Off-piste skiing allows you to escape the packed resorts and have snowy playgrounds to yourself, but venturing into the backcountry is no joke. Avalanches can strike out of the blue, so knowing what to do in these situations is a matter of great importance. If things do turn sour, all can easily be solved by arming yourself with the necessary avalanche safety skills. This is why taking an AIARE Level 2 Course in Colorado’s Estes Park is an absolute must. The area offers acres of ideal terrain and favorable conditions for you to learn how to interpret weather, snow, and avalanche observations, create a plan to manage a group in avalanche terrain, gain an insight into snow science and avalanche dynamics, and so much more! After this course with an experienced guide and the knowledge you’ll have, your next backcountry adventure will be smooth sailing.
Take to Estes Park’s powdery backcountry and join an AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course with an expert guide! Show your leadership skills within a small team in avalanche terrain, practice avalanche rescue, learn how to use and interpret snow, weather, and avalanche observations to locate appropriate terrain, and learn how to stay safe when traveling out of bounds.
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Estes Park, Colorado, please refer to Colorado’s COVID-19 Travel Guidelines and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
What you get in this adventure:
What’s not included:
In order to get the most of this adventure, you need to have a moderate level of fitness. You will be on your feet for 8 hours. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain, as well as ski in powder, all on an AT/Telemark setup or a splitboard.
Prerequisites:
Participants must have the ability to travel in avalanche terrain. An AIARE 1 Course (strongly recommended) or equivalent Level 1 training is required, as well as an AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course. Although it is not required, it is suggested that you have had at least a year of backcountry travel experience after the Level 1 course before taking the AIARE 2 course.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Ski rental locations are in Boulder, CO, and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
AIARE Level 2 courses in Estes Park can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
To get to Estes Park, most people fly into Denver International Airport 1.5 hours from Estes Park. From there, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service and a taxi.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, you’ll meet up with your guide at the trailhead in Estes Park. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
Cancel within 48 hours of booking your trip for free, no questions asked. If you need to change your plans up to 31 days ahead of your scheduled adventure, we offer a full refund on most trips. Within 31 days we offer free date changes or the option to convert your booking to credit to use on any 57hours adventure at a later date.
Check your inbox.
Schedule a call with our adventure experts and let us help planning your dream adventure.
The guides are knowledgeable and professional. Highly recommended!