If you're researching avalanche courses near you, you’re probably finding an alphabet soup of options (one with lots of As): AIARE, also known as the American Institute for Avalanche Research & Education, the American Avalanche Association (A3), and lots of providers with “avalanche” in their names.
The good news? There are excellent avalanche educators across the country. The challenge is understanding what makes one course different from another and choosing the course that's right for your goals.
What should every avalanche course include?
Regardless of the provider, a quality avalanche course should include:
- Clear, action-oriented learning outcomes—things you’ll be able to DO after completing the course
- A repeatable decision-making framework you can apply on your own
- Significant field-based instruction
- Qualified instructors with extensive backcountry experience and teaching skills
- Rescue skills practice
- A progression pathway for continued learning
A course should help you move beyond simply understanding avalanches and toward making informed decisions in avalanche terrain.
How do I know I’m taking a high-quality avalanche course?
One of the most common questions students ask is whether avalanche courses are all the same. The answer is no—but many share common foundations.
The American Avalanche Association (A3) is our industry’s governing body, and establishes educational topic recommendations, minimum proficiencies, and guidelines for instructors who are qualified to teach recreational avalanche education in the United States. These guidelines help ensure consistency and quality across the industry, but the A3 doesn’t actually write the curriculum—that’s up to us, the providers.
AIARE’s curriculum—which is what’s taught by all 110+ of our providers across the country—meets or, in many cases, exceeds these standards. Just as you’d seek a primary care doctor who’s a member of the American Medical Association or a lawyer who passed the bar exam in your state, the instructors who teach avalanche courses are required to be members of the A3, but AIARE instructors are also required to hold additional instructor training qualifications and do ongoing training.
So What Makes AIARE Different?
AIARE's approach is built around three core commitments:
A National Learning Progression
AIARE courses are intentionally designed as part of a larger educational pathway. From Avalanche Aware and AIARE 1 through AIARE 2, Rescue, Refreshers, and Professional Training, each course builds on the proficiencies students gained in the previous step, providing clear pathways for continued development. Every student leaves their AIARE course with practical tools and resources—including the AIARE Fieldbook, which contains useful checklists and references, as well as the detailed student manual—that you'll learn to use during the course and continue using to support your backcountry decision-making long after the course ends. |  Photo: Lisa Granden | |
A National Learning Progression
AIARE courses are intentionally designed as part of a larger educational pathway. From Avalanche Aware and AIARE 1 through AIARE 2, Rescue, Refreshers, and Professional Training, each course builds on the proficiencies students gained in the previous step, providing clear pathways for continued development.
Every student leaves their AIARE course with practical tools and resources—including the AIARE Fieldbook, which contains useful checklists and references, as well as the detailed student manual—that you'll learn to use during the course and continue using to support your backcountry decision-making long after the course ends.
| Photo: Lisa Granden |
Why Decision Making Matters
Many avalanche courses teach avalanche science, weather, snowpack, and terrain. Those topics are important—but industry research shows that knowledge alone doesn't necessarily translate into better decisions.
AIARE courses place a strong emphasis on applying information in real-world settings. In 80% of avalanche accidents, the avalanche was triggered either by the victim or by someone else in their party. That’s why it’s so crucial for curriculum to create an understanding of how to work together to make decisions in the backcountry. Students learn practical frameworks for gathering information, communicating with partners, assessing uncertainty, and making decisions in the field.
The goal isn't simply to know more about avalanches—it's to make better choices when traveling in avalanche terrain.
Field Time Matters
Online learning can be valuable for foundational knowledge, but avalanche education is ultimately an outdoor skill. There’s no substitute for getting on (and in) the snowpack. In addition to classroom and virtual sessions, all AIARE courses have a field component, offering students a chance to practice their new decision-making skills in a real-world setting.
Choosing the Right Course for You
The best avalanche course is one that matches your experience level, learning goals, and the terrain you travel in.
If you're new to the backcountry, Avalanche Aware (online or in person) is a great starting point.
If you plan on regularly recreating in the backcountry, The AIARE 1 provides a strong foundation for backcountry travel and decision-making.
If you've already completed introductory training, consider Rescue, Refreshers, AIARE 2, or Professional Training courses to continue building your skills. Learn more about AIARE Recreational Courses.
Why Choose AIARE?
AIARE courses are built on nationally recognized standards, continuously updated using current research and best practices, delivered by experienced instructors trained as both educators and avalanche professionals, and designed as part of a comprehensive progression for lifelong learning in avalanche terrain.
As a nonprofit, our mission is simple: saving lives through avalanche education.