This Course
The 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. Students will describe and discuss weather, snowpack and avalanche processes, and identify how these processes relate to observations and travel within avalanche terrain.
Who Should Take This Course
This course is for those who have taken an AIARE 1 and Avalanche Rescue and have had at least a year of backcountry travel experience. The AIARE 2 provides backcountry leaders the opportunity to advance their avalanche knowledge and decision making skills. It’s imperative to have a good grasp of the concepts introduced in the AIARE 1 and rescue courses, and experience applying them, before taking this course.
Skiers/riders should be advanced intermediate in skill level, meaning competent on and off-piste in a variety of conditions, and confident on all blue runs and most black diamond runs in the resort (including ungroomed terrain).
Student learning outcomes
- Differentiate where specific avalanche hazards exist within the landscape and identify avalanche terrain where consequences may be more severe.
- Use and interpret weather, snow, and avalanche observations to locate appropriate terrain prior to entering and while in the field.
- Demonstrate leadership skills within a small team that include facilitating small group discussion, promoting appropriate terrain selection, and utilizing simple risk management strategies.
- Implement a basic forecasting framework that can be used in conjunction with and in the absences of local supporting avalanche information.
Prerequisites
- Participants must have the ability to travel in avalanche terrain.
- An AIARE 1 Course (strongly recommended) or equivalent Level 1 training is required.
- A winter of practical experience after the Level 1 course is highly recommended before taking the AIARE 2 course. (BC 1.0 + 5-10 days of touring experience, or 10+ days of individual touring experience required)
- AIARE or AAA approved one-day Avalanche Rescue Course.
If you have taken an AIARE 1 course, the new 1 day rescue course, feel comfortable with the curriculum and are hungry to increase your understanding of hazard management in avalanche terrain, this course is for you!
