The AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course is advanced avalanche education for experienced backcountry travelers who want to deepen their understanding of snowpack, avalanche hazard, terrain, and decision-making. Whether you are traveling farther into the mountains, planning bigger or multi-day ski tours, moving through more complex avalanche terrain, or beginning to take on a leadership role within your backcountry group, AIARE Level 2 provides the tools to make more informed decisions in increasingly complex situations.

Learn from One of AIARE's Most Experienced Instructors

There are few instructors who have taught more AIARE Level 2 avalanche courses than Washington Alpine Guides owner and IFMGA Mountain Guide Ian Nicholson. Ian has been teaching avalanche education for more than 20 years and has taught over 170 avalanche courses. He spent five seasons working professionally for the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) and currently serves on the AIARE National Pro Instructor Team. Ian also works as an AIARE Pro Instructor and AIARE Instructor Trainer, helping educate and develop other avalanche professionals and instructors.

That combination of avalanche forecasting, professional mountain guiding, and two decades of avalanche instruction brings a depth of real-world experience that goes far beyond simply teaching the curriculum. Throughout the course, Ian connects snowpack observations and avalanche theory to practical examples from years of skiing, climbing, forecasting, and guiding in avalanche terrain. The goal isn't simply to learn more about avalanches—it's to become better at using that information to make decisions in the mountains.

What You'll Learn in AIARE Level 2

AIARE Level 2 is a three-day, 24-hour avalanche course that builds on the hazard-management framework introduced in AIARE Level 1. Students learn to gather and interpret more detailed information about weather, snowpack, avalanche problems, and terrain and then use those observations to make better-informed travel decisions.

The course advances decision-making skills for more complicated situations, including leading small groups, traveling through challenging or consequential terrain, and developing backcountry travel plans when information or resources may be limited. Students learn to observe, describe, and discuss weather, snowpack, and avalanche processes, evaluate critical avalanche hazard factors, and connect those observations directly to terrain selection and route planning.

Rather than studying the snowpack simply for the sake of understanding snow science, the emphasis is on answering the questions that matter in the field: What is the avalanche problem? Where is it located? How likely is it to avalanche? How big could it be? And what terrain choices give our group an appropriate margin of safety?

Who Should Take an AIARE Level 2 Course?

AIARE Level 2 is designed for experienced backcountry skiers, splitboarders, snowboarders, and winter mountaineers who have completed an AIARE Level 1 and Avalanche Rescue course and have at least one year of backcountry travel experience. It is particularly valuable for motivated recreationalists who find themselves planning trips, evaluating conditions, choosing terrain, or making decisions for their partners and groups.

For backcountry travelers ready to progress beyond the fundamentals of avalanche safety, Washington Alpine Guides' AIARE Level 2 course provides an opportunity to refine your avalanche knowledge, strengthen your snowpack and terrain assessment skills, and develop a more systematic approach to decision-making under uncertainty. You'll leave with a deeper understanding of avalanche hazard—and, more importantly, a stronger framework for applying that knowledge to real-world backcountry skiing and winter mountain travel in Washington and beyond.

Contact us to schedule a private family AIARE Level 2 course and start building the skills to enjoy winter adventures together.

ZOOM Sessions 2026/2027: Wednesday Nights from 6:30-9:00, then on Fri Night 7:30-8:30

Field Locations: Snoqualmie Pass 

• 2027: January 23-24

• 2027 February 6-7 (FULL)

• Duration: 2 evening lectures and 2 Days

• Level: Intermediate

• Client Ratio: 6:1

• Cost:   

  • $600