AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course in Lake Tahoe

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Lake Tahoe, please refer to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and Government of California websites.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

With us, it’s all play and no work for you! 57hours is an open platform that connects you with trained and certified outdoor adventure professionals all over the world. Using our tech-savvy, we make it super easy to find and book adventures worth tackling, with guides worth booking, all gathered from the first-hand experiences of the locals who adventure in these amazing locations.

During your self-paced online class, you will review the AIARE Level 1 skills, and build up on your backcountry and avalanche knowledge. By spending two days in the Lake Tahoe backcountry, you will learn and implement new AIARE Level 2 skills and techniques. A certified guide will teach you everything from weather predictions, making quality observations and avalanche safety to risk management.

By the end of the AIARE Level 2 course you should be able to:

• • 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.

What you get in this adventure:

• • An experienced AIARE certified instructor
  • Two full days in the field
  • Self-paced online classes

What’s not included:

• • Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
  • Trip insurance
  • Accommodation
  • Transport to and from Lake Tahoe and the meeting point
  • Meals and snacks

In order to enjoy this avalanche course, you need to have an excellent level of fitness. Skiers must be able to hike for many hours at a time while carrying a small pack.

For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:

• Alpine touring skis, telemark skis or splitboard with skins (can be rented)
• Touring boots and poles (can be rented)
• Avalanche safety equipment (can be rented):
  • Digital, 3-antenna avalanche transceiver or beacon
  • Lightweight snow shovel
  • Avalanche probe

For personal items, we recommend bringing:

• Helmet
• Sunglasses or ski goggles
• Gloves and hat
• Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-tex recommended)
• Ski pants (Gore-tex recommended)
• Down jacket or vest
• Synthetic or wool base layers, underwear and socks
• One triple-action locking carabiner or two conventional locking carabiners
• Repair kit and Leatherman for your equipment (can be shared between several people)
• Water bottle and 1L of water
• Thermos with a warm beverage — optional
• Food you can eat on-the-go
• First-aid kit
• Sunscreen
• Daypack large enough to carry all items listed (around a 30-40L backpack)
• Camera — optional

All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:

• Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel and probe from your guide
• Alpine touring or telemark skis, splitboards, touring boots and poles can be rented from your guide.

If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.

Digital Learning — Self Paced & Live Meeting
The digital component of the new AIARE 2 course will comprise both a self paced version and a live online meeting with your instructor and other students in your class. During the self paced component, you can expect an AIARE 1 Review, mountain weather section, and dive into the subject of the layered mountain snowpack.

Field Day 1 — Making Quality Observations
Field days are conducted in small groups. On the first day, students can plan to learn about avalanche formation and release, interpreting weather data, snow surface conditions, and snow profiles. Students will also touch on craftsmanship, relevancy, and verification of snow observations. Finally, students will cover risk management in small groups and perform a snowpack test in the field.

Field Day 2 — Applying Observations to Field Decisions
The final field day brings us to the subjects of traveling in the field as a small team, field risk management and during action review. The course is capped off with communicating observations to our group, other travelers, and local experts.

• Everybody over the age of 18 is welcome to book this backcountry skiing adventure.
• Minors may be permitted to join the course on a case-by-case basis. If you plan to take the course with anyone under the age of 18, please contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

For this adventure, the max client to guide ratio is 6:1. The cost is per person and does not change due to the group size.

If you’d like to take a private course with just an instructor and your own group, AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course in Lake Tahoe can be customized to your group’s specific needs. Contact us to make arrangements.

Mitigating avalanche risk is paramount for any excursion in the backcountry — that’s why it’s best to tour with a guide! Rest assured, your guide will set objectives that are attainable for the weather conditions on that particular day. Of course, inclement weather can always get in the way of backcountry skiing, but your guide will know the best course of action to take if the weather takes a turn.

On the rare occasion of truly bad weather, your guide will present you with suitable, safe alternatives. The most common practice is to move to a nearby location if it exists, or to reschedule your backcountry ski tour to a more favorable day.

If backcountry skiing is not possible on your scheduled day and no options presented are viable, you will be issued a full refund.

We highly recommended that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.

If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!

With 57hours, you benefit from both our own cancellation policy as well as that of the individual guiding service that delivers your adventure. All policies regarding cancellation will be clearly laid out by your guide after booking your adventure, but rest assured that our own cancellation policy will work on top of what is provided by your guide.

For this adventure, 57hours offers a Moderate Cancellation Policy, which states:
If Client cancels the Booking anytime prior to thirty (30) calendar days in advance of the trip contemplated by the booking, Client is entitled to a full refund. For cancellations fourteen (14) to twenty nine (29) calendar days in advance, Client is entitled to a refund in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of the total amount paid when Booking. For cancellations zero (0) to thirteen (13) days in advance, the Client is not entitled to any refund.

For more information on terms and conditions, please visit our Terms of Service page.

To get to Lake Tahoe, most people fly into Reno-Tahoe International Airport. From there, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service, such as the South Tahoe Airporter. It is a one-hour drive to the Lake Tahoe area.

Prior to departure, each group will meet at the Alpenglow office located in Olympic Valley. Field sessions will take place in the backcountry near Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. Location may change depending on snow conditions. Classroom sessions that once took place at our headquarters in the beautiful Olympic Valley, California will now be held completely online.