Washington Ski Resort Offering AIARE 1 Backcountry Courses In February And March

Ian Greenwood
·1 min read

Crystal Mountain, Washington, is offering a series of AIARE 1 courses from February through March this winter.

The next course starts on February 8th and, at the time of writing this, isn't sold out yet. Seattle area skiers who haven't taken an avalanche course yet—you know what to do.

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Okay, I hear you. What the heck is an AIARE 1 course?

AIARE 1 courses deliver baseline avalanche knowledge to anyone planning to travel in the backcountry during the winter, including skiers, snowboarders, snowmobiles, climbers, and snowshoers. They usually last about three days and, like buying your first beacon or probe, are one of things you should check off the list as you consider becoming a backcountry skier.

"Students can expect to develop a good grounding in how to prepare for and carry out a backcountry trip, to understand basic decision making while in the field, and to learn rescue techniques required to find and dig up a buried person (if an avalanche occurs and someone in the party is caught)," reads the blurb about Level 1 courses on AIARE's website.

AIARE is a non-profit educational organization that disseminates "research-based avalanche curriculum" to providers nationally and globally. Its level 1 courses are only a small fraction of this curriculum, which also includes professional-level certifications for aspiring avalanche professionals.

Now, with that out of the way—if you plan on going for a romp in the backcountry, get learnt. Avalanche gear is no good unless you know how to use it.

Here's the link to Crystal's AIARE 1 courses.

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