What's the difference between AIARE 1 and AIARE 1 + Rescue?
On the surface, the question seems simple: What's the difference between AIARE 1 and AIARE 1 + Rescue? You might expect the answer to be simple - the AIARE 1 + Rescue adds a rescue course! It's not the short answer you'd expect. Let's dive in and get into the big differences between these two avalanche education courses.
AIARE 1 and AIARE 1 + Rescue are both introductory avalanche courses, meaning there are no prerequisites for avalanche education prior to taking these courses. However, to participate in Blackbird AIARE 1 programs you do need to have some solid backcountry touring skills (take an Intro to Backcountry or a few tours with us if you need to build these skills!). Both courses start with an online course we built to provide an overview of avalanche fundamentals and optimize learning in the field.
The first major difference is that AIARE 1 + Rescue is 3 full field days compared to 2 days for AIARE 1. Right out of the gates you're getting 50% more field time with expert avalanche instructors. There's a lot of material compressed into these courses and time with mentors and professional instructors in the field makes all the difference.
The instant you show up to the field, the courses diverge. Our AIARE 1 + Rescue program begins with a full day AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course, either a touring-based rescue course or the innovative, lift-accessed program we pioneered in Tahoe. The full day of rescue practice provides 8 hours of skills development and scenarios. We start with a foundation of beacon basics, probing techniques, and strategic shoveling and then start scenarios designed to instill problem solving and strategic thinking in emergency situations. This full day of skills building provides a level of competency and confidence that is hard to get from a shorter session of avalanche rescue skills.
A great example of how participants feel after taking a full day rescue course came from one of our clients, Elizabeth:
"I've spent a fair amount of time in the backcountry, I've never had to rescue anyone in an avalanche. The scenarios were realistic and challenging. I truly feel so much more prepared and confident should disaster strike. Highly recommend."
AIARE 1 courses, including AIARE 1 + Rescue, have mandatory curriculum components, including avalanche rescue, and snowpack observations. These courses typically begin the first field day with snowpack observations, a snow pit, and avalanche rescue. Other mandatory curriculum includes making observations on avalanche terrain, weather, and snowpack as well as trip planning and human factors. Day 2 is typically a tour day, designed to allow students to participate in making real time decisions on choosing appropriate terrain based on trip planning and observations made in the field on snow and weather.
The AIARE 1 course crams a lot of curriculum into day 1, which includes a basic overview of avalanche rescue. There are a ton of skills to cover on day 1 (the "skills day") and cramming all of the aforementioned curriculum into 1 day is often likened to "trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose." Limited time means that the rescue component of the AIARE 1 covers basic rescue skills but is not a comprehensive deep dive like the full day Rescue Course is. AIARE 1 participants are meant to practice rescue on their own after the course to develop the skills needed to be an effective rescuer. Participants from a full-day AIARE Rescue Course, especially a lift-accessed Avalanche Rescue Course, will come out of the program with a strong set of skills after having a full day of coaching and practice with scenarios.
Cramming all of this curriculum into 2 field days during an AIARE 1 means that participants only have 4 hours or less of companion rescue practice. This may sound like a lot, but as soon as you start floundering on your first search scenario (as we all did in the beginning) you'll understand why a thorough dose of mentored and coached practice is essential! Additionally, the rest of that day must be divided amongst the other necessary curriculum, which means snow pits, terrain assessment, weather observations and the rest all get squeezed for time in Day 1 before being put to the test on the "tour day" (Day 2). It's a lot of information for a short period of field time and AIARE has changed the curriculum requirements over the years to include only the most critical priorities for AIARE 1 courses.
AIARE 1 + Rescue establishes solid rescue skills and provides more time for other critical skills. The AIARE 1 + Rescue program starts with a comprehensive day of avalanche rescue training in which participants get hours of coaching from experienced instructors. This coaching includes practice with beacons, probing and shoveling techniques, and culminates into exciting scenarios that increase in complexity as participants build skills.
After the rescue day, there are two full days left to dig into the rest of the AIARE 1 curriculum. These days focus on very critical backcountry skills: how to avoid being caught in an avalanche! While the "tour day" of looks pretty much the same as AIARE 1, the "skills day" on an AIARE 1 + Rescue has roughly 50% more time to spend on observations and skills not related to rescue. This provides more time for questions, discussion, backcountry travel, and makes the information much easier to internalize.
To summarize, the AIARE 1 + Rescue provides a much more comprehensive understanding not only avalanche rescue, but of all of the concepts around managing avalanche hazard. If you have the time to make AIARE 1 + Rescue fit into your schedule, it's a program that will build your avalanche knowledge faster and to a greater level than the AIARE 1. The AIARE 1 + Rescue provides more time for curriculum and rescue practice than the AIARE 1 alone. The AIARE 1 + Rescue is also better than taking each course separately because you have more time on the "Skills Day" to go in depth into areas of the curriculum unrelated to rescue.
The chart below provides an overview of the differences between AIARE 1 and AIARE 1 + Rescue:
| Comparing AIARE 1 to AIARE 1 Plus Rescue | ||
| AIARE 1 | AIARE 1 + Rescue | |
| 💻 Online Course before Field Days? | Yes | Yes |
| ⏰ Field Days | 2 | 3 |
| ⛑️ Rescue Skills | Basic Overview, additional practice required for effective rescue skills | Comprehensive Skill Set, including complex scenarios |
| ❄️Snowpack Observations | Core Observations | In depth observations & discussions |
| ❄️Snow Pit | Overview of snow layering | More time focused on layering processes & consequences |
| 🏔️ Avalanche Terrain Observations | Core Observations | More time to assess multiple terrain types |
| 🌡️ Weather Observations | Core Observations | Expanded discussions about weather patterns and impact |
| 🧑🤝🧑 Human Factors | Core Discussion | Deeper dive into group decision-making psychology |
Each AIARE Course will favor certain skillsets based on the conditions in the field. Some may focus more on snowpack and others may spend more time on travel in avalanche terrain. Each program has a unique set of conditions that the instructor will choose to highlight based on what is most pertinent for that program.
About the Author
Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide and AIARE Course Leader based in Truckee California. He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding - ski, rock and alpine climbing - but skiing is his first love. In the winter he enjoys backcountry skiing, guiding local and international ski trips, and teaching avalanche courses across the west coast, from Bishop, California to Mt Baker, Washington.