AIARE Recreational Level 2 Avalanche Course Whitefish, MT

Location Whitefish

Season Winter

Difficulty Intermediate-Advanced

Duration 3 Days

Overview

Located in the beautiful Flathead Valley and beyond, The Mountain Guides Montana offers avalanche courses and skills clinics to help you begin and refine your avalanche safety and backcountry knowledge.   Our goal is to help you become a safer, more competent back country adventurer.  In our AIARE 2 courses we’ve taken it to the next level by providing students with ideal learning environments to suit their personal learning styles.  We offer a 3-day in person program based in the backcountry near Whitefish Mountain Resort and emersion learning yurt-based courses in partnership with Great Northern Powder Guides.

 

 

Whitefish Yurt-based Avalanche Courses from The Mountain Guides on Vimeo.

We highly encourage every backcountry user to take a Level 1 or 2 AIARE Avalanche Education Course and to follow up with yearly practice, so you enjoy a long lifetime of rewarding backcountry experiences. Along with our AIARE Courses, we offer a

number of clinics and opportunities that get you into the mountains to put your back country skills to work!

 

 

 

 

 

Season Winter

Minimum Age 18

Trip Planner

Itinerary

Our AIARE Level 2 Courses are designed for people looking to build a foundation for safe Backcountry travel. This comprehensive 3-day course focuses on hazard evaluation, decision-making, weather forecasting and much more.  This course will build off of your Rec 1 foundations and knowledge and give you a deeper understanding of the snow and avalanche world.

We do not include partner rescue or beacon training during a Rec 2 course.  For this reason, you must have proof of completion of an AIARE rescue course within the past two years as a prerequisite for this course.  Over the 3-day course you will be shown the skills and tools needed to navigate the winter mountains and evaluate the snowpack when traveling through avalanche terrain.

Yurt based AIARE Level 2:

$1050 Per Person

Price includes dinner, breakfast and hot drinks at the yurts as well as transportation via snowcat from the Great Northern Powder Guides’ base area to the yurts. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from Great Norther Powder Guides which is located 23 miles north of Whitefish.

Town based AIARE Level 2:

$775 Per Person

CLICK HERE to view current availability and enroll in a course!

UPPER LAYERS

BOTTOM LAYERS

  • Bottom Synthetic or Wool Long Underwear Bottoms Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Butterman Tight
  • Shell Pant: full side zips and built-in gaiters Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Highball Pant
  • Socks: Synthetic or wool. Sized for your boots and blister protection. Liners recommended.

HEAD AND HANDS

  • Gloves  3 pair: 1 light, 1 medium, 1 heavy pair  Guide Pick: Mountain Hardwear Cyclone Alpine Glove
  • Hat: medium weight ski hat
  • Hat: baseball or visor for sun
  • Buff/neck gaiter

ACCESSORIES

SKI/SNOWBOARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE BACKCOUNTRY (PACKAGES AVAILABLE FOR RENT AT JHMG)

  • Boots: Alpine Touring, Telemark, or Snowboarding Boots
  • Skis or Splitboard with compatible binding for boots
  • Climbing Skins (fit to skis)
  • Ski Poles
  • Helmet (optional)

SNOW SAFETY EQUIPMENT (REQUIRED AND AVAILABLE FOR RENT AT JHMG)

 

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UPPER LAYERS

BOTTOM LAYERS

HEAD AND HANDS

ACCESSORIES

SKI/SNOWBOARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE BACKCOUNTRY (Packages available for rent at Jackson location ONLY)

  • Boots: Alpine Touring, Telemark, or Snowboarding Boots
  • Skis or Splitboard with compatible binding for boots
  • Climbing Skins (fit to skis)
  • Ski Poles
  • Helmet (optional)

SNOW SAFETY EQUIPMENT (REQUIRED and available for rent at JHMG)

 

 

This course takes place at the Great Norther Powder Guide’s backcountry cabin. Lodging, meals at the cabin and transportation via snowcat to the cabin are included in the price. Students are responsible for their own transportation to the GNPG base area which is 23 miles North of Whitefish.

Because of Mountain Guides Montana’s location in beautiful Flathead Valley and proximity to Glacier National Park our venues for teaching are one of a kind. Flights come into Glacier International Airport (FCA) daily. Amtrak arrives once per day.

Because of The Mountain Guides Montana Whitefish, Montana location in beautiful Flathead Valley and proximity to Glacier National Park our venues for teaching are one of a kind. Flights come into Glacier International Airport (FCA) daily. Amtrak arrives once per day.

Testimonials

  • Always professional, always personable, always safe, always considerate. They take the time to develop a plan with the client that creates a fun and challenging experience; also, they provide valuable teaching moments along the way. I look forward to using their services again.

    — Greg Cutcher
  • Very professional! Excellent instructors with a wealth of knowledge and most importantly, they know how to facilitate growth of one’s mountain sense.

    — Clinton Culp
  • This is our third trip here to backcountry ski.  We love our guide and always request him.  The experience each year is always different and amazing.  This is the perfect escape for a few executives and we are already planning next year’s trip.

    — Paul Ellingson

Community Partners

As the signature sponsor of our Avalanche Safety Courses, all students enrolled will be able to test and demo Mammut avalanche safety equipment during the course at no charge. In exchange, participants provide five photos of the gear in use it as well as a review of the gear OR a post on social media tagging @jhmtnguides and @mammutna.

Trip Sponsors

The Great Northern Powder Guides (GNPG) is an independent Cat Skiing operation in Northwest Montana, offering guided cat skiing in the pristine Whitefish Range of the northern Rockies.  GNPG owns and operates the Powder House, a permanent yurt structure located 20 miles into the backcountry.  The Mountain Guides Montana and Great Northern Powder Guides collaborate to offer our immersion-based 3-day Yurt AIARE 1 and 2 courses.  The GNPG Powder House is a magical spot and offers a truly unique locale for cat skiing and avalanche education.  

Talk To Us

Here you’ll find online tools and information about joining us for a trip of a lifetime! To sign up for a trip, or if you have any questions, please call us. Listed on the left side of these pages are links that you may find useful, including printable forms and policies concerning a trip with TMG. We encourage ALL prospective climbers to read our Preparation advice. Our office can help place you with others who are looking to climb.

By Phone 406-344-7515

By Email Inquire Now

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