AIARE 2

The AIARE 2 builds on your experience as a backcountry traveler. You will learn tools to apply The AIARE Framework, the repeatable process you learned in an AIARE 1, to new situations and to self-direct your learning after the course. You will learn more skills to connect weather, snowpack and avalanche processes, and identify how these processes relate to observations and travel within avalanche terrain. This can enable you to act as a leader within a small travel group and to identify and target reducing uncertainty about the terrain or conditions.

Who Should Take this Course

The AIARE 2 provides backcountry leaders the opportunity to advance their avalanche knowledge and decision-making skills. The prerequisites for this course are an AIARE 1, an Avalanche Rescue course, and a winter of practical experience after taking the AIARE 1.

What You’ll Learn 

During an AIARE 2 course, you’ll spend time learning these skills, both in a classroom setting and in the field: 

• Differentiating where specific avalanche hazards exist within the landscape
• Identifying avalanche terrain where consequences may be more severe
• Using and interpreting weather, snow, and avalanche observations to make more specific terrain decisions
• Leadership skills to use in a small team, including facilitating small group discussion, promoting appropriate terrain selection, and utilizing simple risk management strategies

Course Requirements: 

• Online pre-course review
• 4 hour in-person classroom session at CMC Basecamp
• Two 8-hour field days (8am-4pm) at Berthoud Pass

• All participants will receive an AIARE Certificate of Completion, the AIARE Field Book and student manual.

Cancellations & Rescheduling Participants should understand and appreciate that these courses are held during the winter season where poor weather and driving conditions may require cancellation or rescheduling of this course. Please refer to the CMC's cancellation policy (see link above) prior to enrolling in the course. While this policy provides our primary guidance for such contingencies, the course leadership will attempt to accommodate enrollee's completion of the course during the current season based on class and instructor availability.