurs when muscle tissue is overstimulated, becomes overcontracted, and components of muscle protein are released into the bloodstream," Giordano said.