Advanced Courses

Understanding how to read terrain, interpret avalanche hazards and danger ratings, and build a solid plan for the day are three critical skills to learn as you build your backcountry touring experience. This all-day advanced course is the next step for those who have taken AIARE 1 and allows you to practice — and get feedback on — what you learned in your avalanche training. In this course, we review various components of reading terrain: using navigational tools for route planning and travel; aligning risk management, avalanche problems, and the plan for the day; and building a stronger understanding of how to efficiently travel in and around avalanche terrain.

Learn the fundamentals of leadership and communication when backcountry touring in a group. In this all-day advanced course, we’ll cover risk tolerance, how to set up the tour day for success, how to make decisions in a group, how to debrief and learn from the day’s experiences, and why strategic communication, planning, and leadership are so important! This course is intended for those who have already taken an AIARE 1 (or equivalent), or have multiple years of touring experience in groups.

Learn all about what to do in winter environments when things don’t go as planned, what it takes to remove an injured person from the backcountry, and the fundamentals of communication during these situations. This all-day advanced course is perfect for those who want to round out their backcountry travel knowledge with winter survival skills and injury management.

We rely on our equipment to take us to awesome places in the backcountry — maintaining and repairing this equipment is a critical skill to have. This all-day advanced course will cover the basics of at-home equipment maintenance, what to carry in your repair kit, and how to repair your gear while on a tour or extended trip.

Looking to take your backcountry riding into more extreme terrain? Here we’ll cover the basics of taking your tour plans to the next level with an introduction to the gear and skills needed for ski mountaineering; how to plan and execute a ski mountaineering objective; steep skiing/riding/bootpacking techniques and more. This is our most advanced course and is intended for those who are comfortable with their equipment and have the ability to ride 38º+ slopes.

Come spend the day learning in a fun and welcoming environment with the incredible Brittany Konsella: highly accomplished ski mountaineer, all-around shredder, and second woman to ski all the 14’ers in Colorado. This course focuses on advanced techniques and content while providing a welcoming space to meet new ski partners and get all your questions answered! We’ll cover backcountry communication; how to set goals; steep skiing and riding techniques; and tips and tricks for womxn while touring.