AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Avalanche Education In Silverton, Colorado
Skyward Mountaineering's AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course is a three day introduction to avalanche education for backcountry skiers and splitboarders. Based in Silverton, Colorado, in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, the course combines classroom instruction with hands on field sessions focused on avalanche forecasting, snowpack observations, terrain management, trip planning, and human factors.
You'll learn how to interpret the avalanche forecast, identify avalanche problems, recognize changing snow and weather conditions, evaluate terrain, make informed decisions with your group, and initiate a small team avalanche rescue. Rather than simply teaching you how to identify dangerous snow, the course focuses on the process of planning and executing a backcountry trip with avalanche hazards in mind.
The course follows the AIARE Recreational Level 1 curriculum and includes three full days of in-person instruction plus approximately eight hours of online learning. This hybrid online model allows students to qualify for an AIARE 1 and AIARE Rescue Certificate in a compact timeframe.
Introductory AIARE 1 avalanche education course and AIARE Rescue course. This hybrid avalanche course combines online learning with in-person classroom instruction and hands-on field sessions.
No previous avalanche course experience is required. Skiers/Snowboarders must be competent Intermediate level skiers/riders in the resort.
3 full days (8 hours each) of in-person instruction with 8 hours of self-managed online learning = approximately 32 hours total of combined learning. See open enrollment dates below or book a private course with custom dates.
The AIARE 1 course is based in Silverton, Colorado in the San Juan Mountains.
9,302 ft / 2,835 m
What You’ll Learn During An AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
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Learn the basic language used to describe avalanche hazards and understand the different types of avalanches and avalanche problems you may encounter throughout the winter.
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Learn how to interpret an avalanche bulletin, understand the current avalanche problems, and connect the forecast to the terrain you plan to travel through.
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Learn how recent and current weather affects the snowpack. You'll practice observing snow, weather, and avalanche conditions in the field and learn how those observations contribute to your decision making.
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Develop practical snow observation skills, including examining snow structure, identifying layers, and using appropriate field tests and observations to build a better understanding of the snowpack.
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Learn how slope angle, aspect, terrain shape, elevation, start zones, runout zones, terrain traps, and connected terrain influence avalanche exposure.
Practice choosing safer routes through complex terrain and learn how travel techniques can reduce your group's exposure to avalanche hazards.
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Learn how to turn an avalanche forecast and topographic map into a practical backcountry travel plan, including identifying a route plan, evaluating terrain, considering weather and snowpack information, and establishing decision points.
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Avalanche accidents aren't caused only by snow. Learn how group dynamics, communication, heuristic traps, assumptions, and other human factors can influence decisions in the backcountry.
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Hands on practice with the skills needed to respond effectively to an avalanche burial. You'll practice transceiver searches, probing, shoveling techniques, and efficient rescue systems while learning how to work as a coordinated team under pressure.
Plan Your AIARE 1 Course In The San Juans
Who Is the AIARE 1 Course For?
AIARE 1 is designed for people who want to begin traveling in avalanche terrain with a stronger understanding of the hazards, decision making process, and travel techniques involved. This course is a good fit if you:
Are new to avalanche education or want to refresh your skills from a course years ago
Want to start backcountry skiing or splitboarding or already tour in the backcountry and want formal avalanche training
Want to learn how to recognize avalanche problems
Want to improve your winter route planning
Want to learn how snowpack observations can inform travel decisions
Want to develop better group communication and decision making habits
Why Take an AIARE Course in Silverton?
Silverton sits in the heart of Colorado's San Juan Mountains, one of the state's most extensive and varied backcountry skiing environments. The surrounding mountains provide access to complex avalanche terrain, steep slopes, complex midwinter avalanche problems, and a wide variety of and terrain features.
That diverse terrain and reliable snowpack complexity makes the San Juans an excellent environment for learning avalanche decision making. Rather than studying avalanche hazards only in a classroom, you'll apply the concepts directly in the Silverton backcountry and learn how forecasts, snowpack observations, terrain, and human factors interact in the real world.
Skyward Mountaineering's local experience also allows instructors to tailor field sessions around current snowpack and avalanche conditions. The exact terrain used during the course will depend on conditions, weather, and the skiing and riding abilities of the group.
Choose the AIARE 1 Format That Fits Your Goals
This course is an AIARE 1 Hybrid + Rescue course combining online learning with three days of in-person classroom and field instruction, including a dedicated AIARE Rescue component. It's a streamlined option for skiers and snowboarders who want to complete their foundational avalanche education and companion rescue training in one course, with the online portion covering core concepts before you arrive in the field. For those who prefer more traditional, fully in-person instruction or want to separate their avalanche education from rescue training, our standalone AIARE Rescue course is an opportunity to focus solely on companion avalanche rescue techniques, whether it is your first avalanche course or a refresher from years past.
Are You a Climber Rather Than a Skier?
If you're taking an AIARE 1 to support ice climbing, mountaineering, or winter travel on foot, consider our AIARE Level 1 for Ice Climbers & Alpinists. That course uses climbing specific scenarios and route planning exercises rather than focusing primarily on ski touring.
AIARE 1 Itinerary In The San Juans
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This three day course is based out of Silverton, Colorado in the San Juan mountains.
08:00 Meet in a classroom setting in Silverton. After personal introductions and an overview of the course progression, we begin learning the foundations of avalanche terminology, characteristics, and contributing factors. The afternoon is spent in the field with hands-on learning.
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08:00 Meet in a classroom setting for morning topics before heading out into the field for hands-on learning in the Silverton backcountry.
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08:00 We meet in the morning in a classroom to discuss the intricacies of tour planning before executing our small group plans in the Silverton backcountry.
Frequently asked Questions
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Successful completion of the course results in an AIARE Recreational Level 1 certificate. The course is educational, it does not certify someone as an avalanche professional or guarantee that a particular slope is safe.
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Yes, this avalanche course is a hybrid model combining online learning and in-person classroom and field lessons, including 8 hours of avalanche rescue.
Students who prefer a standalone avalanche rescue course can sign up for a dedicated one day in-person AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course.
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Previous backcountry touring experience is strongly encouraged and skiers and riders should be comfortable on intermediate resort terrain. If you're new to touring, consider adding a guided preparation day before the course.
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Yes, we can facilitate a private AIARE avalanche course for any group with a minimum of 4 students. Contact us to discuss a private avalanche education course.
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The course is based in Silverton, Colorado, with classroom instruction and field sessions in the surrounding San Juan Mountains.
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Students are responsible for their personal touring equipment. Avalanche rescue equipment may be provided by Skyward if arranged in advance. We recommend using your own beacon, shovel, and probe whenever possible so you become familiar with your personal equipment.