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

What equipment do I need to bring?

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

Can I rent equipment?

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.

AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course in Lake Tahoe

Top three reasons to upgrade your skills in Lake Tahoe

Learn from the best and develop essential backcountry safety skills
Excellent terrain variety provides great avalanche simulation opportunities
Enjoy picturesque views and amazing powder of the world-famous Lake Tahoe area

The AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course is traditionally the entry-level professional course for ski guides, patrollers and forecasters, but has been redesigned to meet the needs of advanced recreational students who are looking to advance their decision-making skills in a more complex terrain and situations. You’ll develop your forecasting skills, work on appropriate terrain selection and avalanche hazard identification, utilizing simple risk management strategies while developing leadership skills in the field. Come join your guide in Lake Tahoe and bolster your backcountry knowledge!

Season Mid-December through May	Nearest city San Francisco, CA, is 3.5 hours away by car
Duration 2 days	Skill level Intermediate to advanced

Book this adventure

The two-day comprehensive intermediate AIARE 2 course takes off where the AIARE 1 ends, adding to your avalanche hazard management toolbox with the introduction of critical hazard assessment factors. By describing and discussing weather, snowpack and avalanche processes, you are able to identify how these processes relate to observations and travel within avalanche terrain. After self-paced online classes and two days in the beautiful Lake Tahoe area, you’ll be able to plan and prepare for travel in avalanche terrain and apply effective companion-rescue techniques.

Prerequisite: Participants must have already taken an AIARE 1 course as well as the new AIARE 1 day rescue course to qualify for this course.

Learning outcomes

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
dive into the subject of the layered mountain snowpack.

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
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.

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 the group, other travelers, and local experts.

You can expect to learn how 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.

Meet your guide

Alpenglow Expeditions

Founded in 2004 by IFMGA certified guide Adrian Ballinger, Alpenglow is an AMGA accredited business that leads expeditions across the mountain ranges of the globe in all disciplines including mountaineering, skiing, ski mountaineering, and rock climbing. They’re based in Olympic Valley just northwest of Tahoe City.

Things to know

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!

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.

Prerequisite: Participants must have already taken an AIARE 1 course as well as the new AIARE 1 day rescue course to qualify for this course.

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.

Group sizes and pricing:

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.

Min. age requirements:

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.

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.

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