This AIARE course is a 3-day introduction to avalanche safety and hazard management, combining classroom and field work, focusing on decision-making skills in avalanche terrain.
This course has an evaluation component. We provide a completion certificate at the end of the course.
Learn with the American Institution for Avalanche Research and Education. We work with fully qualified instructors using the up to date study materials.
The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) mission is to “save lives through avalanche education”. We have no doubt this course could save your life.
This course will teach you how to assess the risks when going off-piste and what to do in the case of an accident; you will learn how to read the snow pack, understand the weather conditions, rescue someone from a crevasse, use a transceiver to search for avalanche victims, and much more.
The course is split between learning theory in the classroom and putting it into practice in the mountains. The lessons and exercises are practical, useful and applicable; you will learn how to identify the right questions and make your own decisions, rather than us just giving you all the "answers". Over three days you will have plenty of time in the Chamonix backcountry to learn about off-piste safety skills.
A final debrief includes a knowledge quiz to test student comprehension and give feedback to course instructors. Students are encouraged and counselled on how to apply the skills learned. It is important to remember that no course can fully guarantee safety, either during or after course completion. It will, however, equip you with a much greater understanding of the mountain environment.
AIARE avalanche safety courses are the result of a collaboration between Canadian, Swiss and American mountain guides. AIARE sets curriculum standards for avalanche education from recreational to professional levels. The curriculum evolves with changes in the world of avalanche research and education. All AIARE instructors are certified and required to stay current for the level of course they are teaching.
There are currently 60 registered AIARE course providers and 200 instructors worldwide. Chamonix Experience is one of only two recognized AIARE course providers in Europe - watch our video below to find out what our course involves.
More information can be found at www.avtraining.org