There are few instructors who have taught more AIARE Level 2 courses than Ian Nicholson. Ian serves on the AIARE National Pro Instructor Team and previously spent five seasons working as a professional forecaster with the Northwest Avalanche Center. This depth of teaching and forecasting experience brings real-world context to advanced avalanche education and decision-making.

The AIARE Level 2 course is designed for backcountry travelers who are venturing deeper into the mountains, planning multi-day trips, or seeking a more advanced understanding of how the snowpack works and how it relates to terrain. This course is especially valuable for those beginning to take on leadership roles within their backcountry groups.

AIARE Level 2 is a three-day, 24-hour course that advances decision-making skills in more complex situations, including leading small groups, traveling in challenging or consequential terrain, and developing travel plans when resources are limited. The curriculum builds on the avalanche hazard management framework introduced in AIARE Level 1 and expands it to include evaluation of critical hazard assessment factors. Students learn to observe, describe, and discuss weather, snowpack, and avalanche processes, and to connect those observations directly to terrain selection and travel decisions in avalanche terrain.

Who should take AIARE Level 2?

This course is appropriate for backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and mountaineers who have completed an AIARE Level 1 and an Avalanche Rescue course and who have at least one year of backcountry travel experience. AIARE Level 2 provides motivated backcountry leaders with the tools to refine their avalanche knowledge, improve decision-making under uncertainty, and operate more confidently in complex winter terrain.

Most AIARE 2’s are taught in partnership with Backcountry Adventure Guides.

• Lecture and Zoom Dates: 2025-26 Tuesday & Friday @6:30 PM

• Snoqualmie Field Dates December 27-28; January 17-18 & 31-2/1

• Women’s Field Dates January 17-18

• Duration: 3 Days/4 Days with Avalanche Rescue

• Level: Intermediate

• Client Ratio: 5:1

• Cost:$ $600/755 with Rescue

• Included: Instruction, Student Manual, AIARE Field Book, Online Learning Module,1 evening lecture, 2 Field Days

• Not Included: Transportation, personal equipment, Avalanche Handbook & gratuities