Eastern Sierra Avalanche Course (Level 1)

Join an AIARE trained guide on a Level I Eastern Sierra avalanche course and learn the necessary skills and techniques to stay safe on your backcountry skiing and mountain climbing adventures.

Group

Sierra Nevada (California)

3 Days

Jan - Apr, Dec

High

Intermediate

Highlights

Learn avalanche rescue skills to stay safe on your outdoor adventures.
Join a 3-day course that combines both theory and practice.
Practice avalanche rescue skills in a real, wilderness environment.

Description

Avalanche training is a must in order to stay safe on backcountry skiing and mountain climbing adventures. On this 3-day course, you will have the chance to learn some AIARE level 1 skills and then put them to practice in our Bishop or Mammoth Lakes location.

This course is great for those who are just getting started in the backcountry, or those who want to sharpen their skills. A good fitness level and some prior ski/mountaineering experience are required. Of course, I will be there to help and guide you every step of the way.

We will begin our 3-day course with a classroom session in which we will cover topics related to mountain snowpacks, types of avalanches and avalanche terrain, and equipment. Then, on days 2 and 3, we will head out for the practical aspects of our course in which we will also cover trip planning, decision making, and routes, among other topics, as well as including some avalanche rescue practices. You can find a detailed outline of the course in the itinerary below.

So, are you ready to learn the avalanche rescue skills that you need to take this adventure to the next level? Then contact me now and let’s stay safe together!

Price includes

Guiding fee
Avalanche equipment

Price details

Price includes:
Professionally trained AIARE Leader
Beacon, probe and shovel
AIARE waterproof field book
AIARE student manual
Discounts on technical wear and skis.

Itinerary

Day 1: Bishop or Mammoth Lakes- Classroom

Topics we will cover on day 1 include:

Layering and formation of a mountain snowpack
Types and characteristics of avalanches
Identifying avalanche terrain
Equipment review

Day 2: Hand on practice

On the second day of our program, we will head out and put to practice some of the skills we have acquired. Our itinerary will include:

Beacon and equipment trailhead check
Avalanche rescue
Formal snow pit observations and informal weather and snow observations
Trip planning and preparation review for the following day

Day 3: Course wrap up

We will head out again to put our skills to practice and aim at concluding our avalanche training course by 3 pm. The program for day 3 will cover the following topics:

Trip planning and preparation review
Field observations
Decision making in avalanche terrain
Route finding, travel decisions and techniques
Course debrie

Equipment you will need to bring

About the guide

Ryan

5.0

(15)

Single Pitch Instructor

I am the founder of Golden State Guiding and an AMGA Apprentice Alpine and Splitboard Guide, a certified Single Pitch Instructor, and certified Wilderness First Responder and also hold an AIARE Pro 1 certificate.

At Golden State Guiding we hold a valid permit to guide you legally in California's Eastern Sierra mountains including Mammoth Lakes, Sequoia/ Kings National Park, Mount Shasta in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Joshua Tree National Park, Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego, and Red Rock Canyon just outside of Las Vegas Nevada. All Golden State Guiding guides are professionally trained by the AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) and are some of the best Guides in the industry. Our professional Guides know exactly where to take you for your day out of rock, ice, or alpine climbing, backcountry skiing or splitboarding, and mountaineering in California or Nevada.

These are some of the spots where we can take you:

- Joshua Tree National Park

- San Diego (Mission Gorge or Mount Woodson)

- Eastern Sierra (Lone Pine Peak, Mt Emerson, Mount Sill and the entire Palisade Range, Bear Creek Spire, Temple Crag, Crystal Crag, Cardinal Pinnacle, Iris Slab, Mammoth Lakes Basin, Clark Canyon)

- Mount Shasta in Shasta-Trinity National Forest in the Southern Cascades

- Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Languages

English

Request more information

What people are saying about Ryan

First class operation from beginning to end. Ryan (I believe owner or manager) provided the best customer service from the moment I contacted him as a result of a search on the internet. He set everything up with ease, always staying in touch and making sure we had everything we needed. Highly recommend him for climbing at any level.

Ryan, Tim, Scott, and Ben were all very friendly, professional, and super knowledgeable. I know there's an inherent risk in climbing, but I'm confident I can use what I learned from this program and climb much more safely outdoors. I'll be signing up for their other programs!

We just had an amazing weekend climbing in the Mammoth area. Greg, our guide, was so talented and hilarious! I learned so much and we climbed tons of amazing varied routes. We laughed learned and climbed hard. Cant wait to do more with you guys! Thanks for everything Ryan and Greg!

Ryan was absolutely phenomenal. Lines were set and tied in well before our meeting time. He had a great game plan for us. I'll be booking again soon.

Ryan is truly a top notch guiding service. Ryan is more than accommodating to work with, and the rapport we have with the guides is unmatched. Keep up the great work!