American Avalanche Institute Pro 1

Take Your Avalanche Skills to the Professional Level

Ready to take the next big step in your avalanche education? Our Professional Avalanche Training 1 (Pro 1) course is designed for aspiring avalanche professionals, guides, ski patrollers, and experienced recreational backcountry travelers who want to take their understanding of snow, weather, terrain, and avalanche hazard to a much higher level. Washington Alpine Guides partners with the American Avalanche Institute (AAI) to offer this intensive professional-level avalanche course.

Over five field days, students learn how avalanche professionals observe, document, communicate, and make decisions in avalanche terrain. You’ll dig into weather observations, avalanche hazard assessment, terrain analysis, route planning, snow profiles, weak-layer identification, stability tests, professional field documentation, avalanche rescue, and operational decision-making. More importantly, you’ll learn how to put all of that information together and communicate useful observations as part of an avalanche risk-management team.

Pro 1 is an important step for anyone considering a career in ski guiding, ski patrol, avalanche forecasting, or snow safety, but it can also be incredibly valuable for seasoned recreational skiers and riders. If you already have years of backcountry experience and want to understand the snowpack and avalanche hazard with far greater depth and precision, Pro 1 can be a huge progression in your mountain education.

Our program is taught by veteran avalanche educators and mountain professionals Ian Nicholson and Mike Soucy, bringing decades of combined experience in avalanche education, professional guiding, and decision-making in complex mountain terrain. Come ready to spend five days geeking out on snow, sharpening your mountain judgment, and becoming a much stronger avalanche practitioner.

Cost

$1849.00

Dates

Jan 11-15 2027