AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course in Vail

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 Vail, please refer to the Colorado State and City of Vail 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
  • One classroom day
  • Two full days in the field
  • Student manual
  • AIARE Field Book
  • AIARE certificate of completion
  • SANS meal bar

What’s not included:

• • Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
  • Trip insurance
  • Accommodation
  • Transport to and from Vail and the meeting point
  • Additional 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. You don’t need to be an advanced skier or boarder, but you do need to be able to ascend moderate slopes using skins. All participants should be comfortable traveling in snow under while carrying touring gear.

Avalanche safety 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, hat and neck gaiter or balaclava
• 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)
• Clinometer (BCA slope meter, also available on compasses)
• Ground mat (insulation so you can sit on snow)
• Notebook (for lecture day)
• Headlamp and batteries
• Loupe (at least 10x zoom)
• Snow Saw (minimum 30cm)
• Snow crystal card
• Hand warmers
• 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 can be rented from your guide
  • Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots and poles can be rented from Mountain Outfitters in Breckenridge, Wilderness Sports in Dillon, and from Alpine Quest in Edwards.
  • Splitboards can be rented from Alpine Quest in Edwards.

Ski rental locations are in Dillon, Edwards and Breckenridge, and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.

During your self-paced online class, you will learn AIARE Level 1 skills. By spending two days in the Vail backcountry, you will learn and implement new skills and techniques. By the end of the AIARE Level 1 avalanche course you will know about:

• • The characteristics and types of avalanches
  • Movement of avalanches
  • Classifications by size and danger scale
  • Mountain snowpack: metamorphism and layering
  • Heuristics or human factors and group management
  • Mapping, time management, route finding and navigation, as well as the latest standardized electronic tools and data/planning sites
  • Using the AIARE field book
  • Companion rescue

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.

For this adventure, the max client to guide ratio is 6:1. The cost is per person.

If you’d like to take a private course with just an instructor and your own group, AIARE Avalanche Level 1 courses in Vail can be customized to your group’s specific needs. Contact us to make arrangements.

• 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.

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 Vail, most people fly into Denver International Airport or Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. From Denver, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service, like Colorado Mountain Express. It is a two-hour drive to the Vail area from both airports. The closest possible option is actually the Eagle County Airport, only a 45 minutes away and offering domestic flights.

Prior to departure, each group will meet with their instructor for a remote-class day of discussion, planning, and group activities prior to their weekend field days. Field sessions will take place in the Vail backcountry. Your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location. Location may change depending on snow conditions.