The AIARE 1 is a three-day / 24-hour introduction to avalanche hazard management. Students can expect to develop a good grounding in how to prepare for and carry out a backcountry trip, understand basic decision-making while in the field, and learn rescue techniques required to find and dig up a buried person (if an avalanche occurs and someone in the party is caught).

Equipment to borrow is available at no cost (snowshoes, transceivers, probes, shovels, warm weather clothing). Friday will be at the Lakewood Campus, and Saturday & Sunday will be in the field at Rocky Mountain National Park.  

For more info, contact: John.Leintz@rrcc.edu or sally.cirincione@rrcc.edu 

The AIARE 1 is a three-day / 24-hour introduction to avalanche hazard management. Students can expect to develop a good grounding in how to prepare for and carry out a backcountry trip, understand basic decision-making while in the field, and learn rescue techniques required to find and dig up a buried person (if an avalanche occurs and someone in the party is caught).

Equipment to borrow is available at no cost (snowshoes, transceivers, probes, shovels, warm weather clothing). Friday will be at the Lakewood Campus, and Saturday & Sunday will be in the field at Rocky Mountain National Park.  

For more info, contact: John.Leintz@rrcc.edu or sally.cirincione@rrcc.edu 

The AIARE 2 + Rescue class is a 4-day course that provides backcountry travelers 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/or developing a travel plan where resources are scarce. 

Students will also learn the basics of companion rescue while returning participants will expand their skill set with advanced topics and realistic scenario practice to help improve their skills. Each participant will have the opportunity to receive professional coaching on their rescue skills and will receive a rescue card acknowledging the completion date.

The AIARE 2 builds on the introductory avalanche hazard management model introduced in AIARE 1 and adds to it 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. 

This is an Avalanche Level II + Avalanche Rescue class.