AIARE 1 Hut Based-Sister’s

Immerse Yourself in the Backcountry on a Learning Retreat

What sets our hut based AIARE courses apart from the others? Not only do we offer a weekend in a clean, off-grid backcountry hut, we also provide the dinners and breakfasts! By choosing the hut-based setting, you’ll have the opportunity to pick your instructors’ brains during fireside chats in the evening.

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.

All of our Level 1 courses will include 24 hours of coursework at a minimum, including advance e-learning, followed by 3 days in the classroom setting and on-snow field time with your instructors.

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 safety education that you need, and we don’t cut corners in delivering the best product to maximize your benefit!

What You’ll Learn:

• 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