Recommendations for safety classes/clinics for ice climbers?

Winter is coming!

Now that I'm leading some, I want to take either an avalanche awareness course or climber's self-rescue clinic before the ice season gets away from me.

May not have the money or time to do both, so any specific recommendations? Do I need the full-tilt 3-day AAIRE class or would something shorter suffice? Know of any particular classes/clinics in CO that are more awesome than others?

(I'm cross-posting this to the Northeast forum too--I'm lucky that I get to climb in both regions this winter!)

Thanks for your input!

If you don't want to do the full AAIRE course, CMC Denver offers a basic avalanche awareness class.

hikingdenver.net/schools/av…

Unless you're planning to combine ice-climbing with long backcountry ski approaches I'd say that the full AAIRE course is more than you need at this point.

Friends of Berthoud Pass holds several Avalanche awareness seminars every year at local gear shops, ie Bentgate, wilderness exchange. The seminar is free and then you choose to pay and attend an on snow day up on Berthoud pass. Not a full level one but they cover the basics.

My best piece of advice would be to get the boot "Avalanch Aware" and then make it a habit of reading the Caic's daily Avy report. Done on a daily basis this will start to give you a sense of what's going on out there interms of snowpack development and risk assessment.

Good luck and be safe!

I'm a little confused with the wording. Is it ice you're leading? If so then I'd say a self rescue course is well worth doing. I do two day courses in the Front Range. There is plenty of ice that has little or no avalanche hazard but the self rescue skills will be practicable when you are rock climbing as well so a little more bang for your buck in my opinion. If you are wanting to do backcountry routes and think you'll get into skiing and other backcountry snow travel then an avalanche course is a good idea. Probably don't need to do a full AIARE course though. There are plenty of good intro avy courses that will help you with basic "go/no-go" decision making and basics with avy tools.

Yep, leading ice and a little rock in the summer, so self-rescue makes total sense. As does the avy book and a short avy course. Thanks, all, for the good advice!

I would do the level1; the education to recognize and understand a hazard and avoid a problem to the route seems more beneficial.

women connect with Chicks with Pics group,,,they hold womens' only clinics each winter, in past both on east coast and in Colorado. Very well run and a fine record of success.

Our AIARE L1 and L2 courses in RMNP are oriented towards climbers and experienced backcountry travelers: guide.climbinglife.com/
Safe travels!
Eli

jmeizis wrote:I'm a little confused with the wording. Is it ice you're leading? If so then I'd say a self rescue course is well worth doing. I do two day courses in the Front Range. There is plenty of ice that has little or no avalanche hazard but the self rescue skills will be practicable when you are rock climbing as well so a little more bang for your buck in my opinion. If you are wanting to do backcountry routes and think you'll get into skiing and other backcountry snow travel then an avalanche course is a good idea. Probably don't need to do a full AIARE course though. There are plenty of good intro avy courses that will help you with basic "go/no-go" decision making and basics with avy tools.

Self rescue class > avy class > any other class

If you are looking at backcountry ice/alpine in the Rockies, I'd say self rescue and avy classes are a tier above anything else. Sell some furniture or random gear that you don't use and take both classes.