Blackbird AIARE 2

Advanced Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain


The Blackbird AIARE 2 builds on the foundation learned in AIARE 1. We dive deeper into the "why" and "how" of avalanche problems and discover advanced tools to gather data, prepare for the field and travel with our team. In the end it's still all about one thing: decision making.

We will explore how weather, snowpack, and terrain affect avalanche hazard and you will work on improving your ability to manage avalanche hazard through keen observations and terrain selection.

What you do with that hazard assessment depends on how you and your team process it. Will you make good decisions based on the information you've gathered? Or will you ignore your findings due to human factors?


Progression for your course

1) Take the AIARE2 Online Course


AIARE 2 Online

The AIARE 2 online course lays a foundation of knowledge and introduces the key concepts of the course. This is essential for planning, assessing hazard in the field and making good decisions.


2) Take the Blackbird AIARE2 Online Course


GO TO THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO GET STARTED. In this course we'll explore case studies, AIARE1 review materials, and advanced tools to help plan tours and gather information.


3) Webinar



The webinar serves three goals:

  1. Review key concepts from the online course
  2. Answer participant questions that came up during the online course
  3. Provide logistics for the field days


4) Field Work & Backcountry Tour



Field Day 1 Covers:

  1. Craftsmanship, relevancy and verification of snow observations
  2. Interpreting weather data, snow surface conditions and snow profiles
  3. On the Go Observations that provide information on the snowpack


Field Day 2 (the Tour Day) Covers:

A full day backcountry tour in which we will:

  1. Discuss our team
  2. Make pertinent weather and snowpack observations
  3. Choose terrain effectively
  4. Communicating observations to our group and others