Evening Classroom Programs
2025 Program Calender
Technical Ski Mountaineering Ground School
Nov 4th | 6-8pm | La Sportiva Boulder
Come out for an evening discussion of theory, gear selection, and introductions to simple technical systems.
These programs are a great opportunity to gain an introduction or refresh your skills as a more experienced operator. It’s also a great chance to meet like-minded skiers in the area.
In skiing, the whole point of using a rope is to rely on it as little as possible so you can ski as much as possible. However, ropes can be tricky to use, and if you don’t have a background in climbing, it’s really hard to be efficient and effective. It’s more than just tying knots and rigging rappels—learning how to stow and coil ropes without them getting tangled is often underappreciated.
In addition to introducing some techniques, a big part of the ground school offering is to help you understand the big picture and all the skill sets involved in being successful in ski mountaineering. I hope you will come away with a better idea of how to make a solid plan and develop realistic timeframes to meet your goals.
Technical Ski Mountaineering Ground School
Dec 17th | 6-8pm | La Sportiva Boulder
Come out for an evening discussion of theory, gear selection, and introductions to simple technical systems.
These programs are a great opportunity to gain an introduction or refresh your skills as a more experienced operator. It’s also a great chance to meet like-minded skiers in the area.
In skiing, the whole point of using a rope is to rely on it as little as possible so you can ski as much as possible. However, ropes can be tricky to use, and if you don’t have a background in climbing, it’s really hard to be efficient and effective. It’s more than just tying knots and rigging rappels—learning how to stow and coil ropes without them getting tangled is often under appreciated.
In addition to introducing some techniques, a big part of the ground school offering is to help you understand the big picture and all the skill sets involved in being successful in ski mountaineering. I hope you will come away with a better idea of how to make a solid plan and develop realistic timeframes to meet your goals.
State of the Snowpack and Tour Planning Essentials
Jan 7 th | 6-8pm | La Sportiva Boulder
Come out to La Sportiva, Boulder to review tour planning fundamentals and get a snowpack update.
This program is meant to be an opportunity to review the key components of the Tour Planning Framework from your AIARE 1 course in preparation for the AIARE 2.
Skiers and riders who have a basic understanding of tour planning but feel like they have room to improve will find this program valuable. The session will be most useful for people who have taken a AIARE 1 course or have done some self study already. But it could also serve as a head start if you plan on taking a AIARE 1 this season.
Anyone preparing for the AIARE 2 will find this program most useful. It is particularly important to arrive to the AIARE 2 with a strong grasp of the tour planning fundamentals to get the most out of the field sessions.
We will review and refine the the fundamentals of tour planning including: the AIARE framework, digital mapping tools and using the CAIC public avalanche forecast. We will also have a discussion on the current state of the Colorado snowpack and the implications or the rest of the season.
Anyone signed up for an AIARE 1 or 2 this season can attend for free, there is a code available in your confirmation email. This program is also free for members of the Boulder Skimo Club.
Avy 3 Session 1 | The Conceptual Model for Avalanche Hazard
Jan 14th | 6-8pm | La Sportiva Boulder
Glacier Skiing 101
Wednesday, Feb 11th | 6-8pm | La Sportiva Boulder
Come out to La Sportiva, Boulder to get an introduction to glacier skiing fundamentals.
Skiing on glaciers we often want to take the rope off, to ya know… ski. This means that not falling into a crevasse is a lot more important than if we are climbing on the glacier roped up in the classic style. It also means it’s a much less forgiving learning environment.
Skiing on glaciers it is far more important to understand how to avoid falling into a crevasse than how to rescue someone after they do. This session we will discuss some fundamentals of glaciers skiing and how to avoid falling into them.
We will focus on glaciology and how the seasonality of snow creates more or less dangrous glaciers as well as travel strategies to manage them.
Anyone signed up for a field session season this season can attend for free, there is a code available in your confirmation email. This program is also free for members of the Boulder Skimo Club.
Avy 3 Session 2 | The Nature of the Problem
The reality is if you enter avalanche terrain you will encounter avalanches. The key decision point in any backcountry skier or riders career is deciding they want to accept that risk. Choosing to enter into terrain we must accept that we will encounter avalanche hazard and need to begin managing that hazard instead of avoiding it. Fundamental to that is a more intimate understanding of hazard, centered around the avalanche problem types. This session will focus on the nuance of the problems types and how they factor into our terrain selection and risk management. In addition to using the ‘problems types’ framework to understand slab avalanches we will discuss the leading conceptual framework: the mixed mode model for avalanche release.
Avy 3 Session 3 | Good Planning is Everything
March 11th | 7:00-8:30pm | La Sportiva Boulder
In the mountains there is a reality—the nature of the geometry and the way the mountain snow environment manifests across it. And then there is what we expect to find there; unfortunately those two things are not always the same. Fundamental to our success as backcountry travelers is our ability to predict and plan for what we will encounter in the field. We need to train our ability to more accurately predict and plan for what awaits us. This session will focus on advanced touring planning resources relating to navigation as well as weather and snowpack forecasting.
Snowpack Update and Spring Skiing 101
April 8th | 7-8:30pm | La Sportiva Boulder
We will discuss the subtleties of corn farming and how to make the most of the spring mountain snow environment in Colorado. Learn about how to time the corn cycle and what spring specific avalanche concerns are the most easy to get caught off guard by.
Avy 3 Session 4 | Not Safer, More Predictable
April 8th | 7-8:30pm | La Sportiva Boulder
If you have spent much time in the backcountry community in Colorado you’ve probably heard “spring is safer”. Yet many serious and fatal accidents happen in spring. Avalanches happen just as much in spring as they do in winter and are just as dangerous. They are however more predicable, and it is possible to avoid them with a higher level of confidence. This session is dedicated to understanding the nuance of spring skiing and how we can use the predictability of spring conditions to maintain and acceptable margin of risk and where people get caught off guard.