AIARE Level 1 Hut Based
IMPORTANT: CALL BEFORE BOOKING TO CHECK HUT AVAILABILITY
Learn avalanche safety and complete your AIARE Level 1 training from the comfort of our backcountry huts. These hut trips combine warm and comfortable backcountry huts and access to exceptional backcountry skiing and snowboarding.
Learn how to safely make your first tracks in backcountry skiing environments. Expand your knowledge through formal avalanche education. The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) offers the only internationally recognized curriculum in the US. Therefore, you can trust Apex’s AIARE guides to prepare you for the backcountry.
THE HUT
Our hut location is near Leadville, CO in a rustic setting. You will stay with others in a comfortable cabin. It is outfitted with the commodities listed below.
- Oil lamps (provided)
- Kitchen essentials (propane stove and oven, as well as a coldbox)
- Woodburning stove (for heat and to melt snow for water)
- Composting toilet
Food is not provided. We recommend foods which are dense in calories and low in sodium. Above all your meals should be easy to travel with and prepare. Some of the items that have been popular are listed below. Please keep in mind that this is simply a list to use as a resource. It is not meant to be comprehensive or a reference for necessities.
IDEAS FOR FOOD
- Breakfast: Oatmeal, nuts, seeds, dried fruits
- Snacks: Dried fruit, cheese sticks, crackers, trail mix, beef jerky, granola bars
- Lunch: Sandwiches, peanut butter, honey, tortillas, cheese sticks
- Dinner: Quick rice meals using hot water, pasta, dehydrated meals (be aware of sodium if it’s a concern), tortillas with cheese, stovetop pizzas
- Also: Tea, coffee (pour-over or instant), dried milk for cream
PREREQUISITES
Students should be prepared to travel in backcountry terrain by ski or splitboard (or snowshoe, if no other option). The course takes place in mountainous terrain, at altitude, possibly in harsh weather. As a result, we urge that students come prepared for unfavorable conditions. Suggestions for attire are located in the “to bring” tab.
Registration for the course is required. We also offer Private Courses in which you will be taught in a personal setting with your own instructor.
BOOKING / MORE INFO
IMPORTANT: CALL BEFORE BOOKING TO CHECK HUT AVAILABILITY
AIARE LEVEL 1 HUT BASED – QUICK INFO
Learn the decision-making skills necessary to evaluate and travel in avalanche terrain in AIARE Level 1 Hut Based with the Vail Valley’s #1 Recommended Apex Mountain School. Interested in our 1-day avalanche rescue course?
This course is available to all ages 12 and up. (Ages 12-14 requires parents to attend also. All minor registrations must contact the office in advance of booking for prescreening approval.)
IMPORTANT: PLEASE CALL BEFORE BOOKING TO CHECK HUT AVAILABILITY
COST
$6,370 includes hut fees and up to 6 people
$11,740 includes hut fees and up to 12 people
Includes:
- Student Manual
- AIARE Field Book
- Ortovox Gift Pack
- Kind Bar
- 1 Classroom Day
- 2 Full Field Days
- AIARE Certificate of Completion
DIFFICULTY
Easy – Moderate
DURATION
Three 8 hour days
LOCATION
Field Location – Vail Valley, Vail Pass, Fremont Pass and/or surrounding areas
*Courses run regardless of snow/weather conditions*
See our inclusion policy for special group requests.
WHAT TO BRING
- Beacon/probe/shovel (rental available)
- Clinometer (BCA slope meter, also available on compasses)
- Complete ski, split board or snowshoe equipment, including boots, poles, etc
- *No cotton – cotton does not wick moisture or insulate when wet.
- Long underwear bottom (thin) – synthetic or wool
- Long sleeve top (medium) – synthetic or wool
- Socks – synthetic or wool
- Ground mat (insulation so you can sit on snow)
- Water/wind proof jacket with hood, pants, and gloves
- Notebook (for lecture day)
- Any other items you would typically have in your pack on a backcountry trip
- Warm gloves or mittens
- Hat and neck gaiter or balaclava
- Goggles or sunglasses
- Small day pack
- Water bottle and food
- Headlamp and batteries
ALSO RECOMMENDED
- Loupe (at least 10x zoom)
- Snow Saw (minimum 30cm)
- Snow crystal card
ALSO CONSIDER
- Hand warmers
- Hot liquid
- Liner socks
- Adjustable Poles
- Extra gloves
- Sunscreen
- Water bottle insulator
When Federally, Statewide, or Locally mandated and/or recommended, or when deemed appropriate by Apex staff, all students will be required to wear a COVID-apprioprate face covering at all times.
CURRICULUM
FUNDAMENTALS
In our 3 day, 24 hour AIARE level 1 course, we focus on the natural elements listed below.
- The characteristics and types of avalanches
- Movement of avalanches
- Classifications by size and danger scale
- Mountain snowpack: metamorphism and layering
ALSO DISCUSSED
We will also cover how our behavior can affect our interaction with the backcountry.
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- Trip planning and preparation
- Risk management and decision-making
- Human influence in:
- Group dynamics
- Decision-making
- Accidents
APPLYING SKILLS
The previously mentioned topics are first discussed in our classroom session. This is held at Red Canyon High School in Edwards, Colorado. Afterwards we begin to travel by backcountry ski/splitboard/snowshoe on the second and third day. There, we finally apply the foundations we have learned in mountain snow environment. Our main focus will be on the following items.
- Beacon and probe use
- Identifying and evaluating avalanche terrain
- Route-finding and travel techniques
- Snow pit and snow layer analysis and tests
- What questions to ask in risk evaluation
- Identifying “red flags”
- Avalanche rescue and beacon search techniques
Please contact us at admin@apexmountainschool.com or (970)949-9111 if you are interested in booking a hut based AIARE course.
