fbpx Skip to Content

AIARE 2 Course In South Lake Tahoe

aiare course in lake tahoe taught by professional mountain guides

South Lake Tahoe AIARE 2 Course

$695Midweek
Per Person
$745Weekend
Per Person
Intermediate 3 days, 24 hours South Lake Tahoe, CA
Take your AIARE 2 in South Lake Tahoe with Alpenglow’s certified guides! Historically, the Level 2 Avalanche Course has been the entry-level professional course for ski guides, patrollers and forecasters. In the past couple of years, the course has been redesigned to meet the needs of advanced recreational students who are looking to advance their decision-making skills in more complex terrain and situations. This is an intermediate-level backcountry course in South Lake Tahoe, please see the preparation section before reserving. We also offer this course in North Lake Tahoe.
Inquire
aiare course in lake tahoe taught by professional mountain guides

Take the next step in your backcountry education journey, and embrace the ever evolving world of snow science and avalanche mitigation!

Our South Lake AIARE 2 is a three-day/24-hour course that provides skiers and riders an opportunity to advance their decision making skills in more complicated situations such as being a leader within a small travel group, traveling in more complicated terrain, and touring in an area without an avalanche forecasting center. You were introduced to the AIARE Framework in your Level 1 course. The AIARE 2 course takes the Framework and teaches you to apply it to these more complicated situations with the evaluation of critical hazard assessment factors. Our Tahoe ski guides will teach students to describe and discuss weather, snowpack and avalanche processes, and identify how these processes relate to observations and travel within avalanche terrain.

Prerequisites

Students must have taken an AIARE 1 course as well as the new AIARE 1 day rescue course to qualify for this course.

BC 1.0 + 5-10 days of touring experience OR 10+ days of individual touring experience is also required.

Technical

Must be an advanced intermediate skier/rider that is competent on and off-piste in a variety of conditions. This is comparable to confidence on all blue and most black diamond runs at the resort (including ungroomed terrain).

Fitness

Excellent physical fitness is required. Skiers must be able to hike for many hours at a time while carrying a small pack.
Field Day 1
Review & Practice

8:00am: Meet at trailhead, rental gear check out, hand out AIARE field books
8:00am – 8:30am: Morning hazard assessment meeting / trailhead transceiver function check
8:30am – 11:30am: Companion rescue review and practice (Single and Multiple Burial)
11:30am – 12:00pm: Transition to instructor led tour to gather snow obs.
12:00pm – 3:30pm: Instructor demo; Review of Seasonal Snowpack; Craftsmanship, Relevancy, and Verification of Snow Observations; Snowpack Tests in the Field.
3:30pm – 4:00pm: Debrief observations in the field and return to trailhead. Post observations to local avalanche center

Field Day 2
Making Quality Observations

8:00am: Meet at trailhead
8:00am – 8:15am: Instructor/student-led morning hazard discussion (avalanches, snowpack, weather)
8:15am – 8:30am: Student-led trailhead transceiver function check
9:00am – 2:00pm: Instructor/student-led tour: track setting, terrain identification, snow profile (site selection; layer id; hardness scale; grain id; tests); snowpack structure; interpreting weather data, snow surface conditions, and snow profiles; metamorphism, sintering and bonding, persistent weak layers / facets, nsf, ncf, surface hoar
2:00pm – 2:30pm: Debrief observations in the field
2:30pm – 3:30pm: Return to trailhead
3:30pm – 4:00pm: Summarize conditions and post to local avalanche center. Tour Planning homework

Field Day 3
Applying Observations to Field Decisions

8:00am – 8:15am: Student-led morning hazard discussion (avalanches, snowpack, weather).
Review tour plan options from night before
8:15am – 8:30am: Student-led trailhead transceiver function check
9:00am – 2:00pm: Student-led tour: verify stability forecast; group management / terrain selection / travel techniques
2:00pm – 2:30pm: Debrief observations in the field
2:30pm – 3:30pm: Return to trailhead
3:30pm – 4:00pm: Summarize conditions and post to the local avalanche center. Course conclusion, collect rental gear and next steps.

Alpenglow’s South Lake Tahoe Guides

Our AIARE 2 Instructors & Guides

South Lake Tahoe AIARE 2 Questions

The answers to our most commonly asked questions about AIARE 2 in South Lake Tahoe.
Two ski mountaineers climbing up Mount Shasta during a guided ski trip with Alpenglow Expeditions

Mount Shasta Ski: 3-Day West Face Summit & Ski

Intermediate Next Available
April 19-21, 2024
3 Days Mount Shasta, CA
Guide shows rope skills during an Intro to Mountaineering course near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountains with Alpenglow Expeditions' Tahoe mountain guides.

Intro to Mountaineering Course

Introductory Next Available
Mar 30, 2024
1 full day (8 hours) North Lake Tahoe, CA
A single skier descending perfect powder snow during a Palisades Backcountry Ski Tour

Palisades Tahoe Backcountry Tours

Advanced Next Available
Booked privately every day December – May
Full Day / 8 Hours Palisades Tahoe, CA
Avalanche Education course in lake tahoe taught by professional mountain guides

AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course In North Lake Tahoe

Introductory Next Available
Mar 30, 2024
Full Day / 8 Hours Lake Tahoe, CA
@AlpenglowExpeditions