Our AIARE 1 Avalanche Course in Washington is a program features two full days in the field and an online course built by Blackbird Mountain Guides. It provides a foundation for assessing and managing avalanche hazard as well as finding the best turns in the backcountry! This program will be your foundation as you progress to bigger tours, higher peaks and objectives in the greater ranges of the world. By understanding the dangers that exist, how to avoid them, and where to find high quality snow, you'll be ready for some great days in the backcountry! We offer options at Mt Baker or Snoqualmie Pass.
Blackbird's unique benefits over other avalanche courses include:
- Flexibility for your busy lifestyle. Say goodbye to taking off work or missing a great ski day to sit in a classroom. You get the coursework done at your own pace before the field work starts!
- Excellent Online Content. Our online course includes content curated by our expert staff and a live webinar with a Blackbird Avalanche Course Leader.
- Access to the lessons after the course. Everyone comes out of traditional avalanche courses feeling full of knowledge, but two weeks later they begin scratching their heads, wondering what they had discussed and learned during their course. With the Blackbird A1, you always have access to the online program to review the lessons whenever you feel the need to brush up.
- Top notch AIARE Avalanche Course Leaders. Our course leaders are some of Washington's most experienced snow experts and instructors. We have lived and breathed the Mt Baker snowpack (thankfully not literally) and have years of experience guiding, performing avalanche control at Class A ski resorts and instructing courses.
This is not a “first-time backcountry skiing course.” If this is your first time backcountry skiing, please visit . We expect all participants on the Blackbird AIARE 1 to be proficient with their gear and basic ski touring movement. There is a lot of material to cover during this program and we want to maximize the experience for each participant.
Topics Covered in this Avalanche Course:
- Mountain Snowpack
- Mountain Weather
- The Avalanche Problems
- Trip Planning
- Snow and Weather Observations
- How to Practice Small Team Avalanche Rescue
- Terrain Choice
- Human Factors and Assembling your Team
- Trailhead Departure Check
- Route Finding
- Track Setting
- Descent Choices
Requisite Experience
This course is great for novices and experienced backcountry users alike, but we do require that you:
- Are Proficient at Using Your Gear. If you are not, consider taking . It's an excellent way to build fundamental ski touring skills.
- Can ride Advanced Terrain at a ski resort. The course venue may be in fairly benign terrain, but it is important that riders have an advanced riding ability to manage the highly variable snow conditions we experience in the backcountry. These conditions are typically very different from those found at ski resorts, even in off-piste resort terrain.
- Have Appropriate Gear to Ski/Ride. You must have ski touring equipment or a splitboard. Snowshoes can impede the progress of the team and disrupt the learning outcomes for our guests.
- Have functional avalanche tools (we rent and ), including:
- Digital Beacon (newer than 5 years old or recently checked by the manufacturer)
- High Quality Aluminum Shovel (plastic blades often break in dense avalanche debris)
- High Quality Probe (modern, quick-draw style)
