EDUCATION.

SAVES.

LIVES.

Our Mission

Saving Lives Through Avalanche Education

AIARE was established in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization to create an evidence-based avalanche education model for backcountry users with the belief that avalanche education, research, and training can prevent injuries and fatalities. AIARE develops and disseminates research-based avalanche curriculum to over 110 Providers nationwide, as well as in France, Chile, and Argentina, and also offers professional and avalanche instructor training courses.

Organizational Values

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
AIARE acknowledges that students’ skills and knowledge are dynamic. We honor this approach by meeting students where they are and working collaboratively to support the individual in their educational journey.

EXCELLENCE
AIARE is committed to creating and delivering the highest quality programming to ensure that we support and develop those that work and recreate in the winter mountains. We are committed to institutional excellence by ensuring that we are a high-functioning organization that supports and develops our staff, community and industry.

COLLABORATION
A founding tenet of AIARE. We value the merging of many perspectives and diversity of experience as we work to support our team and stakeholders

Our History

The seed for AIARE was planted during a chance meeting between mountain guides in the California Sierra in 1992.

As AIARE co-founder and Swiss mountain guide Jean Pavillard taught courses for aspiring guides, he noticed that their avalanche knowledge was somewhat uneven, and attributed this to varying curriculum and quality among the avalanche education providers they’d learned from. That spring, he met fellow IFMGA guide Karl Klassen, and the two agreed that it was time for a unified approach to avalanche education.

At the time, the American Avalanche Association (A3) had published guidelines for what recreational avalanche curriculum should cover, but there was no nationally recognized curriculum. Meanwhile, backcountry recreation was exploding in popularity. As more people headed into avalanche terrain, both avalanche professionals and the public began to see the benefits of more widespread education on risk mitigation in the backcountry.

Enter Tom Murphy, then the course director for Pavillard’s Crested Butte-based guiding company. Murphy, too, recognized the need for an organized framework for assessing risk and moving through avalanche terrain from the bottom of the mountain up. Klassen began applying the curriculum development experience he’d gained through the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) to assist Pavillard and Murphy with their avalanche courses, and from this collaboration, AIARE was born in 1998.

From the start, AIARE integrated national and international standards and began to incorporate a decision-makers’ approach to risk management in avalanche education. An instructor training program was initiated to maintain consistency among instructors—those who deliver courses in the field and in the classroom—as well as provide them with pedagogical best practices for interacting with students, along with a forum for information exchange and professional development. AIARE standards and guidelines adhere to existing national and international standards, such as those developed by the A3 and CAA. In addition, AIARE consults with qualified instructors when developing new curriculum and supplementary materials, so the products we develop and distribute are based on a wide variety of experience, background, and knowledge. The result is a consensus-driven process that has produced an avalanche education program and training courses that meet the needs of the trainers and course participants alike.

Today, AIARE curriculum provides avalanche education to more backcountry travelers than any other single avalanche education organization in the United States and trains over 100 new instructors every season. AIARE continues to develop standardized curricula for a complete program of avalanche courses that meets the needs of students at all levels; from recreational to professional, from novice to advanced.

See the 2021–22 Annual Report

Support AIARE's work

Previous Annual Reports
2020–21 Annual Report
2020–21 Motorized Program Annual Report

AIARE Founders

Tom Murphy
Jean Pavillard
Bela Vadasz
Karl Klassen

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between AIARE and the American Avalanche Association (A3)?

The American Avalanche Association (A3) is the nonprofit trade organization for avalanche industry professionals, including educators, guides, forecasters, researchers, ski patrollers, and other practitioners. All AIARE instructors are at least A3 affiliate members, and AIARE course leaders are A3 professional members. A3 sets guidelines for avalanche education curriculum, and AIARE adheres to or exceeds those guidelines in its curriculum. AIARE is a separate nonprofit and is not administered by A3, although we do enjoy a cooperative relationship.

How can I find an AIARE course?

Recreational Avalanche Courses: AIARE recreational avalanche curriculum is delivered to students by ~120 providers across the United States and beyond. Our providers are a mix of guiding services, outdoor clubs, ski resorts, universities, and more. You can either find a provider in your area to inquire about their course schedule, or you can check out the whole season’s course list to find a course that works with your schedule. Either way, you’ll always book your course directly through the course provider.

PRO Avalanche Courses: If you are interested in becoming an avalanche professional or seeking further training, you can find out about AIARE’s PRO courses here.

AIARE Instructor Courses: If you are interested in becoming an AIARE instructor or course leader, find out about AIARE’s instructor training courses here.

How can I find an Avalanche Awareness course?

Are AIARE courses certifications?

Recreational Avalanche Courses: Students who complete AIARE recreational courses receive a “certificate” that is accessible from their dashboard at avtraining.org. Because there is no examination component to recreational courses (AIARE or otherwise) in the U.S., this is not an official “certification” or credential; it simply indicates that a student has completed a course and is part of a lifelong avalanche education journey. Although certificates do not “expire,” we strongly recommend revisiting recreational courses—especially avalanche rescue—every couple of seasons to stay fresh.

PRO Avalanche Courses: AIARE's professional avalanche courses are certifications.

Does AIARE certify instructors?

AIARE Instructors meet certain minimum qualifications in order to participate in the AIARE Instructor Training Course (ITC). Prospective instructors must have 5+ years of backcountry experience involving leadership and decision-making in avalanche terrain, a PRO 1 certificate from an American Avalance Association (A3)-affiliated course provider, and recent observations of all seven days of AIARE recreational curriculum. This experience, along with the intensive 5-day ITC, prepares instructors to deliver top-tier educational experiences to their recreational students. Upon completion of the ITC and acceptance into the A3, folks are qualified to instruct AIARE courses.

Where does AIARE’s funding come from?