AIARE Avalanche Rescue

AIARE Avalanche Rescue is a one-day stand alone course that is intended to be retaken on a regular basis in order to keep abreast of best practices in rescue techniques and gear. New participants will learn the basics of companion rescue, while return participants will expand their skill set with advanced topics and realistic scenario practice to help improve their skills after the course.

Each participant will have the opportunity to receive professional coaching on their rescue skills and will receive a rescue card at course end.

AIARE Avalanche Rescue is a prerequisite for the AIARE 2 and Pro 1 courses. AIARE recommends that all backcountry travelers keep their skills current by taking an Avalanche Rescue Course and receiving a rescue card at least every other year.

All students will have the opportunity to get feedback from an instructor on their rescue skills and timed practice with a realistic scenario.

Students who have previously taken an AIARE 1 or an Avalanche Rescue Course will find value in having a professional help them set up a realistic scenario, practice skills in a realistic setting, receive feedback from an instructor, keep up with current best practices, and have an opportunity to practice advanced rescue skills.

Reasons Why CMS AIARE Courses Are Worth It!

• CMS is the countries largest AIARE Provider for a reason!
• Our Instructors are educators, not just minimally qualified instructors
• We spend the majority of the course in the mountains, not inside
• We provide valuable pre-course material to help you prepare
• Our Instructors are career guides, with decades of personal experience
• Our Instructors are AMGA Ski Guide trained or Certified
• We have a full-time office staff to answer all of your questions
• We supply our students with their own slope meter
• Variety of course offerings to meet our guests scheduling needs. Huts (Berthoud), Splits, CMS, Summit, Aspen L2’s
• Get avalanche training in the ski venue you ski in locally.
• Fully sponsored by industry leaders Dynafit, Scarpa, Backcountry Access
• Full snow safety rental fleet
• Neptune Mountaineering ski shop support with rentals of ski equipment.

This course pertains to:

• Winter recreationists that travel in backcountry settings: Skiers, Snowboarders, Snowmobilers, Snowshoers, & Winter Mountaineers
• Aspiring Professionals
• SAR Volunteers
• EMS/LE

8:00 – Instructor and Student Introductions, Course Objectives, Course Itinerary and Logistics

8:45 – Personal Protective and Avalanche Rescue Equipment

• Identify and become familiar with winter personal protective, avalanche rescue, and self-evacuation equipment and their proper use.
• learn techniques and practice routines to check gear’s function.

9:45 – Avalanche Rescue

• Learn about the Avalanche Rescue Quick Reference tool and apply it to rescue scenarios.
• Break out and practice individuals skills of avalanche rescue: assessing the scene and taking leadership, using a transceiver, using a probe, and shoveling.

11:00 – Single Burial Scenarios

• Learn by practicing real-life scenarios.
• Integrate individual skills into a rescue scenario.

1:00 – Patient Considerations and Evacuation

• Identify potential patient care considerations resulting from avalanche burial or involvement.
• Learn about equipment for self-evacuation and communication to outside resources.
• Learn considerations when interfacing with Search and Rescue and Emergency Medical Services.

2:00 – Scenario Practice and Feedback

• Integrate skills and receive feedback on rescue response from a professional.

3:30 – Advanced Topics

• Employ probing on a line with a partner to reduce search times and need for bracketing.
• Apply foundational skills to multiple victim scenarios without close proximity burials.
• Recognize challenges associated with deep burials.
• Employ repeatable method (Micro-strip or 3-circle) for locating close-proximity multiple burials

5:00 – Course Close

Colorado Mountain School
341 Moraine Ave
Estes Park, CO 80517

If you require lodging at our hostel in Estes Park, please make your reservations online in advance. Beds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Our hostel features 16 beds in 3 rooms, bathrooms, showers, a full kitchen with appliances, dishes and utensils, wi-fi, ping-pong table, and a lounge area. Please be considerate of others lodgers during your stay.

We believe that avalanche training is best taught by combining theoretical concepts and experiential learning. Some topics are best learned in a comfortable classroom setting and others in the mountains, moving through terrain and digging into the snow. You’ll have both.

The majority of your course will take place in the mountains where we will learn in an open-air environment. You should be prepared, mentally and physically, to stay immersed in the backcountry for up to 8 hours. You will be assigned to a small pod consisting of one AIARE Instructor and a maximum of six students to allow intimate instruction and physical distancing.

The nature of this pandemic requires us to be flexible and adaptable in how we deliver a quality training experience. Rest assured, from the moment you enroll all the way up to your course field days and beyond, our instructors will be a part of your learning progression and will provide you with the tools and resources you need to best prepare for your avalanche training course. If you’d like to learn more about what we are doing to manage COVID-19 risk for our students and guides, please view our FAQ page.