AIARE Avalanche Rescue in Whitefish

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, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Whitefish, Montana, please refer to the Montana Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force website. 

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, certified guide with extensive knowledge of the area
• A full day in the field
• A rescue card acknowledging completion date at course end

What’s not included:

• Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
• Accommodation
• Food and snacks

To get the most of this adventure, you need to have a moderate level of fitness. You will be on your feet for a full day. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.

Prerequisites:

Students must be able to travel in the snow and bring appropriate equipment for traveling on snow to class. Skiers must be able to hike for several hours at a time while carrying a small pack. All participants should be comfortable traveling in snow while carrying touring gear. There are no other prerequisites.

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

• Alpine touring, telemark, or snowboarding boots (can be rented)
• Skis or splitboard with compatible binding for boots (can be rented)
• Climbing skins (can be rented)
• Ski 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 — optional, but recommended
• Long sleeve synthetic — medium to expedition weight long underwear
• Softshell or fleece jacket
• Shell jacket with a hood
• Puffy jacket with a hood
• Synthetic or wool long underwear bottoms 
• Shell pants — full side zips and built-in gaiters 
• Socks — synthetic or wool, sized for your boots and blister protection
• Liners — optional, but recommended
• Gloves – 3 pairs: 1 light, 1 medium, 1 heavy pair 
• Medium weight ski hat
• Baseball hat or visor for sun
• Buff or a neck gaiter
• Backpack (30-40 liter ski pack)
• Thermos or insulated water bottle
• Food you can eat-on-the-go
• Sunglasses 
• Ski goggles
• Extra prescription glasses/contact lenses
• Sunscreen
• Lip balm
• Headlamp and extra batteries
• Laptop computer
• 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 guides
• Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots, and poles can be rented from your guides
• Splitboards can be rented from your guides

Ski rental locations are in Whitefish 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.

Group sizes and pricing:

• This course is not private. For the course, the usual guest-to-guide ratio is 6:1 with group of up to 12 people.
• Cost is per person and it doesn’t decrease as the group grows.

Ski touring in Whitefish can be arranged for larger or private groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:

• If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
• Minors may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis. If you plan to take this course with anyone under the age of 18, please contact us prior to booking to make arrangements. 

If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

To get to Whitefish, most people fly into Glacier Park International Airport 15 minutes away from Whitefish. From there, you can rent a car or take a train.

Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop in Whitefish or a predetermined location. From there, you’ll head to your tour. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ski ability of the group.