Overview
Join Jackson Hole Mountain Guides for your AIARE 2 Avalanche Course. This advanced course builds on curriculum from the AIARE 1 and is designed for skiers and riders who travel regularly in avalanche terrain. Let our AMGA-trained and certified ski and splitboard guides help you develop your hazard evaluation, decision-making and terrain management. Learn the skills necessary to make decisions in complicated situations like leading a small travel group, traveling in challenging or complex avalanche terrain, or developing a travel plan without adequate resources.
All AIARE 2 courses at our Jackson Hole location utilize a hybrid learning model. The course starts as soon as you enroll with an online learning module. Then you’ll meet with your instructor via an evening video chat session two days before the course starts. If the field days start Saturday, you would meet with your instructor Thursday evening to review the online learning, discuss the current avalanche hazard forecast and plan the tours for the field days.
Participants must complete an AIARE 1 and Avalanche Rescue prior to taking this course, and be comfortable ascending and descending 4,000 feet per day in backcountry snow conditions on black diamond or steeper slopes. These courses are for downhill skiers and boarders. All participants must travel on touring skis or splitboard during the course.
Learning to negotiate the backcountry takes years of dedication and practice. We encourage all backcountry travelers to continue their avalanche education yearly. In addition to the AIARE 2, we also offer Avalanche Rescue courses as well as a number of camps and clinics that get you into the mountains!
Trip Planner
Itinerary
Evening Session: Welcome and Intro, L1 Review, Mountain Weather/ Formation of New Snow, Layered Snowpack, Trip Planning using local avalanche Bulletin
DAY 1: Interpreting Weather Data, Snow Surface conditions, and Snow Profiles, Risk Management for small groups, Avalanche Release, Snowpits, Field Session with Departure Check, Snow Profiles and Tests
DAY 2: In the Field: Ski Tour, Beacon Range Check, Group Management, Communication, and Human Factors; Terrain Selection, Travel Techniques, Gathering Field Obs, Analyzing Snow Instability and Avalanche Hazard.
Pricing
$700 per person
Equipment
UPPER LAYERS
- Top Long Sleeve Synthetic: medium to expedition weight long underwear Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Butterman 1/2 zip
- Soft Shell or Fleece Jacket Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear 32 Degree Jacket
- Shell Jacket with hood. Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Cloudseeker Jacket
- Puffy Jacket: Hood Recommended. Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Ghostwhisperer Jacket
BOTTOM LAYERS
- Bottom Synthetic or Wool Long Underwear Bottoms Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Butterman Tight
- Shell Pant: full side zips and built-in gaiters Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Highball Pant
- Socks: Synthetic or wool. Sized for your boots and blister protection. Liners recommended.
HEAD AND HANDS
- Gloves 3 pair: 1 light, 1 medium, 1 heavy pair Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Cyclone GTX Glove
- Hat: medium weight ski hat
- Hat: baseball or visor for sun
- Buff/neck gaiter
ACCESSORIES
- Back Pack: 30 to 40 Liter ski pack, Guide Pick: Mammut Pro Short Removable Airbag System Backpack
- Water & Food: Thermos or insulated water bottles are best. Lot’s of snacks.
- Sunglasses/ Sunglass Case
- Ski Goggles
- Extra Prescription Glasses/Contact Lens
- Sunscreen/Lip balm
- Headlamp-Extra batteries
SKI/SNOWBOARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE BACKCOUNTRY (Packages available for rent at Jackson location ONLY)
- Boots: Alpine Touring, Telemark, or Snowboarding Boots
- Skis or Splitboard with compatible binding for boots
- Climbing Skins (fit to skis)
- Ski Poles
- Helmet (optional)
SNOW SAFETY EQUIPMENT (REQUIRED and available for rent at JHMG)
- Transceiver Guide Pick:Mammut Barryvox S
- Shovel Guide Pick: Mammut Alugator Twist shove
- Probe Guide Pick: Mammut Fastlock Probe 240
Travel
Grand Teton National Park is located roughly 30 minutes from our Jackson, WY headquarters. Our Jackson office is located in the south part of Jackson at 1325 S. Highway 89, Suite 104 and shares a parking area with Smith’s. Our phone number is (800) 239-7642 or (307) 733-4979. Most trips and classes will meet at this office for gear checks, preparation, and classes. The Jackson Hole airport is the closest, but Idaho Falls (a 2 – 2.5 hour drive) is a cheaper option and Salt Lake City (4 – 5 hour drive) are also air travel options. It is helpful to arrive a couple of days prior to your trip/class in order to acclimatize. Otherwise, you should arrive the day before and stop by our office for an equipment check. Do not plan on traveling the day after a significant climb – you will be tired and there are no guaranteed times when we will return to the trailhead. Plan on having accommodations for the night prior to and the night you return from a significant climb. There are a plethora of hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts in Jackson and the surrounding area. Accommodations near our office make your transitions convenient. It is highly advisable to make reservations as early as possible. Lodging recommendations and many more details can be found in the downloadable document below.
VIEW PDF
Community Partners
Mountain Hardwear was founded in 1993 by a small band of outdoor industry iconoclasts. They saw the industry changing, compromising quality and dumbing down products to serve less technical users. Mountain Hardwear was founded to buck this trend in order to stay true to the needs of outdoor athletes.
Talk To Us
Here you’ll find online tools and information about joining us for a trip of a lifetime! To sign up for a trip, or if you have any questions, please call us. Listed on the left side of these pages are links that you may find useful, including printable forms and policies concerning a trip with TMG. We encourage ALL prospective climbers to read our Preparation advice. Our office can help place you with others who are looking to climb.
