Covid measures in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado

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 the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, please refer to Colorado’s COVID-19 travel guidelines . 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 pre-course self-paced online study module A full day in the field A one-year Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card upon completion of the course Friends of Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CIAC) membership upon completion of the course What’s not included: Technical backcountry ski touring equipment Transportation Accommodation Food and snacks

How fit do I need to be?

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: 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 the snow while carrying touring gear. There are no other prerequisites.

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: Ski helmet Sun hat Buff or neck gaiter Heavyweight, medium weight, and lightweight gloves Hand warmers Sunglasses Ski goggles Light fleece hoody Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex recommended) Puffy jacket Ski pants (Gore-Tex recommended) Down jacket or vest Synthetic or wool base layers and underwear Ski socks Water bottles and 2L of water Thermos with a warm beverage — optional Food you can eat on-the-go First-aid kit Sunscreen and lip balm 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, touring boots, and poles can be rented from your guide Splitboards can be rented in Telluride Ski rental locations are in Telluride 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 age requirements

Group sizes and pricing: For the standard courses, the max guest-to-guide ratio is 6:1. Cost is per person and it doesn’t decrease as the group grows. A minimum of 4 people is required for a standard course to run. For the private course, the max client to guide ratio is 6:1. The costs per person decrease as the group grows, so it’s the perfect opportunity to take a course with friends and family. Courses in the San Juan Mountains can be arranged for larger 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 your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

To get to Telluride, CO, in the San Juan Mountains, most people fly into Denver International Airport 6 hours away. From there, you can rent a car and drive to Telluride, take a direct flight to Telluride, or fly to Monrose and take a shuttle there. 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 Telluride or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.

Shoveling snow during an avy rescue course in San Juan Mountains in Colorado

A group learning about avalanche rescue in the field

A couple of skiers learning about avy rescue in San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Avalanche rescue course participants doing scenario practice in the San Juan Mountains

Avalanche rescue course participants using a transceiver in the San Juan Mountains

San Juan Mountains | Colorado

Avalanche Rescue in the San Juan Mountains

Season

December through March

Duration

1 day

Difficulty

Guides

Bill Allen, Mountain Trip

From $200 () / 1 day

Intro
Itinerary
Brochure
Guides
Things to know

If you’re tired of crowded resorts, why not seek peace and solitude in Colorado’s breathtaking wilderness? The powder stashes in the San Juan Mountains are deep and the low-density snowpack is a delight to ride. The views are pretty cool, too—you’ll be skiing along massive dormant volcanoes and frozen waterfalls, with thick forests and scenic lakes as the backdrop. And the fact that the range only has one major ski resort–the one in Telluride–means that you’ll likely have San Juan’s slopes all to yourself! However, skiing in the wild and remote backcountry can be a double-edged sword. Avalanches hit suddenly, and they hit hard. Whether you’re a total rookie or you’ve had your share of avalanche education, it’s always wise to keep up-to-date with the most current avalanche safety practices. Learn more about the importance of avalanche safety in the backcountry from Rob Coppolillo, an AMGA/IFMGA mountain guide.

Adventure highlights

The Telluride ski resort makes the approach to the backcountry a cakewalk
Carve down the San Juans’ ample and varied slopes in world-class ski conditions
Refresh your avalanche safety knowledge in the magnificent San Juan Mountains

Download itineraries

Available itineraries

Group Telluride Avalanche Rescue Course

Join a group of fellow backcountry enthusiasts, and spend a full day learning the latest in companion rescue tools and techniques! Head to the breathtaking San Juan Mountains and let an experienced and certified avalanche instructor teach you fundamental avalanche protocols, such as scene size-up, transceiver search, and patient extraction. And when you grasp the basics, upgrade your knowledge even further with realistic rescue scenarios!

Private Telluride Avalanche Rescue Course

This stand-alone private course will teach you everything you need to know about keeping safe in avalanche situations. Join a seasoned instructor on San Juan’s majestic slopes and learn or review the basics of companion rescue, such as avalanche safety kit usage, strategic probing or shoveling, and proper equipment management. Further your skills with practice in the form of realistic rescue scenarios, and become a safer skier in the process!

Avalanche Rescue in the San Juan Mountains

Adventure Brochure

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Talk with us and let one of our adventure experts help you plan your perfect adventure.

Meet your guides

5.00

Bill Allen

An Oregon native, Bill grew up playing in the Cascade Mountains, where he fell in love with the outdoors. His guiding career started over 20 years ago in Alaska and has taken him to all of the Seven Summits (thrice to the top of Mount Everest). Although he spends most of his time in the San Juan Mountains, he retains his love for Alaska, where he has guided around 30 expeditions on Denali.

5.00

Mountain Trip

Mountain Trip has a lot of experience leading teams of climbers on the Seven Summits. Their professional certified guides are thoroughly familiar with each destination. They’ve been guiding climbers in Denali and the Alaska Range since 1973 and were one of the original permitted concessionaires for leading guided expeditions in the Park, and they’ve grown to help more climbers ascend Denali than any other guide service!

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, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, please refer to Colorado’s COVID-19 travel guidelines.

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 pre-course self-paced online study module
  - A full day in the field
  - A one-year Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card upon completion of the course
  - Friends of Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CIAC) membership upon completion of the 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:
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 the 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:
- - Ski helmet
  - Sun hat
  - Buff or neck gaiter
  - Heavyweight, medium weight, and lightweight gloves
  - Hand warmers
  - Sunglasses
  - Ski goggles
  - Light fleece hoody
  - Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex recommended)
  - Puffy jacket
  - Ski pants (Gore-Tex recommended)
  - Down jacket or vest
  - Synthetic or wool base layers and underwear
  - Ski socks
  - Water bottles and 2L of water
  - Thermos with a warm beverage — optional
  - Food you can eat on-the-go
  - First-aid kit
  - Sunscreen and lip balm
  - 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, touring boots, and poles can be rented from your guide
  - Splitboards can be rented in Telluride
Ski rental locations are in Telluride 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:
- - For the standard courses, the max guest-to-guide ratio is 6:1. Cost is per person and it doesn’t decrease as the group grows. A minimum of 4 people is required for a standard course to run.
  - For the private course, the max client to guide ratio is 6:1. The costs per person decrease as the group grows, so it’s the perfect opportunity to take a course with friends and family.
Courses in the San Juan Mountains can be arranged for larger 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 your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Telluride, CO, in the San Juan Mountains, most people fly into Denver International Airport 6 hours away. From there, you can rent a car and drive to Telluride, take a direct flight to Telluride, or fly to Monrose and take a shuttle there.

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 Telluride or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
Day Trips Cancellations
Fully refundable within the initial 48 hours from booking, unless the trip date is less than 7 days from the time of the booking.
Cancellations up to 7 days prior to the trip date are refundable 100%.
Cancellations within 7 days prior to the trip date are non-refundable.
57hours partners with Redpoint Travel Protection, offering you a fully integrated program with a single point of contact for all your needs, from emergency services to travel assistance and protection claims. We highly recommend purchasing a comprehensive protection policy from Redpoint, which will protect you both before and during your travels. Before your departure, your investment is protected by the trip cancellation benefit. Once you depart, your policy provides coverage for trip interruption, medical assistance and rescue, baggage loss, trip delay, and more. Once you complete booking with 57hours, we'll create bespoke quote for you (and your group), making sure you're fully protected for the adventure ahead.