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Trip

Washington

Ski & Snowboard

Trip Washington AIARE 2 Course
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Sorry, this trip is no longer available

Questions? Let us help! Call us at 1-866-386-1590
Take your avalanche knowledge and decision-making skills to a professional level.

Are you look­ing to devel­op pro­fes­sion­al lev­el skills that enable you to con­fi­dent­ly make deci­sions that impact your guest, or recre­ation part­ners in avalanche ter­rain? AIARE Recre­ation­al II takes you beyond the base­line skills intro­duced in the AIARE Recre­ation­al I cur­ricu­lum to both expand your knowl­edge as a recre­ation­al­ist and pro­vide pro­fes­sion­al lev­el train­ing for job-relat­ed demands of ski patrollers, guides, out­door pro­gram lead­ers, and oth­ers in the industry.
 
The AIARE Recre­ation­al II course intro­duces snow sta­bil­i­ty analy­sis, and delves deep­er into slab mechan­ics, snow­pack meta­mor­phism, and human trig­ger­ing prin­ci­ples. It is appro­pri­ate for ski patrollers, guides, and recre­ation­al­ists look­ing to learn the stan­dards for observ­ing, and record­ing fac­tors that influ­ence snow stability.
 
The AIARE 2 is a three-day course for those who have tak­en an AIARE 1 and Avalanche Res­cue and have had at least a year of back­coun­try trav­el expe­ri­ence. The AIARE 2 pro­vides back­coun­try lead­ers the oppor­tu­ni­ty to advance their avalanche knowl­edge and deci­sion mak­ing skills by apply­ing their skills to new ter­rain and situations. 
 
Lev­el 2 Course cur­ricu­lum includes:

  • Obser­va­tion and record­ing of fac­tors that affect or indi­cate snow stability
  • Obser­va­tion guide­lines and record­ing stan­dards for weath­er, snow­pack, and avalanches
  • Quick tests, test pro­files, frac­ture-line pro­files, full profiles
  • For­ma­tion of new snow and sur­face hoar
  • Cre­ation and meta­mor­phism of the moun­tain snowpack
  • Weath­er effects on snow surface
  • Tem­per­a­ture gra­di­ent effects
  • Spa­tial variability
  • Intro­duce sta­bil­i­ty analy­sis and forecasting
  • Avalanche release and ski­er trig­ger­ing concepts
  • Slab mechan­ics

Select your date and location (Mt Rainier or Snoqualmie Pass & Stevens Pass) from the options below


Select Your Trip

Itinerary
Itinerary
Note: Although we do our very best to fol­low the sched­ule list­ed, this itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, or oth­er rea­sons beyond our con­trol and in the guide’s best judgment.
  • 1
    Day number 1
    Lecture (online via Zoom)
    - Instruc­tor and stu­dent intro­duc­tions, course objec­tives, course itin­er­ary and logis­tics, Lia­bil­i­ty release forms
    - Lev­el 1 quiz and review
    - Case study

    Lunch Break

    Field
    - Com­pan­ion res­cue upgrade
    - Induc­tion method review
    - Res­cue lead­er­ship and strate­gic shoveling
    - Mul­ti­ple bur­ial techniques

    Return to classroom (online via Zoom)
    - Moun­tain weather
    - Review of sea­son­al snowpack
    - For­ma­tion and clas­si­fi­ca­tion of new snow
  • 2
    Day number 2
    Lecture (online via Zoom)
    - Pop quiz/​review
    - Snowpack data classes and instability factors
    - Making observations relevant

    Lunch Break

    Field
    - Field weath­er demo
    - Full snow pro­file demo

    Return to classroom (online via Zoom)
    - Record­ing observations
  • 3
    Day number 3
    Lecture (online via Zoom)
    - Pop quiz/​review
    - AM sta­bil­i­ty analysis/​AM weath­er update/​stability forecast
    - Com­par­i­son of shear qual­i­ty and frac­ture character
    -Trip planning and risk management for small groups

    Lunch Break

    Field
    - Test pro­files
    - Large col­umn tests
    - Gath­er­ing information/​observations over terrain
    - Verify stability forecast
    - Group management / terrain selection / travel techniques

    Lec­ture (online via Zoom)
    - Intro insta­bil­i­ty fac­tor check­list and analysis
    - Intro snow sta­bil­i­ty rating
    -Tour debrief
    -PM instability analysis
Trip Package Includes
  • AIARE 2 certification
  • Pro­fes­sion­al guid­ing and instruction
  • Climbing/​backcountry per­mits 
  • 20% off rental at evo Seattle or Snoqualmie store
  • 20% discount code at evo.com (exclusions apply)
Trip Package Does Not Include
  • Air­fare
  • Trans­porta­tion to and from the trailhead
  • Hotel accom­mo­da­tions
  • Meals
  • Per­son­al gear
  • Guide gra­tu­ities
  • Travel insurance (we recommend World Nomads)

Questions? Call or email us!
Area Information

Washington Cascades


The Washington Cascades are part of the greater Cascade Mountain Range, extending from northern California to British Columbia. To offer flexibility and a diverse range of options to clients, Mountain Madness offers courses in several destinations. Closest and most convenient to Seattle is Snoqualmie Pass, while  Stevens Pass and Mount Rainier go a bit deeper and farther east into the mountains.
 
Trip Planning

Trip Planning

A com­plete cloth­ing and equip­ment list spe­cif­ic to your trip will be sent to you in a pre-depar­ture pack­et upon reg­is­tra­tion. Every year Mountain Madness reviews our lists and assess feed­back from our clients and guides for updat­ing these lists, giv­ing you the most com­plete and up-to-date guide­lines. Feel free to call us if you have ques­tions or need help locat­ing any of the items on the list. For a suc­cess­ful trip, it is extreme­ly impor­tant that you adhere strict­ly to the equip­ment list.

Pri­or to depart­ing on your trip, Mountain Madness staff will con­tact you to dis­cuss the par­tic­u­lars of your course or climb. This typ­i­cal­ly hap­pens about 10 days out. At this time you can review the equip­ment you have select­ed. Before pur­chas­ing any equip­ment, you are wel­come to call us and ask for rec­om­men­da­tions. We know that select­ing the right gear can be a chal­lenge and we are hap­py to help.

If you are interested in rentals, please feel free to contact the evo Seattle store to inquire about items and availability (your package includes 10% off rentals). Equipment can also be rented directly from Mountain Madness.



 
Ski / Snowboard & Avalanche Safety Gear
Ski Clothing
Other Important Items
FAQ
FAQ
  • What is the deposit amount to hold my space?
    The deposit due at time of booking is $300. This includes a $75 non-refund­able reg­is­tra­tion fee. Your balance will be due 60 days prior to your course start date. If you book your trip within 60 days of the course start date, full payment will be due.
  • What COVID-19 policies do you have in place?
    Mountain Madness has a detailed COVID-19 Operations Plan which will be shared prior to the trip. All participants must fill out a pre-trip COVID-19 questionnaire/agreement. Classroom lectures will be held via Zoom instead of in person. In the field, a face covering must be worn at times when social distancing cannot be maintained.
  • Do I need any prior training to participate in this course?
    Yes, you must have completed your AIARE 1 Course certification and have had at least 1 year of backcountry travel experience in order to take this course.
  • How physically fit do I have to be for this course?
    This can be a physically demanding course, and your abil­i­ty to enjoy the adven­ture depends on your health and fit­ness, thus it’s recommended that you are in good physical condition.
  • Who are the guides?
    Mountain Madness guides are high­ly expe­ri­enced instruc­tors that have been trained by the Cana­di­an Avalanche Asso­ci­a­tion (CAA), the Amer­i­can Moun­tain Guides Asso­ci­a­tion (AMGA), and the Amer­i­can Insti­tute for Avalanche Research and Edu­ca­tion (AIARE). They are the best, most­ high­ly trained instruc­tors!
  • Are rentals available?
    Yes, rental gear is available and can be rented directly through the evo Seattle store, as well as Mountain Madness. Please inquire for pricing.
  • What if I need to cancel?
    evo will refer to the Mountain Madness cancellation policy. If you need to can­cel your trip, please submit your noti­fication in writ­ing. Your trip will be can­celled from the date we receive writ­ten notice. You will be assessed a can­cel­la­tion fee accord­ing to the fol­low­ing schedule: More than 90 days from trip depar­ture —  non-refundable $200 reg­is­tra­tion fee. 89 days or less from trip depar­ture – 100% of trip cost
  • What if I need to change the dates of my trip?
    All date changes must be received in writ­ing. Changes are deter­mined at MMI’s dis­cre­tion and if approved, must be accom­pa­nied by a new trip reg­is­tra­tion. Any change from sched­uled trip depar­ture can be extreme­ly dif­fi­cult and is sub­ject to all incurred expens­es as assessed by MMI. All date changes are for cred­it only (no refunds) and valid for one year from writ­ten change noti­fi­ca­tion and receipt of new reg­is­tra­tion. A $200 date change fee will be assessed for all domes­tic trips.
  • When and how do I meet up with the group?
    You will receive detailed instructions regarding when and how to meet the group from Mountain Madness.
  • What is the maximum number of guests on the trip?
    There is a maximum of 10 guests for this course. The guest:guide ratio is 5:1, with groups of 10 being split into 2 groups due to COVID.
  • Is there a minimum age required for this trip?
    We will accept par­tic­i­pants 15 years or old­er, if they are accom­pa­nied by a legal guardian. You must be 18 years or old­er to attend a trip on your own.
  • I need accommodations in Seattle. Do you have recommendations?
    Yes, there are plenty of options, depending on your preferences. Near Sea-Tac Airport: Cedarbrook Lodge (4-star), Double Tree Hotel Seatac (4-star), Hampton Inn Seatac (3-star), Hilton Garden Inn Seatac (3-star). Near Mountain Madness: Georgetown Inn (2.5 star), The Grove (2-star).
Testimonials
The experience was awesome--great course, both professional and a lot of fun. Appropriate measures for Covid-19 were put in place.
Evan
Trip Guest
I’ve climbed all over the world with MM and couldn’t recommend them higher. Their guides are world class and are knowledgeable, appropriately cautious but eager to get you to the summit, amiable and yet able to challenge you to do things you didn’t think you could! Their front office is easy to communicate with and keeps you up to speed with everything throughout the whole process from pre-climb to post-climb. If you’re thinking about climbing, I would strongly and without reservation recommend mountain madness.
Andrew
Trip Guest
Jake was an awesome guide, super informative. MM was fantastic, had good options for renting gear, easy to work with.
Kayla
Trip Guest

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A destination near you

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Sorry, this trip is sold out
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Questions? Let us help! Call us at
1-866-386-1590