What to Expect in Your AIARE 1 Course: A First-Timer's Guide to Avalanche Education

If you're signed up for an AIARE 1 course, or thinking about it, you’re taking the most important step toward becoming a safe and competent backcountry skier or splitboarder. But what actually happens in an AIARE 1 course? How much do you need to know ahead of time? And what should you expect from each day?

This guide walks you through the structure, goals, and key takeaways of a typical AIARE 1 course so you can show up prepared and get the most out of your experience.

What Is AIARE 1?

AIARE 1 is a 2-day avalanche course designed for recreational backcountry users with little or no formal avalanche education. It teaches the foundational tools for planning and executing tours in avalanche terrain, interpreting forecasts, recognizing hazards, and making better decisions with a team.

The course is part of the national AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) curriculum and is consistent across providers, but the snowpack, terrain, and instructional style will vary based on location and and the guide service.

Course Format: What Each Day Looks Like

Online Course (Complete before Field Day 1): Avalanche Forecasts, Terrain, and Trip Planning

• Introduction to different types of avalanche problems and how to recognize them

• Learn about group decision-making and open communication in the backcountry

• How to read and interpret the avalanche forecast

Evening Zoom Webinar (1-3 Days before Field Day 1): Meet your instructor & student group

• How to use mapping tools like CalTopo or GaiaGPS for terrain planning

• Understanding risk factors (weather, snowpack, terrain, people)

• Prepping for your first field day

Field Day 1: Rescue Fundamentals and Travel Techniques

• Conducting a Beacon check

• Companion rescue practice (search, probe, shovel)

• Basic snow and weather observations. 

• Digging a snow pit to recognize snow layers and observe how they interact

• Route finding and track setting

• Making group decisions and choosing terrain based on the forecast

Field Day 2: Decision-Making and Terrain Awareness

• Morning trip planning using current forecast

• Plan and lead your tour as a group with more autonomy from your instructor

• Practice terrain identification in the field

• Reflective debriefs on travel choices and risk management

What You’ll Learn in AIARE 1

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

• Use the avalanche forecast to plan your day

• Identify avalanche-prone terrain and safer alternatives

• Travel with more awareness and group communication

• Perform a basic avalanche rescue

• Contribute meaningfully to team decisions in the backcountry

While you will learn some snow science, the AIARE 1 is primarily a decision-making and risk management course designed to help you think critically in real-world situations.

What Skills You’ll Need Before You Arrive

AIARE 1 is not a learn-to-backcountry ski course. In order to join your group, you’ll need:

• Advanced resort riding skills: Confident on black diamond terrain in variable conditions (crust, windboard, deep snow)

• Basic touring skills: Ability to use skins, transition your gear, manage your equipment, conduct efficient self-care (appropriate layering, stay hydrated & fed on the go)

• Intro-level fitness: Comfortable hiking 3–5 miles with 1,000–1,500 feet of climbing over a full day in winter conditions

If you’ve never used touring gear (AT skis or splitboard) before, your first step before considering an AIARE 1 course, will be to take an Intro to Backcountry course to get familiar with movement, transitions, and basic backcountry systems.

What to Bring to Your AIARE 1 Course

• Touring setup (AT skis or splitboard, skins, boots, poles)

• Avalanche beacon, shovel, probe

• Suitable layers for touring (Base, Midlayer, Shell)

• Backpack (30L+) with dedicated pocket for fast access to probe and shovel

• Goggles & helmet

• Food, water, thermos (optional), and extra gloves

• Pencil (to take notes in the AIARE booklet provided to each student)

If you require gear rentals, you can rent an Avalanche Kit (Backpack, Beacon, Shovel, Probe) from Blackbird, and touring equipment from local gear Shop Partners.

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:

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.

Final Thoughts

AIARE 1 is the start of a much bigger journey. You won’t leave an expert, but you’ll leave with a framework for safer decision-making, a better understanding of terrain and conditions, and the ability to communicate more clearly with your partners.

Want to go deeper? Many students combine their AIARE 1 and Rescue course together (see: What's the difference between AIARE 1 and AIARE 1 + Rescue?) or follow up with an Intro to Ski Mountaineering course. But AIARE 1 is where it all begins.

📚 Want a deeper dive into the full avalanche education pathway? Read our complete guide to all AIARE courses

🎿 Ready to learn and get out into the backcountry? Find an AIARE 1 Course Near You:

• AIARE 1 in Tahoe

• AIARE 1 in Mammoth Lakes

• AIARE 1 in Washington (Snoqualmie Pass & Mt Baker)

• AIARE 1 in Oregon (Mt Hood)