Quick Details
AIARE 2 builds on the frameworks introduced in AIARE 1 and provides backcountry travelers the opportunity to further advance their decision making skills in more complex terrain and situations. Students will evaluate and interpret weather, snowpack, and avalanche observations to choose appropriate terrain and gain experience applying risk management principles in a small group setting. These are invaluable skills to hone as your backcountry journey leads you to bigger and more remote objectives and will build confidence in developing a travel plan when resources are more scarce, such as on a backcountry hut trip.
AIARE 2 follows a hybrid model, with approximately 8 hours of self-paced, online coursework followed by 2 days in the field. This course is best suited for those who have taken AIARE 1 in 2023 or before, with a minimum full year of backcountry experience and a recent Avalanche Rescue course.
**All of our AIARE Level 2 courses require attendance at an online pre-trip meeting 2 evenings before your course start date. Your instructor will reach out before the course with more information.**
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AIARE 2 Course Itinerary:
This course will be one self-paced, online learning day and 2 field days.
Online Learning: Please allow 8 hours for the online curriculum. The self-paced curriculum covers an overview of avalanche types and characteristics and includes case studies to analyze avalanche incidents. Course progression includes:
- The Changing Mountain Snowpack
- AIARE 1 Review
- Mountain Weather
- The Layered Mountain Snowpack
- Trip Planning Review
- Snow Profiles in the Field
Field Day 1: 7 am – 6 pm: Making Quality Observations
- Avalanche Formation and Release
- Interpreting Weather Data, Snow Surface Conditions, and Snow Profiles
- Craftsmanship, Relevancy, and Verification of Snow Observations
- Risk Management in Small Groups
- Snowpack Test in the Field
Field Day 2: 7 am – 6pm: Applying Observations to Field Decisions
- Traveling in the Field as a Small Team
- Field Risk Management and During Action Review
- Communicating Observations to our group, other travelers, and local experts
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- 18+ for adult courses or 16+ with consent from a guardian and Kaf approval
- 12-18 for youth courses
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- Physical ability to hike or tour for 4-5 hours, ascending about 2000′, with a 30lb pack
- Advanced skiing or snowboarding skills (ability to ski or ride black diamond runs in all snow conditions)
- Graduation from AIARE 1 and AIARE Rescue courses
- At least 1 full year of backcountry touring experience applying the principles you used in previous courses
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- A solid understanding of mountain snowpack variations and layering, avalanche formation and release
- How to identify meteorological factors and use temperature/precipitation observations to anticipate snow conditions and weather effects on snowpack
- How to use checklists and bulletins as tools to evaluate hazards, target field observations and assess terrain options.
- How to identify components and their relevance to an avalanche problem, and apply those observations to field decisions
- How to submit observations to the local avalanche center
- Effective trip planning and risk management
- A solid understanding of mountain snowpack variations and layering, avalanche formation and release
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- 16 hours of professional field instruction
- 8 hours of online curriculum (delivered in email, following your registration confirmation)
- An AIARE field book
- A group snow study kit
- AIARE Level 2 curriculum handouts for your home library
- 16 hours of professional field instruction
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- Winter travel equipment
- Transportation
- Lunch
- Personal layers
- Personal avalanche safety gear: beacon, probe, and shovel
- Winter travel equipment
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You will need to provide one of the following snow travel tools:
- Snowshoes with waterproof boots (we recommend insulated boots)
- Skis, boots, and bindings (Metal edge skis, plastic boots, and Randonee/alpine touring/downhill Telemark bindings). Please note: Cross-country skis will not work for backcountry tours.
- Splitboard with adjustable bindings that move into “tour” mode efficiently (Soft boots are okay, and hard boots are preferred)
- Additional equipment needed:
- Personal avalanche safety gear: beacon, probe, and shovel.
- Helmet
- Personal layers
- Personal avalanche safety gear: beacon, probe, and shovel.
- Snowshoes with waterproof boots (we recommend insulated boots)
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Transportation and times will be coordinated by email when the pre-trip announcement is sent to all registrants.
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Consider joining a Skiing/Splitboarding: Intermediate course to spend more time with a professional instructor in the field.