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Colorado Adventure Guides offers Hut-Based AIARE 1 Avalanche Courses! This 24-hour course is an introduction to managing avalanche hazard where you will learn a repeatable process to manage your risk and learn from your experiences in the backcountry.
What sets our hut based AIARE courses apart from the others? Not only do we offer the course in an immaculate backcountry hut, we also provide the meals! By choosing the hut-based setting, you’ll have the opportunity to pick your instructors brains during fireside chats in the evening.
Imagine spending the weekend with avalanche professionals in the backcountry, learning about snow safety while sipping tea in front of a crackling wood stove. Backcountry skiing or snowboarding right to the hut to enjoy a cold beer while debriefing the day. Students will practice preparing for and carrying out a backcountry trip, keeping track of conditions, communicating, making decisions about hazards while in the backcountry, and learning rescue techniques, and how to execute a winter backcounty hut trip!
Efficient use of beacon/shovel/probe
Pre-trip equipment check
Survival gear checklist
Basics of route selection and terrain management
Trip planning and preparation
Group management
Learn how to execute a backcountry hut trip
What sets our hut based AIARE courses apart from the others? Not only do we offer a weekend in an immaculate off-grid backcountry hut, we also provide the meals! By choosing the hut-based setting, you’ll have the opportunity to pick your instructors brains during fireside chats in the evening.
Carner’s Cabin is a private completely off-grid, private backcountry hut and located on the Continental Divide at an elevation of 11,700 ft. Surrounded by thousands of acres of San Isabel National Forest, there are no other structures for miles, and none in sight, for a very remote feeling retreat that’s only 1.8 miles from the highway and parking area.
Carner’s Cabin is a great base camp for backcountry adventures on the high Colorado trails. Wildlife sightings are very common. No electricity or running water – bring your own bottled water or melt snow on the wood burning stove. Indoor composting toilet facilities. Propane gas cook stove, kitchen utensils (pots, pans, etc.), and oil lamps provided. Bring your own headlamp, hut booties, sleeping bag, pillowcase and toothbrush. Capacity at Carner’s is 8 students.
Huts Foundation, Francie’s Cabin is the most popular hut in Colorado. Francie’s Cabin, built in 1994, is situated near 11,300ft in the popular Crystal Lakes drainage of the Ten-Mile Range. This stunning cabin is named for Frances Lockwood Bailey, a former resident of Breckenridge who died in a tragic plane crash in 1989.
Francies books up very quickly and is a sought after hut experience. The cabin is equipped with firewood, propane cook tops, cooking and eating utensils (pots/pans/plates/flatware/mugs/glasses), toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. As with most winter huts, snowmelt is used for a water supply. Capacity at Francies is 18 students.
Owned and operated by the Grand Huts Association, the Broome Hut, originally called the Second Creek Hut, in the Second Creek Basin on the west side of Berthoud Pass, Colorado is one of the finest high altitude skiing and hiking locales in Colorado. Ease of access and great skiing make for excellent backcountry recreation opportunities.
The Broome Hut has some unique amenities which include a pellet stove instead of a woodburning heat stove. It is very easy to operate and has clear instructions posted at the hut. The hut has indoor composting toilets similar to Janet’s Cabin and Francie’s Cabin. There is also a day-use room at the hut but it is totally separated from the overnight area and they share no amenities. Broome Hut capacity is 12 students.
The fifth overnight backcountry hut in the Summit Huts system, the 14-person Sisters Cabin was built in 2018 and currently operates as a winter-only hut from November through April. Funded by the The Sturm Family Foundation, Sisters Cabin celebrates the close bonds amongst Sue Sturm, an avid backcountry hut user, and her close-knit group of female friends that have formed and flourished in the shared joys of backcountry skiing adventures, hence the “Sisters” moniker.
Sisters Cabin incorporates state-of-the-art design and green-building techniques to minimize environmental impact and offer guests an experience similar to those they have come to expect at Summit Huts larger flagship huts. Sisters hut capacity is 12 students.
Just south of Breckenridge and West of Alma, the North London Mill site lies at the base of Mosquito Pass. Colorado Adventure Guides has partnered with the North London Mill Preservation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to help preserve Colorado’s mining heritage while developing an alternative model for outdoor recreation. Renovation was completed in 2023 on the old mill office which became the first of several backcountry huts and education venues. NOLO hut capacity is 6 students.
AIARE is a three-part program for individuals who enjoy winter recreation in the backcountry. The entire Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain program includes seven days of classroom, field, and self-paced online training. The curriculum is typically delivered in the following parts: the AIARE 1 (3 days), Avalanche Rescue (1 day), and the AIARE 2 (3 days).
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. Our local team of AIARE certified leaders and instructors are passionate about where we live, work, and teach and have an intimate relationship with the local terrain and snowpack conditions where we operate. Other perks of taking a course with us include;
E-Learning materials and Student Manual for AIARE Level 1 are sent one month prior to course
Field Session: Travel to hut, settle in, and learn companion rescue.
Classroom/Field Session: Classroom at hut and afternoon field session to learn how to make relevant observations in the field
Field Session: Hut breakdown, student led tour, and course close
3 days (24+ hrs)
2024/2025 Course dates as follows;
$995 per person
6 Students:1 Instructor
Carners Cabin, Francies Cabin, Sisters Hut, or Broome Hut
Avalanche Beacon
Avalanche Probe
Avalanche Shovel
Overnight sized backpack (approx. 60L – 70L)
Alpine Touring Skis, Telemark Skis, or Splitboard
Climbing Skins (must be properly fitted)
Goggles
Helmet (optional)
Sleeping Bag
Hard or softshell pants
Synthetic or merino wool base layer
Softshell jacket (optional)
Down or synthetic insulated jacket
Hardshell or water/wind resistant jacket
Light gloves for uphill travel
Warm gloves
Brimmed hat or visor
Sunglasses
Neck gaitor or buff
Backcountry gear can be rented directly from Colorado Adventure Guides at our Silvethorne, CO Basecamp.
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Refunds will be honored for cancellations more than 30 DAYS PRIOR to a hut trip start time. An administrative fee of 10% will be assessed for all cancellations.
All activities are Rain or Shine. In case of operator cancellation due to adverse or unsafe conditions prior to start time, first the operator will attempt to reschedule. If rescheduling is not possible, the client will receive a full refund. Operator, including guides in the field, reserve the right to shorten or reroute activity in the case of unmanageable hazards or inability of guest to complete the objective. Completion of objective-based routes is not guaranteed.
Rescheduling will be honored 30 days prior to AIARE Level 1 start date. An administrative fee of 10% will be assessed for all rescheduling. This allows us the time to contact those who have been put on the wait-list.
Our AIARE Avalanche Courses can be taken on alpine touring skis or splitboard. It is a requirement that participants are familiar with their touring gear and have experience on their setup prior to taking this course. Alpine touring skis and splitboards are available for rent from our Silverthorne, CO basecamp.
Students on skis or boards must be comfortable in steep blue to black terrain at the ski resort.
Students should be able to travel off-trail on ungroomed or unmaintained terrain and bring appropriate equipment for traveling on snow.
Don’t know how to use your touring gear yet? Sign up for one of our 1-day Intro to Backcountry Ski or Splitboard Courses!
Colorado Adventure Guides is priority is keeping our patrons and students safe. Our instructors are trained to recognize potentially hazardous situations in the backcountry; they plan and operate accordingly. Prior to the start of any course or backcountry trip you will be asked to complete a brief health history. The failure to disclose pertinent information on the health history form could result in serious harm, even death, to the signing participant, other guests and/or the guide. All information submitted is completely confidential; it is for the guide’s use and would only be shared in the event of an emergency with medical and/or rescue personnel directly caring for the guest. This can be a physically demanding course, and your ability to enjoy the adventure depends on your health and fitness, thus it’s recommended that you are in good physical condition.
For those who would like to select all the members of their party, you may book a private group course. If you are interested, please let us know!
Your instructor will contact you at least 2 weeks prior to course start to discuss details.
Your instructors work hard before, during, and after your course to provide you with a great experience and while not expected, gratuities are always highly appreciated and if you had a safe, educational, and fun experience. Gratuities typically range from 15-20%.
Our AIARE 1 hut based courses have limited capacity and tend to book up months in advance. It is strongly recommended that you reserve your spot before the winter season starts.
