AIARE 2 builds on your experience as a backcountry traveler. You will learn tools to apply The AIARE Framework, the repeatable process you learned in an AIARE 1, to new situations and to self-direct your learning after the course. You will learn more skills to connect weather, snowpack and avalanche processes, and identify how these processes relate to observations and travel within avalanche terrain. This can enable you to act as a leader within a small travel group and to identify and target reducing uncertainty about the terrain or conditions.

Why Take Your AIARE 2 with Us? 

Our guides have some of the highest quality training and certification in the industry, and you can be sure that we have the permits, licenses and insurance for every location we operate in. Our instructors have completed (at least) an AIARE Instructor Training Course and are members of the American Avalanche Association, and many of them are AMGA-certified guides, Wilderness First Responders, EMTs, and/or Leave No Trace educators.  You always get a safe, high-quality trip or learning environment with us. You will travel and learn from experts. We've pioneered several alpine climbing routes, ski descents, and traverses and we've written books on backcountry skills and routes.

Who Should Take this Course?

AIARE 2 provides backcountry leaders the opportunity to advance their avalanche knowledge and decision-making skills. 

Prerequisites for this course are AIARE 1 (or equivalent) and an Avalanche Rescue course. A winter of practical experience after taking AIARE 1 is also highly recommended.

The minimum requirement for all AIARE courses is a strong upper intermediate skiing or snowboarding ability in all types of terrain and conditions. The backcountry terrain on Snoqualmie Pass is challenging for splitboarders and the skill level has to be a bit higher still than for skiers. This means you are comfortable in ungroomed conditions in all types of snow (heavy, wet snow, powder, ice, breakable crust, etc). You should be able to make controlled turns in difficult, steep and tight terrain with any of the above mentioned snow conditions. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it should not cause stress. It is important to have had at least some practice with your touring equipment before taking this course. Again, this is not for the new or novice downhill skier or snowboarder; you should feel pretty dialed to ride anything downhill in your touring equipment and while carrying a pack.

What You’ll Learn 

During an AIARE 2 course, you’ll spend time learning these skills, both in a classroom setting and in the field: 

• Differentiating where specific avalanche hazards exist within the landscape
• Identifying avalanche terrain where consequences may be more severe
• Using and interpreting weather, snow, and avalanche observations to make more specific terrain decisions
• Leadership skills to use in a small team, including facilitating small group discussion, promoting appropriate terrain selection, and utilizing simple risk management strategies

Course Dates/Times. Please note the order of classroom and field days could change due to weather/snow/road conditions for the 3 consecutive day courses; plan to be available to potentially go into the field on a scheduled classroom day. Courses with evening Zoom classroom sessions will run from 6-8 PM. In person classroom sessions will run from approximately 9AM -3PM in North Bend.

Please note that you will only see the start date for the course when you are booking. If the date shows 0 open spots, the course is sold out and you may opt to join the waitlist for that course.  You may join as many waitlists as you like.

Overall Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skills Required: Solid intermediate skiing skills or snowshoeing skills.

Fitness Level: Moderately Strenuous