AIARE Avalanche Level 1 Course in Cooke City

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 Cooke City, 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
• 3 days of mixed classroom and field sessions
• A day of skiing (for the Powder course)

What’s not included:

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

In order 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:

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 while carrying touring gear. There are no other prerequisites.

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:

• Daypack large enough to carry all items listed (around a 30-40L backpack)
• Helmet
• Sunglasses or ski goggles
• Gloves or mittens (2 pairs recommended, light and heavy)
• Sun visor or brimmed hat, stocking cap, buff or bandana
• 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
• Mid layer vest and/or top
• 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
• 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 Grizzly Outfitters in Big Sky, MT
• Splitboards can be rented from Grizzly Outfitters in Big Sky, MT 

If you rent ski touring equipment in Big Sky, MT, it should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know during the booking process and we can help make arrangements.

Group sizes and pricing:

• The courses based out of Cooke City are not private. For the group courses, the usual guest-to-guide ratio is 4:1, with a max limit of 8 students per course.

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

To get to Cooke City, most people fly into Billings Logan International Airport or Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. From there, you can rent a car and take a 3-hour drive to Cooke City. Alternatively, you can take a bus to either Cody or Livingston, and then rent a car to Cooke City. Both trips will take you about 4 hours. 

For parts of fall, spring and all of winter, roads to the east of Cooke City are closed. During that time, you have to enter Yellowstone at its North Entrance by Gardiner or bring a snowmobile in from the east.

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 Cooke City 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.