INTRO TO BACKCOUNTRY
& AAI AVALANCHE LEVEL 1 COURSE
North Lake Tahoe, California - 3 days
AAI Lake Tahoe Avalanche Level 1 Course & Intro to Backcountry Ski Course Overview
Completely new to backcountry skiing and split boarding with no previous experience? Looking for a comprehensive course to get you started that combines backcountry skiing techniques with avalanche education? IAG’s combined AAI level 1 avalanche course with our intro to backcountry skiing and boarding course is for you. Our American Avalanche Association Avalanche Level 1 course in the Lake Tahoe/Truckee area is the industry standard entry level avalanche education that every recreational winter backcountry user needs to take. Combined with our intro to backcountry skiing and split boarding course this gives you a comprehensive 3-day course to get you all the training you need to get into backcountry skiing and boarding.
Why Choose IAG/ASI’s Tahoe intro to backcountry & avalanche level one courses:
We use the curriculum of the American Avalanche Institute (AAI), AAI is the nation’s oldest and most established avalanche education curriculum provider. Since 1973, AAI has been teaching backcountry skiers how to safely travel through avalanche terrain. As like AIARE, the AAI program is recognized by the American Mountain Guides Association and adheres to the strict standards of the American Avalanche Association. Superior in many ways, the AAI program represents a more practical curriculum that has been refined over many years giving you a higher level of avalanche education with the benefit of their 50 years of experience as an avalanche curriculum provider.
Live online classroom sessions on your schedule. Unlike some other programs that have you do the classroom work on your own without the opportunity for questions and interactions, we offer two 3 hour live online classroom sessions. These two session are scheduled weekly and you can choose which ones to attend. They can be taken far in advance of your field day
More experienced instructors. Our Tahoe-based avalanche instructors have a higher standard of real world professional avalanche experience. Unlike AIARE and some other avalanche course providers, our instructors are all required to be avalanche professionals and working ski guides with AMGA training or certification…along with being experienced educators. After all, the quality of your instruction all comes down to your instructor in the field and you know your in good hands with IAG/ASI.
Over 40 years experience teaching backcountry skiers and boarders in Lake Tahoe. IAG/Alpine Skills International has been a leading avalanche education provider and source for training backcountry skiers. We have taught thousands of students in North Tahoe and Truckee area for the past 40 years. You wont find that depth of experience anywhere else. We know backcountry skiing and avalanche education.
Upon completion of the combined Tahoe intro to backcountry & avalanche level one course you will have an understanding of:
Trip Planning and Preparation
How to use Backcountry ski gear
Uphill skinning and track setting
Downhill backcountry-specific ski & boarding techniques
Backcountry safety and group management
Types and characteristics of avalanches
Types of avalanches, their motion & size classification
Avalanche danger scale
An introduction to snowpack metamorphism and layering
Field observation techniques
Stability tests
Avalanche terrain recognition, assessment and route finding
Proper decision making
Intro to Companion Rescue and equipment
Included are two 3-hour live online classroom sessions and 2 full field days with your instructor.. The 2 days of field course work is up in the Donner Summit/North Tahoe area near the town of Truckee. The two field days of our AAI avalanche level 1 course are 8 hours live with an instructor in the North Tahoe backcountry who can respond to questions & provide feedback. You must have the ability to travel in avalanche terrain using skis or a splitboard and have basic knowledge of backcountry techniques and equipment.
The online classroom portion of your avalanche course includes the AAI Avalanche Level 1 virtual workshop. The virtual workshop consists of two, 3 hour long hosted sessions, during these sessions you will watch presentations of core material followed by small group learning exercises, Q & A, and review/feedback. These sessions will be scheduled weekly and can be taken well in advance of your course for maximum convenience and engagement. Students must attend both session 1 & 2 PRIOR to the first day of your field session.
We include use of avalanche safety gear, such as avalanche beacon, backcountry shovel & avalanche probe at no extra charge!
Avalanche Education Elevated!
SKILL & EXPERIENCE LEVEL
For our combined Intro to backcountry ski and split boarding/AAI avalanche level 1 Lake Tahoe course you should be in very good physical shape. You should also be an advanced level skier at a resort.
2023/2024 LAKE TAHOE SCHEDULED DATES
The dates below are for the field days (1 day Intro to Backcountry and 2 days Avalanche 1 course. There will be 2 online classroom sessions you must attend which will be scheduled weekly. You can choose which online dates to attend. There will also be a 1 hour logistics call the evening prior to your course.
Dec 1-3
Dec 8-10
Dec 11-13
Dec 15-17
Dec 19-21
Dec 26-28
Dec 29-31
Dec 31- Jan 2
Jan 5-7
Jan 13-15
Jan 19-21
Jan 26-28
Feb 2-4
Feb 9 -11
Feb 17-19
Feb 23-25
Mar 1-3
Mar 8-10
Mar 15-17
Mar 22-25
Mar 29-31
Apr 5-7
Apr 12-14
To check availability of courses simply click on the ‘Book Now’ button above
COST: $785
(save over 10% as opposed to booking the two courses separately!)
INCLUDES
Professional AAI trained avalanche instructors
Free use of all avalanche safety gear such as beacon, shovel & probe
Online course manual
No hidden costs!
For more info on this trip please fill out the form below:
TAHOE AVALANCHE 1 COURSE ITINERARY
Pre Course Online Learning
Shortly after signing up for your AAI avalanche course you will receive a link to your AAI online course materials that you must complete prior to the two field days. It is approximately 6 hours of online learning and covers all the basics of the avalanche course and prepares you for your days in the field with your avalanche instructor. It is mandatory that you complete this online learning module prior to the field days and the avalanche course director will be monitoring the progress of the students.
Day 1:
Intro to backcountry skiing and boarding day. We will meet at the IAG office at 830am and then drive a short distance to a nearby trailhead for the days tour and instruction.
At 6pm there will be an online Zoom meeting with the entire avalanche 1 course and the instructors. We do ask that you are not driving and are in a quiet location for this meeting. There will be a presentation from the avalanche course director and an opportunity for you to ask questions about the online materials. The course will then be assigned into individual field groups and the next days meeting place and agenda will be determined.
Day 2
You will meet your avalanche instructors and the rest of the group at 745am sharp the specified trail head in the North Tahoe/Truckee area. Please do not be late as the North Tahoe and Donner Pass trail head parking areas can fill up quickly. The rest of the day is spent in the field traveling on skis or split board going over trip planning and preparation, the basics of avalanche terrain, stability analysis, managing travel and mitigating danger in avalanche terrain, plus much more. Your avalanche course instructors will share with you their years of experience working in avalanche terrain. There will also be an introduction into avalanche rescue techniques using the avalanche beacon, shovel and probe. Plan to be back at the trail head around 4pm. Your avalanche instructor will then debrief the day and discuss the next days meeting place and objectives. There will also be a homework assignment in trip planning.
Day 3
Your avalanche course groups will meet at 730am at the designated trail head for your group, once again in the North Tahoe or Donner Pass area near Truckee. More discussion of trip planning will begin the day and students will have the opportunity to lead the group in a backcountry travel objective making decisions in or near avalanche terrain. There will also be an intro to snow pits and snow stability tests and the limits of their effectiveness in making safe decisions in avalanche terrain. Plus much more. After a course debrief plan to be finished up at the trail head by 4pm.
Itinerary subject to change due to weather and snow conditions
THE INTERNATIONAL ALPINE GUIDES DIFFERENCE
For over 40 years the IAG/ASI team have been teaching avalanche education to backcountry skiers in Lake Tahoe & throughout California. We are Tahoe’s original avalanche school founded by the Bela & Mimi Vadasz in 1979. As one of the most experienced and most established avalanche schools in the nation, we bring to you the highest standards in the avalanche education industry, currently offering the AAI avalanche training program.
Our avalanche Instructor team is among the most experienced in the avalanche education industry :
Professional Ski Guides. Our avalanche instructors are working ski guides, many with training or certification with the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA)
Avalanche Industry Professionals. They are professional members of the American Avalanche Association with a minimum of 4 years of experience working in avalanche terrain as ski guides, patrollers and/or forecasters.
Professional Educators, All of our instructors have a background in professional level teaching.
Our extensive worldwide skiing experience, adherence to the highest educational standards, as well as our approachable down to earth philosophy all combine to give you, our valued guests, the best avalanche education experience possible.
All of our mountain guiding and educational programs are developed and supervised by Internationally licensed IFMGA guide Dave Miller, our owner and technical director. Originally from the North Lake Tahoe area, Dave has over 30 years of personal backcountry skiing experience on the backcountry slopes of Lake Tahoe. We know Tahoe’s backcountry!
