AIARE 1 and Avalanche Rescue
at our discounted rate
Northeast Mountaineering's avalanche courses at a discount for IST, by application: three courses this winter in the Mt. Washington Valley. Applications close December 1, and every applicant hears on December 2.
Affordable avalanche education, for our community
Avalanche education is the step beyond our guided days. To travel in or near avalanche terrain on your own, you need AIARE 1, and at its regular rate the course is out of reach for many of the people we exist for. That is the gap this partnership helps close. It does not work for everyone, but it is what we are able to offer right now.
We chose discounted seats over a few free ones on purpose. A handful of fully funded seats would reach a handful of people. A $200 discount on AIARE 1 and $30 off Avalanche Rescue, across three courses, reaches up to 36 people this winter. We know a financial barrier remains at $395, and we also know this is substantially more access, and substantially more impact, than a few free seats could give.
And because the seats are limited, they go by application. A seat is not guaranteed, and the people with the most financial need come first, so the discount lands where it does the most.
We are proud to partner with Northeast Mountaineering on these courses. Its own AIARE instructors teach every course on this page, and registration and payment are through Northeast Mountaineering, not IST: we do not receive any of the course fees. We worked to create this partnership for one reason, more access to affordable avalanche education for our community, and our part is the application and the seats.
What the courses are
AIARE 1 is the three-day introduction to avalanche hazard management for anyone, regardless of how they travel, who wants to recreate in or near avalanche terrain: how to plan and prepare for a trip, recognize avalanche terrain, make decisions in it with a simple framework, and rescue a buried partner. Avalanche Rescue is the one-day course on the rescue itself: beacon, probe and shovel in realistic scenarios, with professional feedback on your response.
Regular rates are Northeast Mountaineering’s published course prices. Doing both in March: apply for the Rescue course and the weekend AIARE 1 together, and we read the two applications as one trip.
Apply, hear back, book
Apply by December 1
Tell us which course you want, a little about your touring, and why the rate matters for you. It takes a few minutes. Seats are limited, so applying does not guarantee one.
December 2: everyone hears
Every applicant gets an email on December 2, accepted or not. The people with the most financial need are prioritized. 15 are accepted per course: 12 with a seat and 3 on a waitlist, in order.
Book within a week
Your acceptance email carries the booking link for the IST rate, which only ever travels by email. You have one week to book with Northeast Mountaineering, or the seat goes to the next person on the waitlist.
If there is no seat for you this time
Northeast Mountaineering runs the same courses at its regular rate all winter, and we send you there with our thanks for applying.
Ready to apply? It takes a few minutes, and the date you apply does not matter: every application for a course is read together after December 1.
Apply by December 1Three days, then one day
AIARE 1, three days
At the end you can plan and prepare for travel in avalanche terrain, recognize it, describe a basic framework for decisions in it, and carry out a companion rescue.
Day 1, the classroom, 8:00am to 5:00pm
Decision making, the types of avalanches and avalanche terrain, human factors, trip planning tools, and emergency planning.
Day 2, in the field
Avalanche rescue practice in the morning, then an instructor-led tour with snow pit demonstrations, and a debrief.
Day 3, in the field
A student-led morning meeting and tour, then a review of the tour, the course debrief, and done by 4:30pm.
Avalanche Rescue, one day
At the end you can describe what to do if you or a partner is caught, use the rescue gear, set up realistic practice, and keep improving your response. You leave with a rescue card dated that day.
Your gear, and checking it
Personal protective and avalanche rescue equipment, self-evacuation gear, and the routines for checking that all of it works.
The rescue, skill by skill
The Avalanche Rescue Quick Reference, then each skill on its own: reading the scene and taking charge, the transceiver search, probing, and shoveling.
Single burial scenarios
Setting up a realistic practice scenario and putting the skills together into one rescue.
After the burial
Patient care, getting out, communication equipment, and working with Search and Rescue and EMS.
Scenarios and feedback
Full rescues with professional feedback on your response. Advanced topics as the group wants them: probing on a line with a partner, multiple victims, deep burials.
Gear and rentals
What to bring
- Avalanche beacon, probe and shovel, yours or rented through Northeast Mountaineering
- Your touring setup: AT skis or a splitboard, skins, boots and poles, yours or rented, or snowshoes
- A pack that holds it all
- Layers for a full day out in the Mt. Washington Valley in winter
- Water and lunch, every day
- Sunglasses or goggles, warm gloves
- A notebook for the classroom day
The full list comes with your acceptance email.
Where to rent
A beacon, probe and shovel are required on both courses. If you do not own them, Northeast Mountaineering lists the set at $50 for AIARE 1 and $22.50 for Avalanche Rescue, rented through mtnGEAR, its shop, and lists a 50% rental discount on the set for course participants. For a touring setup, both shops below give IST participants a discounted rate, and how to get it is in your acceptance email.
Before you apply
Do I need to have toured before?
The field days are real backcountry days on skis, a splitboard or snowshoes, and the course spends its time on the snow and the terrain, not on learning to skin. If you have done an Intro to Backcountry day or the equivalent, you are set. If you are not sure, email us before you apply.
Can members skip the application?
No. In 2026 the seats went to members and past participants first. In 2027 every seat is by application, for financial need, so the courses go to the people who could not otherwise take them. Members are welcome to apply.
Does IST receive any of the course fees?
No. Registration and payment are through Northeast Mountaineering, and none of the course fees come to IST. We built the partnership so that more people in our community can afford avalanche education; the application and the seats are our part.
What do I get at the end?
AIARE 1: the full course with Northeast Mountaineering’s instructors, the student manual, and the course completion from Northeast Mountaineering. Avalanche Rescue: a rescue card dated that day. Together they are the prerequisite for AIARE 2 and for the Pro 1 course.
What if I am on the waitlist?
Three of the 15 accepted per course are a waitlist, in order. If one of the 12 does not book inside a week, the first on the waitlist gets the link and the same week to book.
What if I have to cancel?
Your booking is with Northeast Mountaineering, so its policy applies: a full refund more than 30 days out, Northeast Mountaineering credit from 29 days to 72 hours out, and nothing inside 72 hours. A date change is free up to a week before the course. Tell us too, so the seat can go to the waitlist.
Where do I stay?
The Bunkhouse at Northeast Mountaineering, next to the classroom: two nights for $60 with AIARE 1, one night for $30 with Avalanche Rescue, booked separately with the Bunkhouse and subject to space. More lodging partners are on the Lodging page.
Is there a scholarship for these courses?
The discount is the scholarship, and the application is how it reaches the people who need it. Our full scholarships are for the Intro to Backcountry and Intro to Ski / Snowboard Mountaineering days; they are on the Scholarships page.
