AIARE COURSES

Take ownership of your safety, make informed decisions, and hone in on your snow sense.

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A person using trekking poles walking in the snow on a mountain trail with snow-covered rocks and sparse trees under a clear blue sky.

Backcountry skiing is about more than just the skiing!

You have to know how to assess risk and hazard related to avalanches and traveling in the mountains with no ski patrol, no chair lifts, and no trail signs.

There’s A LOT to learn, and no better time to start than the present!

Join us for a 2 Day - Hybrid Women’s Specific AIARE 1 this season and we’ll dive into AIARE’s renowned avalanche education curriculum. We’ll earn our AIARE 1 Certification, and acquire the skills needed to make smart and informed decisions whilst traveling through winter backcountry environments.

You’ll spend 8 hours of your own time working through Pre-Course Curriculum. We’ll spend our 2 field days focused on learning and practicing the skills needed to gather relevant information about snow, hazards, etc. from the field, and make decisions accordingly. Uniquely to Tracks of Her Own, our AIARE 1 program will highlight:

  • Female Certified Avalanche Instructors

  • safety (physical, mental, emotional)

  • empowerment

  • FUN

  • high level learning and skill development

  • patience

Invest in your safety this season. Not just for yourself, but for anyone you may tour with!

*Snowshoes are not allowed for this course.

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  • This 24-hour course is an introduction to managing avalanche hazard. There will be 8 hours of self-paced pre-course on-line curriculum that students must complete prior to their course along with 2 full 8-hour days of outdoor field instruction. 

    We will have a zoom course the week of our course to check in and go over the homework, and set goals and intentions for the course ahead.

    Saturday

    8 am - Meet @ TH

    We’ll spend the day diving into the concepts from our AIARE homework, getting real time observations and feedback from the field. We’ll go over snowpack assessments, terrain ID, learn how to dig a snowpit, read and understand the avalanche forecast, and more! We’ll practice using our avalanche safety gear as well.

    4 pm - Debrief @ TH

    *Small Homework Assignment

    Sunday

    8 am - Meet @ TH

    You’re taking us on a tour! Based on the avalanche forecast, our observations from the day before, and our group ability and objectives, you’ll put together a tour with the group. We’ll do the tour, and learn as we go in real time if our plan and decision making lined up with all the safety and hazard assessments we made. We will do a bit more avalanche rescue practice.

    4 pm - Debrief @ TH

  • The AIARE 1 Curriculum is 24 hours of designated avalanche education curriculum, focused on decision making, basic avalanche hazard assessment, reading an avalanche forecast, identifying avalanche terrain, and basic avalanche rescue techniques and skill development.

  • Who this course is for:

    • Femme+ Humans with at least 1 Backcountry Tour under their belt. You must know how to use your gear, transition, etc.

    • Must be competent skiing off groomers on blue runs.

    • Moderate level fitness (able to be outside, moving at a conversational pace for multiple hours a day)

      • expect 1000’ - 2000’ vert up and down over the course of multiple laps each day, conditions/learning objective dependent

Things you’ll gain from this course:

  • Rec Level 1 Certification from the American Institute for Avalanche Research & Education

  • Skillset and confidence to plan beginner & intermediate level tours based on conditions, group objectives and ability, weather, and snowpack

  • A cohort of femme+ humans to continue learning, growing, and touring with!

Four women sitting on snow in a winter landscape with trees and mountains in the background, dressed in winter gear and surrounded by backpacks and gear.
Two children playing in the snow, one is digging with a small shovel and the other is bending down with a tool, in a snowy wooded area with tall trees and a clear blue sky.
Close-up of a frozen, textured sheet of ice with sunlight reflecting off its surface, in a snowy outdoor setting.
Person wearing a yellow jacket, orange pants, a white cap, and goggles using a snow auger to collect snow in a snowy outdoor area with trees in the background.
A snow-covered landscape with a carved block of snow and a snow saw standing on top of it. There are snow-covered trees in the background and a cloudy sky.
A group of people dressed in winter gear gathering in a snowy mountain landscape with snow-covered hills, trees, and a clear blue sky.
Snow-covered landscape with trees and a snow-blanketed trail in a winter forest.
People in winter gear preparing on a snowy mountain landscape with trees and ski tracks in the background.
A person in a red jacket and blue hood is digging into the snow with a shovel on a snowy mountain slope, with snow-covered trees in the background.
Snow-covered slope with tracks and surrounding evergreen trees, under a partly cloudy sky.

If you’re looking to take an AIARE Rescue, or an AIARE 2, we offer these programs in conjunction with other programs.

Our 3 Day Beginner Backcountry Weekends include a 1 Day AIARE Rescue Course, which is a full day of avalanche rescue scenarios and practice, including single burial, multiple burial, and more.

Our Season Long Mentorship Program includes an AIARE 2 Certification, which dives deep into snow science, and higher stakes decision making.

We may be able to accommodate private/custom requests. Reach out to inquire!

  • Included:

    • Femme+ AMGA Trained or Certified Ski/Splitboard guide, Certified Avalanche Instructor

      • Guides carry first aid, repair kit, and emergency response equipment

    • 3 Days of Guided Ski Touring/Splitboarding

    • AIARE Field Book

    • AIARE Curriculum

    • AIARE Level 1 Certification

    • PRE COURSE ZOOM SESSION

    • Wilderness Permits

    Not Included:

    • Transportation & Lodging

    • Personal Food/Water

    • Gear

      • see Gear List

      • we have limited rentals available!

    • Trip Cancellation Insurance/Evac coverage

  • After booking through our site, you can expect to receive a confirmation email from us within 24 hours that payment has been successfully received, and your spot is reserved!

    We’ll follow up with a welcome email full of information about your trip, with gear lists/rental info, waivers to sign, etc.

    A week before the course we’ll follow up with further details, like weather and trailhead specifics. We wait to pick a trailhead so we can capitalize on the best current conditions for touring!

    You’ll have 8 hours of homework to complete before the course begins.

    We will have a zoom session the week before the course to go over homework and align goals/expectations for the course!

  • We recommend purchasing trip insurance to protect your purchase from unforeseeable circumstances. If you wish to cancel your trip for any reason, a request must be made in writing via EMAIL. 

    GENERAL:

    • Trips are refundable minus a 20% admin fee until 60 Days before departure once paid in full.

    • Trips are NON REFUNDABLE 60 days or fewer before trip departure.

    • If you’d like to inquire about putting down a deposit, we can accept a 30% non-refundable deposit for courses and trips. Reach out via Email, and we will set this up. Full payment will be due 60 Days before departure. Trips are NON REFUNDABLE 60 days or fewer before trip departure.

    TRIP INSURANCE can be purchased to help cover the trip fees and other costs incurred under the policy. Regardless of which plan you purchase, make sure you have adequate coverage. Tracks of Her Own is not responsible for poor weather and bad and or closed road conditions. We run trips in inclement weather! Unless specifically canceled, please assume the trip will run and arrive at the program venue on time.

    Travelex Select Insurance

    World Nomads

    travelinsurance.com

    In the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we reserve the right to reschedule, alter the trip’s itinerary, or cancel the trip. Trip cancellation is the last resort and every effort will be made to run the trip in some facility. 

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