With the explosion of popularity with backcountry skiing in Colorado and beyond, avalanche educators around the country are working to provide comprehensive avalanche education that is convenient for students’ busy work and life schedules. With more than 20 years of operating in the beautiful Vail Valley, APEX Mountain School has had its finger on the pulse of what students want from their avalanche education. With that unique insight, Apex is giving students more flexibility than ever before with new options on how to get your AIARE avalanche education. Remote avalanche classes are nothing new. During the pandemic avalanche educators around the country proved that high quality avalanche education can be provided, in addition to in person field days, through ZOOM and other digital meeting platforms. These hybrid ZOOM courses offer students the ability to have a small classroom learning experience from the comfort of their own home. By taking a hybrid ZOOM course students can complete the in person classroom day over two evening sessions that are scheduled specifically to work around people’s busy schedules. The hybrid ZOOM format also offers students the ability to attend both their scheduled ZOOM evening sessions and the Friday in person classroom day, a perfect option for learners who benefit from being exposed to new concepts multiple times.
While traditionally offered as two separate courses, AIARE Recreational Level 1 and Companion Rescue avalanche courses are the foundation for avalanche education in the United States. Many course providers have realized students desire to complete both courses in a timely manner and have begun offering combination courses that cover both the Level 1 and Companion Rescue curriculum. By moving some, but not all, of APEX’s Companion Rescue course offerings from Thursdays to Mondays, students can now take a Remote Combo AIARE Level 1 and Rescue – Avalanche Education Course by attending a Tuesday and Thursday evening ZOOM session followed by the Saturday and Sunday in person field days and finish it off with the Companion Rescue course on Monday. This new schedule of offerings will allow students to take only one weekday off from work and get all of their introductory AIARE avalanche education from APEX’s premier instructor staff.
Don’t want to pack in all of your avalanche education so quickly? APEX’s schedule is more customizable than ever. Students who sign up for the Remote Combination Level 1 and Rescue course can take the ZOOM portion and then any other available Level 1 and Rescue course within one month of their ZOOM portion. Still doesn’t seem like quite the right fit for you? APEX also offers private avalanche education courses that can be built around your schedule and individual or group goals.
With more course offerings than ever before APEX is ready to empower students around Colorado and give them the knowledge and skills they need for safe days skiing and riding in the backcountry.
For more information please visit apexmountainschool.com or call at 970-949-9111
