Choosing the Right Avalanche Course in Mammoth Lakes & Lake Tahoe
AIARE Level 2 Students analizing the snowpack
Whether you're just starting your backcountry journey or looking to level up your avalanche knowledge, avalanche education is essential. At Valhalla Mountain Guides, we offer a full progression of AIARE-certified avalanche courses in both Mammoth Lakes and Lake Tahoe, designed to help you travel more safely and confidently in the mountains.
But with multiple courses to choose from AIARE 1, AIARE Avalanche Rescue, and AIARE 2 how do you know which one is right for you?
Let’s break it down.
What is AIARE?
AIARE stands for the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. It’s the gold standard for avalanche education in North America, offering a progressive system of courses that build your knowledge, decision-making, and rescue skills in backcountry terrain.
At Valhalla Mountain Guides, we follow AIARE’s proven curriculum while tailoring our courses to the unique conditions of the Eastern Sierra and Tahoe backcountry.
AIARE Avalanche Level 1: Your Backcountry Starting Point
Offered in Mammoth Lakes & Lake Tahoe
If you're new to backcountry skiing, splitboarding, or snowshoeing, AIARE 1 is where you start.
What You’ll Learn:
Route Planning
Using technology to avoid avalanche hazards
Companion Rescue and equipment
Avalanche problems and characteristics
Classification of avalanches
Avalanche Danger Scale
Understanding the Avalanche Bulletin
Snowpack Layering and Analysis
Snowpack Stability Tests
Identification of Avalanche Terrain
Proper decision making and working as a team in the backcountry
Course Format:
The Avalanche Level 1 course is a hybrid course. When you sign up you receive an online learning module that is great for making sure you show up at the course with the basic understanding of the fundamentals.
The evening before the course we do an online zoom meeting. During this meeting we go over tour planning, the avalanche bulletin, answer questions and make a plan for our course.
This is followed by 2 days in the field with your instructor. We execute backcountry tours and cover all the curriculum while in the mountains.
Why Take It in Mammoth or Tahoe?
Both regions offer diverse terrain, accessible trailheads, and variable snowpack conditions, the perfect classroom for real-world learning. The main benefit is that we can usually get into avalanche terrain during our courses. The maritime snowpack allows for a great learning environment.
Best for: Anyone new to backcountry travel
👉 Next step after AIARE 1: AIARE Avalanche Rescue
AIARE Rescue student using the avalanche rescue tools
AIARE Avalanche Rescue: Sharpen Your Rescue Skills
Offered in Mammoth Lakes & Lake Tahoe
AIARE Rescue is a 1-day, hands-on course focused entirely on avalanche companion rescue — a critical skill set for anyone traveling in avalanche terrain.
What You’ll Learn:
Single burial tactics
Multiple burial tactics
Deep burial tactics
Team rescue tactics
Strategic Shoveling
Proper probing and probe lines
How to activate EMS
Shelter building
Assessing whether to stay put or evacuate
Rescue gear to carry on a tour
Required Before AIARE 2
Even if you've taken AIARE 1 in the past, AIARE Rescue is now a mandatory standalone course before moving on to AIARE 2.
Best for: All backcountry users, and required for AIARE 2
Pro tip: Take this every 1–2 years to stay sharp and learn the most up to date findings in rescue techniques and equipment.
AIARE 2: For Experienced Backcountry Travelers
Offered in Mammoth Lakes & Lake Tahoe
Ready to expand on your AIARE 1 and take your snowpack analysis to the next level? AIARE 2 is designed for those who already have experience and want to make more complex decisions in challenging terrain. This allows you to step more confidently into larger terrain. Often after the level 1 course people want to avoid avalanche terrain. The level 2 is designed for you to create the tool box to make the best decisions with the given weather and snowpack conditions.
What You’ll Learn:
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 Format:
Online Learning Module
3 field days: Includes pre-course assignments, classroom, and fieldwork
Participants are expected to bring prior experience and lead parts of the course
Best for: Backcountry users with at least one season of touring experience and prior AIARE 1 + Rescue
IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide Connor Chilcott finding the goods on a deep day
Why Take Avalanche & Backcountry Ski Courses with Valhalla Mountain Guides?
Learn from AMGA-Certified Guides & Avalanche Professionals
At Valhalla Mountain Guides, we believe the quality of your education starts with the quality of your instructors. That’s why every avalanche course and backcountry ski program we run is led by American Mountain Guides Association CERTIFIED GUIDES and experienced avalanche professionals. These guides bring a deep blend of technical skill, teaching ability, and real-world mountain judgment to the table. Other providers will say their guides are AMGA trained. This means they have done the entry level courses and never been properly examined on their skillset. Some companies have many guides without any training from the AMGA. This is similar to getting medical advice from someone who just studies the medical field but has never gone to school for it. We are the only provider in the Tahoe/ Mammoth area that guarantees an AMGA certified instructor on your course.
What That Means for You
You're Learning from the Best in the Field. Our guides aren’t just skiers with experience — they’re professionally trained educators and risk managers who exceed the rigorous standards set by the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). Our instructors also hold AIARE Instructor or Course Leader certifications and the highest level avalanche education available in the USA (Professional Level 2). This ensures the training you receive is accurate, consistent, and field-tested.
Why AMGA Certification Matters in Avalanche Education
The AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) sets the U.S. standard for professional mountain guiding. Their training includes:
Snow science & terrain analysis
Avalanche forecasting & rescue protocols
Emergency response & risk mitigation
Teaching methodology for adult learners
Ethical decision-making in high-stakes environments
Our Avalanche Instructors Aren’t Just Certified — They’re Experienced Educators and Mountain Guides
We don’t just check certification boxes. Our instructors have years of guiding and avalanche instruction experience not just in California, but throughout North America and the world. Our guide team also works professionally as ski guides, heli-guides, or pro patrol leaders during the winter, keeping them constantly engaged with snowpack evolution and rescue scenarios.
They know how to adapt the AIARE curriculum to fit:
All different snow climates. Even though our courses are based in Mammoth and Lake Tahoe, your guide will be able to help you understand the difference if you travel to different snow climates.
The real-time avalanche conditions during your course and how those conditions could rapidly change
Your group’s skill level, pace, and learning style
You’re not just buying a certificate, you’re investing in your ability to make life-saving decisions. That starts with learning from instructors who live and breathe this work.
AMGA Certified Split board and Ski Guide Trevor Husted
Upcoming AIARE Course Dates in Mammoth Lakes & Lake Tahoe
Our 2025 winter course schedule is now live! Secure your spot in one of our AIARE 1, Avalanche Rescue, or AIARE 2 courses before they fill up.
Final Thoughts
If you're serious about exploring the backcountry around Mammoth Lakes or Lake Tahoe, avalanche education isn’t optional, it’s essential. If not taking a course for your own safety, take a course for your partners or your loved ones. Our AIARE courses at Valhalla Mountain Guides provide the skills, confidence, and community you need to make better decisions and travel more safely in avalanche terrain.
Start with AIARE 1, refresh your rescue skills with AIARE Avalanche Rescue, and take the lead with AIARE 2 when you’re ready.
We’ll see you in the mountains!