Uwe Sartori
If you’ve been out in the high country lately, you may think fall is a little early this year. At least it seems that way to me. It’s my wake-up call to start thinking about the next big season in Colorado: winter!
We suffered last year through one of the worst snow seasons in decades. We deserve a banner snow year. Yes?!
What are you doing to get ready?
Me, I’m changing my training a bit, both in the gym and in the field. Emphasis on legs, abs, shoulders and chest, plus planks and plyometrics. Hopping is good. Balance exercises are great. Get into the aerobic. Taste the anaerobic. All good.
Don’t let your mind convince you that because you climbed, hiked or biked all summer, you’re ready for winter. A good foundation? Yes. But more is needed to turn that body into a lean, mean winter machine.
Now is also the time to inventory your winter stuff. What works? What needs fixing? What needs replacing? Your gear sure isn’t thinking about you. Do you have everything, and does everything work the way you want it to?
Tracking the season is another habit that should be kicking in. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) cranks up November 1, with daily forecasts published at 4:30 p.m.
Where’s your play zone?
If it’s Berthoud Pass—my favorite—start dialing in on weather forecasts using NOAA and SpotWx. Go out, assess conditions, make observations and compare what you see with the forecasts. Dialing in early shakes out the cobwebs, brings back last season’s lessons and re-grounds you in the Colorado winter.
If the word “avalanche” makes you perk up, good. It means you recognize the danger, especially when traveling through avalanche terrain.
So, what do you do about it?
One way is to learn to recognize and avoid avalanche terrain. CMC offers Avalanche Awareness for exactly that purpose. Contact Keith Stinebaugh at keith@cmcboulder.org.
Another is AIARE Avalanche Rescue, where you learn what to do if someone is caught and how to perform an avalanche rescue under multiple scenarios.
The motivated and earnest will want AIARE 1, which introduces the Risk Management Decision Making Framework for making better decisions in avalanche terrain.
Why CMC?
Colorado is #1 in the U.S. in avalanche-related fatalities. CMC has been an AIARE Course Provider since 2011. In 2026, its Risk Management Plan (RMP) for Winter Operations passed an American Avalanche Association (A3) audit, meaning the plan meets or exceeds A3 standards. Since 2011, hundreds of members have gone through these programs—hundreds of winter backcountry travelers who actually have a clue about managing avalanche risk, making better decisions and responding when it hits the fan.
So, what are you waiting for? Figure out where you fit—Avalanche Awareness, Avalanche Rescue or AIARE 1—and get yourself ready before the snow starts piling up.
And here’s the other part: learning this stuff is fun. You’re outside with experienced instructors and other winter enthusiasts, practicing skills you’ll actually use in the mountains.
Then go have some fun.
For course listings and winter program information, visit CMC Avalanche Education or contact Ashley Kramer, CMC Adult Education and CMC AIARE School Director, at Ashley@cmc.org.