Washington AIARE 1 Course

Washington
Group Course
Ability level: Beginner
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Questions? Let us help! Call us at 1-866-386-1590

Whether you ski, ride, climb, or snowshoe into the backcountry, the AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Safety Course gives you the skills and certification to travel avalanche terrain with confidence. This 24-hour introductory course pairs classroom lectures with two field days, covering avalanche phenomena, terrain recognition, travel techniques, human factors, and companion rescue. It's built for recreational backcountry travelers who want the tools to assess risk and ask the right questions before heading out, and it pairs well with a Backcountry Skiing Fundamentals course or as a first step toward our more advanced Backcountry Ski Tours.

New for this winter: we've also introduced an AIARE Lev­el 1 Refresh­er to your options. This one-day, field-based course is designed for back­coun­try skiers and rid­ers who have pre­vi­ous­ly com­plet­ed an AIARE Lev­el 1 (or equiv­a­lent) and want to refresh their knowl­edge before return­ing to avalanche ter­rain.

Our instructors are trained through the Canadian Avalanche Association, American Mountain Guides Association, and AIARE itself, and we run courses across some of Washington's best terrain, including Mount Rainier, Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, Mount Baker, and Leavenworth, so we can adapt to whatever conditions winter brings. By the end, you'll be able to plan and prepare for travel in avalanche terrain, recognize that terrain in the field, apply a decision-making framework as a group, and carry out an effective companion rescue: the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of traveling smart in the mountains.

Plans may evolve with weather & guides' judgement, we strive to find the best conditions each day

ITINERARY

AIARE Online Pre-Course Learning

  • This will intro­duce stu­dents to avalanch­es and the ter­mi­nol­o­gy asso­ci­at­ed so they are famil­iar­ized and ready to dive into the zoom ses­sion with the instructors
  • To be com­plet­ed pri­or to zoom lec­ture day
  • Gen­er­al­ly takes about 5hrs to com­plete and can be done at your own pace

Thurs­day Evening Lecture

6 – 9 pm via Zoom

  • Wel­come and Introductions
  • What is AIARE?
  • Course objec­tives, goals, and progression
  • Intro­duc­tion to the AIARE Deci­sion Mak­ing Frame­work (DMF)
  • Case study – small group and class discussion
  • Avalanche Types and Characteristics
  • For­ma­tion of Lay­ers in the Moun­tain Snowpack
  • Avalanche Ter­rain Intro
  • Avalanche Dan­ger Scale
  • Obser­va­tions and Clue Gathering
  • Obser­va­tion Checklist
  • The Human Factor
  • Plan­ning and PreparationAvalanche haz­ard forecastInfor­ma­tion gatheringTrip Plans
  • Ter­rain Selec­tion and Trav­el Techniques

First Field Day, Saturday

8:30 – 5 PM

  • 1hr lec­ture in lodge run­ning through uti­liz­ing NWAC fore­casts and fill­ing out Blue Books before head­ing into the field
  • Equip­ment – bea­con, shov­el, probe
  • Com­pan­ion Res­cue – sin­gle burial
  • Shov­el­ing and Prob­ing techniques
  • Mul­ti­ple burials

Break

  • Group res­cue scenario
  • Snow­pack – lay­er­ing, basic structure
  • Com­pres­sion Test and Rutschblock Test
  • Obser­va­tion check­list and obvi­ous clues
  • Quick Tour
  • In Lodge: Trip Plans and using the DMF

Sec­ond Field Day, Sunday

Sun­day, 8:30 – 5 pm

  • Full Day Tour
  • Trav­el tech­niques and group management
  • Ter­rain selection
  • Active tests and infor­ma­tion gathering
  • Obser­va­tion checklist 
  • Using the DMF
  • Avalanche Course debriefQues­tion and answer timeCourse eval­u­a­tions

What’s Included

  • AIARE certified course leader and instructor/s (6:1 maximum guide to student ratio)
  • AIARE course manual
  • AIARE field book 
  • AIARE certificate of completion 
  • Professional ski or splitboard guide 
  • Use of Ortovox Avalanche Safety Gear if needed (beacon, shovel, probe, pack)
  • Friends of CAIC Trailhead Membership ($35 value)
  • Transportation from designated meeting place to the trailhead
  • 20% off service and 10% off rental at evo Seattle store
  • 20% discount code at evo.com (exclusions apply)

Not Included

  • Air­fare
  • Trans­porta­tion to and from designated meeting place
  • Lodging (we recommend The Pad, see FAQ)
  • Food
  • Clothing and gear (see FAQ for recommendations)
  • Guide gra­tu­ities
  • Travel insurance (we recommend World Nomads)

Questions? Contact us!

What’s Included

  • AIARE certified course leader and instructor/s (6:1 maximum guide to student ratio)
  • AIARE course manual
  • AIARE field book 
  • AIARE certificate of completion 
  • Professional ski or splitboard guide 
  • Use of Ortovox Avalanche Safety Gear if needed (beacon, shovel, probe, pack)
  • Friends of CAIC Trailhead Membership ($35 value)
  • Transportation from designated meeting place to the trailhead
  • 20% off service and 10% off rental at evo Seattle store
  • 20% discount code at evo.com (exclusions apply)

Not Included

  • Air­fare
  • Trans­porta­tion to and from designated meeting place
  • Lodging (we recommend The Pad, see FAQ)
  • Food
  • Clothing and gear (see FAQ for recommendations)
  • Guide gra­tu­ities
  • Travel insurance (we recommend World Nomads)

Questions? Contact us!

Location Details

Our AIARE courses are offered at several locations across the Washington Cascades, including Mount Rainier, Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, Mount Baker ski area, Leavenworth, and more. When you book, you'll choose the location that works best for you, whether that's close to home, easy to get to for a weekend, or simply your favorite place to be in the mountains. Wherever you take the course, you'll get the same hands-on, field-based instruction and the tools to make good decisions in avalanche terrain, just with the convenience of picking a venue that fits your schedule and travel plans.

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FAQs

Where will my course take place?

Avalanche course locations include Mount Rainier, Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, Mount Baker ski area, and Leavenworth.

What if I would like to book a private group course?

For those who would like to select all the members of their party, you may book a private group course. Course dates can be requested between February 1 and March 31, subject to availability. If you are interested, please let us know!

Do I need any prior training to participate in this course?

No prior backcountry experience is required, but participants should have experience on their touring setup prior to taking this course. Participants should also be intermediate skiers/snowboarders.

How physically fit do I need to be for this course?

Mountain Madness is committed to the safety of their guests. Their guides are trained to recognize potentially hazardous situations in the backcountry; they plan and operate accordingly. Prior to your departure 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.

Are rentals available?

Yes, rental gear is available and can be rented directly through the evo Seattle store for 10% off.

When and how do I meet up with the group?

For courses your instructor will contact you at least 1 week prior to course start to discuss details.

What is the maximum number of guests on the trip?

Mountain Madness guest to guide ratio is 6:1 on education courses. All groups of 6 or more are split into smaller groups to maintain the guest to guide ratio. Maximum total number of guests is 16.

Is there a minimum age required for this trip?

We will accept par­tic­i­pants 16 years or old­er, if they are accom­pa­nied by a legal guardian. You must be 18 years or old­er to attend a trip on your own.

What if I need to change the dates of my course/trip?

evo will refer to the Mountain Madness Policy.

All date changes must be received in writ­ing. There will be a fee of $200 for domes­tic date changes. Any date change can be extreme­ly dif­fi­cult and is sub­ject to all addi­tion­al incurred expens­es as assessed by Moun­tain Mad­ness. Changes will be made at the sole dis­cre­tion of Moun­tain Mad­ness and may not be pos­si­ble. Date changes are for cred­it only (no refunds) and valid for one year from writ­ten change notification.

What if I need to cancel?

evo will refer to the Mountain Madness cancellation policy.

If you need to can­cel your trip, Moun­tain Mad­ness must be noti­fied in writ­ing. Your trip will be can­celled from the date they receive writ­ten notice. You will be assessed a can­cel­la­tion fee accord­ing to the fol­low­ing schedule:

More than 90 days from trip depar­ture — $200 fee reg­is­tra­tion fee
90 days or less from trip depar­ture – 100% of trip cost

I need local accommodations. Do you have recommendations?

Lodg­ing Options for Stevens Pass and Rainier Cours­es: hotels fill quick­ly on the week­ends so book early!

Leav­en­worth, WA: Leav­en­worth Lodging
Skykomish, WA: Cas­ca­dia Inn
Ash­ford, WA: Nisqually Lodge
Sno­qualmie Pass, WA: Sum­mit Inn

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