AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course

Ortovox has supplied all of the high-end avalanche safety gear used by White Pine Touring instructors and students. This generous support from Ortovox ensures students get to practice with the best, most current equipment on the market, and that White Pine Touring’s instructors have the most dependable, professional-level avalanche safety equipment available.

American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Avalanche Rescue is a one-day, stand-alone course designed to be taken every other year in order to stay up-to-date on best practices in rescue techniques and equipment. Each participant will have the opportunity to work on their skills through direct, professional coaching, and will receive an Avalanche Rescue card acknowledging successful completion of the course. AIARE Avalanche Rescue is a prerequisite for the AIARE 2 and AIAIRE PRO 1 courses. AIARE recommends that all backcountry travelers keep their skills current by taking an Avalanche Rescue Course and receiving a Rescue card at least every other year.

Whether you’re brand new to backcountry travel, or have years of experience in the field, the Avalanche Rescue course is a must for staying on top of your avi training. New students will learn the basics of companion rescue, while returning students will expand their skill set with advanced topics and simulation-based practice to help improve their skills after the course.

Students who have already taken an AIARE 1 or AIARE 2 course will benefit from having experienced professionals help them set up and respond to a realistic backcountry rescue scenario. That means you can practice the full range of rescue skills while receiving immediate feedback from your instructors in the field.

Avalanche Rescue Learning Outcomes:

• Describe what to do if you or a member of your party is caught in an avalanche.
• Identify and be able to use gear necessary for avalanche rescue.
• Set up realistic scenarios in order to practice an avalanche rescue response.
• Improve response skills and times with direct feedback from instructors and peers.
• Develop a plan for continued practice of avalanche rescue skills.

Instructional Sessions:

Personal protective and avalanche rescue equipment

• Identify and familiarize students with winter personal protective, avalanche rescue, and self-evacuation equipment and their proper use
• Demonstrate and practice routines to check gear’s function
• Demonstrate avalanche rescue
• Introduce Avalanche Rescue Quick Reference tool and apply it to a scenario
• Breakdown and practice individuals skills of avalanche rescue: assessing the scene and taking leadership, using a transceiver, using a probe, and shoveling

Single burial scenarios

• Learn to set up effective scenarios for practice
• Integrate individual skills into a rescue scenario

Patient considerations and education

• Identify potential patient care considerations resulting from avalanche burial or involvement
• Name equipment for self-evacuation and communication to outside resources
• Describe considerations when interfacing with Search and Rescue and Emergency Medical Services

Scenario practice and feedback

• Integrate skills and receive feedback on rescue response from a professional

Advanced topics – Covered depending on student need and interest

• Employ probing on a line with a partner to reduce search times and need for bracketing.
• Apply foundational skills to multiple victim scenarios without close proximity burials.
• Recognize challenges associated with deep burials.
• Employ repeatable method (Micro-strip or 3-circle) for locating close-proximity multiple burials

For more information call our White Pine Touring Experts at 435-649-8710 or email shouse@whitepinetouring.com.