Students observing the snowpack while touring on day 1 of AIARE 1. Photo: Zeb Blais.    Why Choose Blackbird for your Avalanche Course? Since its founding, Blackbird Mountain Guides has striven to provide the best avalanche courses...

Participants dig for a buried avalanche beacon (to simulate a buried partner) during a rescue scenario on a Blackbird Lift-Accessed Avalanche Rescue Course in Tahoe.  Opportunities to practice multiple scenarios in realistic terrain make this program...

Electromagnetic interference has long been a known issue with avalanche transceivers.  But how much of an issue?  And what do we do about it? The UIAA released guidelines earlier this month describing what types of electromagnetic...

Our Video demonstrates an excellent progression of snowpack tests that can help to flesh out the hazards in the backcountry snowpack.  It shows how to make snowpack observations and conduct snowpack tests to inform your understanding of the avalanche hazard.  Remember, you're not trying to be an avalanche forecaster - always read the avalanche forecast!

Avalanche Level 1 originally intended to do two things.  It aimed to provide a baseline understanding of avalanches and decision making to avoid avalanches and to provide rescue skills in the event of an accident. As it turns out, this was a lot to cram into the original 3 day AIARE 1.  That's where the Avalanche Rescue Course enters the picture.  This blog post investigates why this separation was a good thing and what the Avalanche Rescue Course means for your abilities in the field.

It seems that most everyone has received the message at this point: if you're going into the backcountry, you need to take an Avy Course.  But why is this so important?  Is it really all that complicated? Is it really that dangerous?  What do we learn in these classes anyway?