AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Safety Course
Mount Baker - Snoqualmie Pass - Stevens Pass | WashingtonAIARE Level 2 Avalanche Safety Course
- Mountaineering School
- Pack Weight: 25 lbs.
- 3 Days
- Gallery
- Dates & Pricing
Alpine Ascents is a nationally recognized AIARE avalanche education provider and A3 (American Avalanche Association) member, delivering advanced avalanche training led by certified and experienced instructors. Our AIARE 2 course builds on the foundation of AIARE 1, focusing on decision-making in more complex terrain, snowpack analysis, terrain management, and travel strategies for experienced backcountry travelers.
This course is designed for skiers, splitboarders, and winter travelers who already have foundational avalanche skills and are looking to plan and lead tours, manage terrain more independently, and deepen snowpack assessment proficiency. Students learn to identify and track avalanche problems, interpret weather and snowpack trends, develop tour plans based on hazard forecasts, and use field observations to refine decisions throughout the day.
The program consists of three full field days in avalanche terrain at Mount Baker, Stevens Pass, and Snoqualmie Pass, providing extensive time for applied learning, field-based snowpack investigation, group travel, and scenario-based decision-making.
Decades of Experience: 30+ years of experience leading courses throughout the Pacific Northwest
Focused Instruction: three full field days with asynchronous education curriculum
Trip Planning: Refines skills for effective tour planning and travelling through avalanche terrain more independently
Avalanche Rescue Scenarios: Features avalanche companion rescue and applying local forecasting tools
Gear Support: Full-service gear department for equipment questions, consultations, and avalanche safety gear rentals
Modes of Transport: AIARE 2 can be taken on backcountry skis, splitboards, and snowshoes
Varied Terrain: Multiple venue locations across the Cascades
Women’s Programs: Women’s-only courses available in partnership with SheJumps
Learning Objectives
Designed for for experienced backcountry travelers, the AIARE 2 focuses on decision-making in more complex terrain, snowpack analysis, terrain management, and advanced travel strategies.
- Identify specific avalanche hazards and mitigate risk in avalanche terrain
- Use and interpret weather, snow, and avalanche observations to locate appropriate terrain before and while in the field.
- Demonstrate leadership within a small team
- facilitate small group discussion selecting terrain and managing risk
- Implement a basic forecasting framework that can be used in conjunction with and in the absence of local supporting avalanche information
Students who complete our AIARE 2 course will receive a 10% discount on a 6 Day Cascades Mountaineering course for the following summer season.
My guides clearly had years of experience and training,
mixed with a passion for teaching others! They guided us while also empowering the group to learn leadership skills ourselves. They created an environment where everyone felt welcome and willing to share when they felt vulnerable or scared.
We had an excellent instructor who provided opportunities
to confirm our understanding of each concept. He had great relevant experiences to share that drove the point home and made each technique memorable. This weekend was both educational and fun!
Shane and Bryce did a great job of pushing our learning
and ensuring we had an adequate understanding of the backcountry, avalanche safety, and rescue. They were thorough, straightforward, friendly, encouraging, and constructively critical, and gave me such insight into my strengths and weaknesses in the backcountry. I am inspired to continue the skills they taught me and cannot thank them enough.
The Alpine Ascents Way
As a nationally recognized AIARE avalanche education provider, Alpine Ascents delivers advanced training from experienced, certified instructors. AIARE 2 builds on AIARE 1, shifting from foundational awareness to applied decision-making in more complex terrain. The course follows the national AIARE curriculum and includes a flexible online learning component, followed by three full field days in the backcountry.
In the field, students work in small groups to apply forecasting tools, evaluate terrain options, track snowpack structure, and adjust plans as conditions evolve. Participants take active leadership roles—developing tour plans, navigating, managing group travel, and running field observations—to strengthen independent decision-making.
Instruction is practical and scenario-based, emphasizing real-time snowpack assessment, hazard recognition, and terrain management. Students practice organizing information, interpreting avalanche problems, and using field data to refine choices throughout the day.
Our Partnership with AIARE & A3
Alpine Ascents is proud to partner with The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) to provide avalanche education courses. AIARE is a nonprofit established in 1998 specializing in the development of avalanche education curriculum. AIARE’s mission is to save lives through education for recreationalists and professionals. Our instructors are certified by AIARE to teach avalanche education.
Alpine Ascents is a recognized American Avalanche Association provider. Our AIARE courses meet the national standards set by the American Avalanche Association (A3) to deliver high quality and proven curriculum with experienced educators. A3 providers are held to the highest industry standard for education and risk management. Additionally, A3 providers guarantee small class sizes and hands-on field experience.
Women’s Only Courses with SheJumps
Since 2020, Alpine Ascents has proudly partnered with SheJumps as the guide service for their fundraising climbs, avalanche courses and Snowpack Scholarship, and mountaineering and rock climbing programs. We value this partnership and are glad to support SheJumps in their mission.
SheJumps is dedicated to welcoming women, girls, and non-binary folks into outdoor spaces, and aims to empower women through educational experience and inclusive spaces. We partner with SheJumps for women’s only AIARE 1 courses each season, where participants learn from and alongside other women and non-binary folks. Please indicate SheJumps in the notes section of your application to join.
Mount Baker
Mt. Baker (10,781 ft), the highest point of the North Cascades, is a heavily glaciated dormant volcano. The twelve active glaciers of Mt. Baker cover an area exceeding 20 square miles. Mt. Baker is unique in its great mass of snow and ice and easy accessibility. This combination creates a perfect training ground for backcountry skiing and riding.
- Setting the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season (1,140′ in 1999), Mt. Baker remains one of the snowiest spots in the Pacific Northwest and the world
- The Heather Meadows area offers prime ski tours for skiers/riders of all ability levels, from wide bowls, to tight trees
Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Pass (3,100 ft), is located less than an hour from Seattle and offers a convenient escape from the city. A combination of high snowfall, easy accessibility, and desirable slopes and epic couloirs make Snoqualmie Pass one of the best zones in Washington and exceedingly popular with backcountry travelers of all experience levels.
- The roadside ski tours around Snoqualmie Pass and beyond are unusually steep and access excellent terrain
- Many consider Snoqualmie Pass to be one of the densest ski touring areas in the country by pure volume of runs
Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass (4,062 ft) is set deep within the Cascade Mountains off of Highway 2. This zone is known for deep powder and phenomenal tree skiing. Alpine terrain hidden high above the tree line offers skiers of all abilities a playground that has everything from large open bowls to steep narrow couloirs. Convenient roadside access provides an easy entry to sustained long vertical ski runs and the some of the highest quality snow in the state.
- Yodelin, a retired ski area just northeast of Stevens Pass, is a favorite zone featuring open glades and liberally spaced trees
- The Stevens Pass backcountry area has a convenient and short approach
AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Safety Course Blog
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Local Impact
Alpine Ascents maintains close ties with the Northwest Avalanche Center ‘NWAC’. We firmly believe in NWAC’s mission to equip our community and reduce the impact of Avalanches. As a supporting sponsor, you’ll find Alpine Ascents hosting ski education days with NWAC, collaborating on NWAC Avalanche awareness webinars, and contributing in-kind donations each year. Many of our guides and instructors also work with NWAC.
