Avalanche Institute (Avalanche-Center.org)

The Avalanche Institute is a project of the 501c3 non-profit Avalanche-Center.org. We offer primarily online avalanche courses for recreation including a complete and very comprehensive “Level 1”. In spring we have a special course dedicated to climbing and mountaineering. From time to time we offer technical and scientific courses on avalanches as well.

For all courses we post complete objectives, outlines and details on our website so students can see exactly what they will be getting. We have offered online education since about 2008 and been online since about 1994. We do not subscribe to the “create a course in 15 minutes with AI and no expertise” school of thought which has recently emerged. All course fees go to support the avalanche safety resources we off online to the public.

Our courses emphasize proper planning for safety and risk management based on understanding the weather and snowpack factors behind avalanches. While most work is online our “Level 1” does require self-implemented field time which we guide with direction in advance and de-briefing to follow up. This approach lets the student apply what they are learning themself and allows them to choose a suitable day rather than being committed to a day when it rains or is otherwise difficult.