Mammoth Lakes Avalanche Level 2 Course
The Level 2 is a three-day/24-hour course that provides backcountry travelers an opportunity to advance their decision making skills in more complicated situations such as being a leader within a small travel group, traveling in more complicated terrain, and/or developing a travel plan where resources are scarce.
The Level 2 course builds on the introductory avalanche hazard management model introduced in Level 1 and adds to it the evaluation of critical hazard assessment factors. Students will describe and discuss weather, snowpack and avalanche processes, and identify how these processes relate to observations and travel within avalanche terrain.
AIARE Avalanche Level 2 Course in Mammoth Lakes Dates:
January 24-26, 2025
February 22-24, 2025
March 16-18, 2025
Course Overview
Take the next step in your avalanche education with our AIARE Avalanche Level 2 course. The level one course is designed to help you identify and avoid avalanche terrain and problems. This course is designed to assist you in venturing into avalanche terrain when there is some uncertainty. We spend 3 days in the snowpack making decisions and skiing big lines if the conditions allow. We focus on assisting you when the decision making is not black and white. We take a deep dive into how to create your own avalanche forecast. This is necessary if you plan to travel into areas where an avalanche forecast is not available. This comprehensive course covers topics such as understanding the avalanche problems, signs of instability, snowpack analysis and metamorphosis, in depth stability tests, when to dig, forecasting for avalanche problems, layer and grain ID and much more. Led by the most experienced guides and instructors in the industry. Participants will gain the knowledge and confidence needed to make proper decisions when attempting to ski or ride the line of their dreams. This course is meant to help you safely step into bigger terrain, and give you the skillset necessary to know when to turn around.
Tracking the seasons snowpack history
How to create a forecast without a bulletin
Formation of various weak layers
Snow metamorphosis
Identification of small and large avalanche terrain and how that pertains to your problem
Group management in complex terrain
Using stability tests to check for skier trigger ability and propagation
In depth tour planning sessions
Mitigating your exposure in big terrain
Course Objectives
Group Size
6 Guests to 1 Guide
Pricing
$650
Must have taken a Level 1 avalanche course and a rescue course. We will do 1500-2500ft elevation gain per day. Must be proficient with your splitboard or backcountry skis.
Skill Level
We Provide Beacon, Shovel, Probe and Ski Specific Backpack
Required Equipment
Day 1: Meet your Instructor at the proposed location or via zoom. We will begin the morning with an instruction on how to track the seasons snowpack, current conditions in the range, tour planning, and much more. The afternoon will be spent reviewing a quick companion rescue and getting a tour in.
Day 2: Today we will head into the field with a solid tour plan of an area we want to ski or ride. We will make observations on the way out. During this day we will dig full profile pits and do stability tests. This will help us to create a forecast for the following day. The day will end with an in depth tour planning session for a large objective on day 3
Day 3: Based on our findings from day 2 we will use what we have learned and been seeing to ski a line that we have been eyeing. The goal for this day is to help you hone the craft of decision making. Should we continue or should we head back? Do we have other options in the area? Are we utilizing all our skills in order to mitigate our exposure to the avalanche problem? During this day we will focus on digging in the snow and how that can pertain to the line we want to ski.
Itinerary
Cancellation Policy
Please read our Cancellation & Refund Policies before booking.