There is snow in the mountains and AIARE courses are filling up! Book now for the best selection!
IMPORTANT: This course will have evening Zoom classroom sessions and two field days. This 24-hour course follows the standard AIARE 1 curriculum. The level 1 course is an introduction to managing avalanche hazard. You will learn how to use a repeatable process to manage your risk and learn from your experiences in the backcountry. You will also practice preparing for and carrying out a backcountry trip. The importance of record keeping, communicating, and making continuous decisions about hazards while in the backcountry will be demonstrated while in the field and you will learn rescue techniques if an avalanche occurs and someone is caught. Â
IMPORTANT: We will do our best to have two women AIARE instructors, but we cannot guarantee that both will be women. We do guarantee that at least one of your guides will be a woman.
This women's only, 24-hour course is an introduction to managing avalanche hazard. You will learn how to use a repeatable process to manage your risk and learn from your experiences in the backcountry. You will also practice preparing for and carrying out a backcountry trip. The importance of record keeping, communicating, and making continuous decisions about hazards while in the backcountry will be demonstrated while in the field and you will learn rescue techniques if an avalanche occurs and someone is caught.
Who Should Take this Course?
AIARE 1 is for anyone, regardless of their method of backcountry travel, who wants to recreate in or near avalanche terrain. You should be able to travel off-trail on ungroomed or unmaintained terrain and bring appropriate equipment for traveling on snow, but there are no other prerequisites for this course.
AIARE 1 is a prerequisite for AIARE 2, as well as the Pro 1 course for aspiring avalanche professionals.Â
Our AIARE 1 avalanche course and our 3-Day Ski Touring course will teach you equally important yet very different skill sets. Our avalanche courses are designed to teach you to identify avalanche hazards and manage risk in the backcountry. Our ski touring course is a movement-based course designed to introduce you to the gear, skills, and knowledge necessary to move proficiently through the backcountry. In order to become a well-rounded backcountry traveler, we encourage you to take the ski touring course prior to taking an AIARE 1 course if you do not already have uphill experience. If you take the 3-Day Ski Touring Course and an AIARE 1 Avalanche Course in the same season, you will receive a 10% discount on each.
Course Times/Dates:Â This course will have two evening online classroom sessions (6-8 PM) via Zoom and two field days.
2025 Dates: January 7/9 Eve Zoom & Jan 11/12 Field Days at Snoqualmie Pass
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.
This is a skier and splitboarder mixed AIARE course -Â 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. Snowshoers are also welcome in our Women's AIARE 1 course.
Why Take Your AIARE 1 with Us?Â
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 in every location we operate. 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.
What You’ll Learn
During an AIARE 1 course, you’ll spend time learning these skills, both in a classroom setting and in the field:Â
Overall Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Skills Required: Solid upper intermediate skiing or snowboarding skills; uphill travel proficiency (kick turns, etc.)
Fitness Level: Moderate
AIAREÂ 1 SAMPLE COURSE CURRICULUM
Day 1
Online/Zoom: usually 9:00-11:00am and 1:00-3:00pm OR two evening sessions 6:00-8:00pm
In Person: usually 8-4 full day (with lunch break) or two evening sessions 6:30-9:30pm
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Day 2 - 1st field day - 8am-4pm
Day 3 - 2nd field day - 8am-4pm
Snow Travel Gear
Safety Gear
Snow Study Equipment (required for AIARE Level 2 ONLY)
About two thirds of the time will be spent outside. AIARE guidelines require two full field days.
Yes, we believe that the Intro to Ski Touring course would work very well. This application and movement based ski touring course is a great compliment to the more principle-based AIARE course. This is why we offer a 10% discount on each course for anyone who signs up for both courses.
Although tipping is not a requirement, it is considered standard practice in the guiding industry and is appreciated by our guides. We generally recommend roughly 10%-15% of your course or trip cost or a flat amount that you are comfortable with.
Yes! However, we will only offer the courses when they are full. We define full as the maximum student to guide ratio of 6:1 or 12:2. Therefore, you would have to pay for 6 spots (at our advertised price) even if you have less people. Feel free to get a group together and give us a call or send us an email to find dates that work!
