AIARE 1 Avalanche Safety

Three-Day Intro to Managing Avalanche Hazard

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These courses will take place along the continental divide with a classroom in Dumont and field days near Loveland and/or Berthoud Passes.

Learn. Practice. Stay Alive.

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. Colorado is home to one of the most complex snowpacks in the entire world, and people come from all across the globe to study the snowpack here. Our local team of AIARE-certified leaders and instructors have an intimate relationship with the local terrain and snowpack conditions where we operate & will teach you how to recognize, manage, and minimize these hazards, and to reduce risks. Avalanche Safety education is the core of our winter operations and we are pleased to offer education in six Colorado Counties, including ski resort-based and hut-based courses.

Our 3-Day AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Courses in the Front Range zone combines pre-course e-learning, classroom, and field instruction to introduce participants to the hazards of traveling in avalanche terrain. All of our Level 1 courses will include 24 hours of coursework at a minimum, and two days on snow.

As an Ortovox Safety Academy partner, our AIARE courses include the complimentary use of Ortovox avalanche safety equipment like their Diract Voice beacon, a shovel like their Beast, an ALU probe, and an Ortovox backpack designed to hold them for easy access.

We want to make sure that you get the education that you need and don’t cut corners in delivering the best product so that we can maximize your benefit!

What You’ll Learn:

Equipment

• Efficient use of beacon/shovel/probe
• Pre-trip equipment check
• Survival gear checklist
• Weather
• Understanding a mountain snowpack
• Reading and understanding the avalanche forecast
• Classifications of avalanches
• Characteristics of different types of avalanches

Trip Preparation

• Basics of route selection and terrain management
• Trip planning and preparation
• Rescue and emergency preparation
• Group management

Hazards/Rescue

• Recognizing hazardous conditions
• Managing risk and decision making
• Human factors and influence
• Companion rescue techniques