Winter Backcountry Education

Backcountry Progression Program

Colorado is home to one of the most complex snowpacks in the entire world and people come from all across the globe to study our snowpack. Traveling in the backcountry requires a solid understanding of avalanche risk and the knowledge to mitigate these risks through appropriate terrain assessment and decision making. This can be an overwhelming endeavor for many and that’s why we have simplified things for you through our Backcountry Progression Program. Whether you are taking your first step or venturing farther, this tiered program is a great way to approach the backcountry this Winter and beyond. From free in-store clinics to on-snow introductory courses, and continuing through all of the phases of your avalanche safety education, we’ll help you with your journey into a life of backcountry.

Have a favorite piece of Colorado or looking to explore a new zone? CAG teaches courses in many of Colorado’s favorite backcountry zones. We offer multi-day courses with classroom options in Silverthorne, Dumont and Winter Park. Our field days are close by, and span central Colorado mountains and passes from Berthoud to Vail. Choose a date from our specialty courses including splitboard, women-specific, lift-assisted, Intro to Backcountry, WFA, & hut-based. Learn more about the options below!

Continuing for this season we will be running free 1-2 hour 101 clinics both virtual as well as in-person at partnering shops. This is the perfect place to start to help to start build a foundation for your backcountry travel, or a great refresher for the seasoned traveler. With clinics like our Ski/Splitboard 101, Hut Tripping 101, Avalanche 101, and Trip Planning 101 we have something for everybody! And the best thing, they are all FREE!

After attending one of our Ski/Splitboard 101 clinics your next step would be to get out on the snow with our Introduction to Skiing and Splitboarding course. And because you attended our clinic you now get 15% off! We have designed this as an introductory course to help you learn the skills necessary to be confident in venturing into the backcountry. We also strongly suggest taking this course prior to taking a AIARE 1 Avalanche course for those who are new to backcountry skiing, and if you do you will get 15% off your AIARE Avalanche Course!

Now that you have a solid understanding of how your gear works, you learned some basic touring skills, and an introduction to terrain and avalanche awareness, it’s time to get some education. We are one of the largest Avalanche Course Providers in Colorado and our courses are all AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) credited. We care about your education the most and want you to get the best education out there and that is why we don’t skimp on providing you with the education that you want and need. Our team works diligently to organize the best course formatting around and we have some of the best local instructors around on staff to help us achieve this. We recommend taking your 3-day AIARE 1 followed by your 1-day AIARE Avalanche Rescue. Take one and get 15% off the other!

Want to immerse yourself into your backcountry education? Check out our Hut-Based AIARE 1 options! Spend 3 days in a backcountry hut to get the full experience!

You took your knowledge and put it use. Now that you have a little bit of experience applying all of the knowledge and processes that you learned in your AIARE 1 Avalanche Course, its time to take it a step further and learn how to become a leader within a small group and close gaps of uncertainty in the backcountry in one of our AIARE 2 courses. Our AIARE 2 Avalanche Courses are offered in either hut or snow camping based formats, and if you took your AIARE 1 with us you get 15% off!

Did you take an AIARE Level 1 years ago and need some refreshing? Have you taken a Level 1 recently and want help applying all of the information while  actually getting out and making turns? Gather a few of your regular backcountry buddies and book a a day with guide/instructor for private learning and touring. The day can be tailored to the skills you want to spend the most time on, from trip planning to route selection, field observations to snowpack analysis, or simply learning how to execute a ski tour from beginning to end and finding the best conditions. If you took your AIARE 1 or 2 with us, you get an extra 15% off the total Refresher trip cost!

Looking to take your skills even further? Our 3-Day Ski/Splitboard Mountaineering Course is the culmination of our Backcountry Progression Program. For many, ski and splitboard mountaineering is one of the greatest allures to backcountry skiing and riding. Around the springtime in Colorado the snowpack becomes more stable, the corn snow cycle is in affect, and the backcountry terrain opens up drastically. Colorado is home to some of the most amazing ski/split mountaineering in the country and with some lines being more technical than others, you need to make sure you have the necessary skills. This is a course in which we will be covering a wide array of topics emphasized on traveling through intermediate to advanced terrain.

Why Choose Us?

What makes our courses unique? Not only are our courses taught by our certified guides and instructors, each course is also concepted and designed by them. This means that your instructor has put their passion into creating the best possible learning experience for you. We don’t skip any corners in providing you with best education possible. We care about you and your education, plain and simple.

The journey never stops. Backcountry winter travel encompasses much more than snowpack and terrain knowledge. What do you do if somebody gets hurt? Do you have the skills necessary to address medical issues in the backcountry? Partnering with Desert Mountain Medicine out of neighboring Leadville, CO we encourage all of our students to continue with their education. They run wilderness specific medical courses ranging from their Winter-Specific Wilderness First Aid Courses to more advanced options like a Wilderness First Responder. Check out our AIARE Rescue + Wilderness First Aid course!