AIARE Hut Based

Why Take AIARE Courses with Us

• Smaller class sizes

• Highest-caliber instructors with supplemental certifications and experience managing avalanche terrain, i.e. Ski Patrol

• Curriculum that prioritizes experiential learning by skiing laps on tour days and scouting out powder. No snowshoeing.

• Excellent access to terrain and trailheads just 15 minutes from the classroom

• Added resource of the local avalanche center

Course Description

This course covers all the information in a standard American Institute for Avalanche Research & Education (AIARE) Level 1 Course, but uses a real backcountry ski hut for a classroom! Class sizes are smaller and more intimate in hut-based courses and you have the added advantage of being able to apply your new knowledge immediately.  

The Maroon and Crystal Huts in Gothic Colorado (located just outside of Crested Butte) is a mellow 4-mile ski from the trailhead. The Maroon Hut has raised the bar for backcountry lodging and includes heat, electricity, running water, and outhouse facilities.

Course Objectives

Students will come away from the course having learned: 

• How to prepare and plan for a backcountry tour 
• How to analyze an avalanche forecast
• How to identify avalanche terrain & avalanche types
• How to recognize hazardous conditions 
• Basic snowpack understanding 
• Route selection and terrain features
• Snowpack tests and interpretation 
• Educated decision making 
• Basic rescue techniques 
• Group management