Prepping for your AIARE Course

Taking your AIARE course with the Outdoor Adventure Club provides significant added value compared to other options.

• You get more attention. Most of our classes have a maximum capacity of 6 students (MLK and Presidents weekends have a max of 12)
• You get more contact time with your instructor. Staying in our house with your instructor provides an immersive educational experience
• We provide more prep material before the class than is required, so you gain more comprehension during your course
• After the course, you can become a member of our AIARE alumni mentoring group, so you can continue your education. You’ll be able to connect with instructors and other students to ask questions, find answers, and find partners

This page contains much of the prep material for your class. The more prep you do, the more you’ll understand in class, and the deeper we can go into topics.

Step 1: Online pre-course material

AIARE Online Pre-Course Material

Visit aiareonline.org, register for the appropriate class, and work through the online material. 

Step 2: Watch these videos:

Avalanche Problems Explainer Video from the National Avalanche Center

Avalanche Danger Ratings Explainer Video from the National Avalanche Center

Step 3: Check out local avalanche advisories:

Take a look each day, and compare the two advisories. Are they the same? If not, how/why are they different?

Sierra Avalanche Center (Tahoe)

Shasta Avalanche Center

Step 4: Check out the weather forecasts and observations for Lassen:

We want to figure out if conditions in Lassen are more like like Shasta, more like Sierra, if they are all similar, or if they are all different

Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center Webcam (view of Diller)

Mineral forecast (4800′)
Visitor Center forecast (6700′)
Slopes of Brokeoff forecast (7800′)
Lassen Summit forecast (9500′)

MIN sensor Observations (4900′)
MNZ sensor Observations (5750′)
LLP sensor Observations (8250′)

Step 4: Watch this video from Gordon Graham on risk management of high risk, low frequency events:

High Risk/Low Frequency Events

Step 5: Download this copy of the AIARE 1 Student Handbook for the AIARE Risk Management Framework

You’ll receive a printed copy of the Handbook at your class, but you can get a head start reading this material before your course.  Read the pages on observations, pages 69-72 and the Ride Safely section, pages 60-68

AIARE 1 Student Handbook for the the AIARE Risk Management Framework (to come)

Step 6: Have mapping resources available

We like to use Caltopo.com for our trip planning, and either the Caltopo app, Gaia app or Avenza app to navigate in the field

As you’re prepping for your class, please contact us with any questions you have. We want to deliver a higher quality experience than you will receive anywhere else. You can help us do that by being involved in your education, starting before your class.