So, you’re ready to begin your avalanche education, and you’re asking yourself “how much does an avalanche course cost?” Well, in the spirit of transparency, Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School are going to break it down for you. Not only are we going to be upfront about our prices this winter, but we’ve done the hard work of gathering current prices from a number of other well-known avalanche course providers, so that you don’t have to. Because we are based in Bellingham, WA, we’re going to be looking, mostly, at other providers in Washington State. But we’ll throw in some rates for a couple other folks around the country as well, for good measure. Quotes includes curriculums produced by the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE), as well as the American Avalanche Institute (AAI). Both curriculums meet national standards set by the American Avalanche Association (AAA).
Some of these providers are cheaper and some are more expensive, and you may be asking yourself, why? We’re going to break that down as well. We like to mind our own business, so we don’t know the specific ins and outs of anyone else’s operations, but we’ve been in this gig long enough to know how the industry works. It basically boils down to margins, which are driven by competition, ratios, wages, and general overhead.
Get ready for the numbers.
Winter 2023-2024 Avalanche Course Costs
Baker Mountain Guides / Northwest Avalanche School (WA):- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $250
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $725
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $745
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $295
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $275
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $600
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $600
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $250
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $225
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $175
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $560
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $560
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $225
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $495
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $495
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $225
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $495
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $495
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $205
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $685
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $685
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $225
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $655
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $820
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $240
- AAI Level 1 Avalanche Course: $699
- AAI Level 2 Avalanche Course: $729
- AAI Avalanche Rescue Course: $279
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $500
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: N/A
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $185
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $575
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: $595
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $250
- AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course: $540
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course: N/A
- AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course: $215
Avalanche Course Overhead Costs
Like everything else, avalanche courses have been increasing in price steadily over the last few years. Why have avalanche course costs been going up? Well, there are a lot of moving parts, but basically, it’s becoming more expensive to operate an avalanche course. Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School are an AIARE provider, so we’re going to look at what is costs to run an AIARE avalanche course.
AIARE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “Save Lives through Avalanche Education.” AIARE produces curriculum that providers can use to educate their students. AIARE providers pay a number of provider fees, for the right to use AIARE’s curriculum. The initial cost to purchase the AIARE Level 1, AIARE Level 2, and AIARE Avalanche Rescue Curriculum is $2500, followed by $250 each year afterwards. Additionally, providers are required to pay AIARE $35 for every level 1 and level 2 student taught, as well as $20 for every avalanche rescue student taught. Providers also have to provide each student with an AIARE branded field book, or “blue book,” which costs $17, or $14.50 if purchased in bulk.
In addition to AIARE provider fees, most avalanche course providers pay overhead for land use permits and commercial liability insurance as well. These amounts are typically a percent of total revenue. For example, the National Forest Service charges 3% of total revenue, and generally, outfitters and guides expect to pay 7% – 10% of their total revenue for insurance.
Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School are charging $575.00 for an avalanche course this winter, which breaks down as follows for AIARE Level 1 courses operated in the National Forest – assuming we have minimized our costs:
Student Taught Fee: $35.00
Blue Book: $14.50
Permit Fees: $17.25
Insurance: $40.25
So, in this example, it costs us $107/student to operate an avalanche course, not including payroll, and payroll is almost always the largest expense in any service-oriented business.
Becoming an Avalanche Course Instructor
Before talking about how much an avalanche course instructor gets paid, it’s worth reviewing what all is involved to become an avalanche instructor, and how much it costs.
Individuals need to have a deep breadth of backcountry experience and mountain sense before they can consider becoming avalanche course instructors. The costs associated with gaining this experience are intangible, but likely include many years of equipment and travel expenses. Along their journey of becoming backcountry skiers, riders, and mountaineers they likely paid for a level 1 avalanche course, and possibly an avalanche rescue course. At this point, they would be ready for professional level training.
To become a ski or avalanche professional requires completion of the Professional Level 1 avalanche course and the Professional Level 2 avalanche course. The Pro 1 is basically a Level 2 on steroids for aspiring professionals. Depending on the venue, the cost for the AIARE Pro 1 ranges from $1750 – $2100, and the cost for the AIARE Pro 2 ranges from $2200 – $3800.
Additionally, AIARE instructors are required to complete the AIARE Instructor Training Course (ITC), and AIARE course leaders are required to complete the AIARE Course Leader training (CLT). Depending on venue, the AIARE ITC ranges from $1600 – $2100, and the AIARE CLT is $1600. Finally, anyone teaching or leading an AIARE avalanche course is required to participate in annual AIARE continuing education (CE). These CE programs run $100 – $200 per year.
So, let’s make sense of all of that. Instructing an AIARE course requires completion of the Pro 1 and the ITC. Leading an AIARE course requires the additional completion of the Pro 2 and the CLT. Assuming the most affordable prices this winter, these instructional certifications would cost the following:
AIARE Instructor: $3350.00
AIARE Course Leader: $7150.00
That’s a lot of money, especially considering that most instructors and course leaders are paying for these trainings out of their own pockets. These costs also do not consider all of the associated travel and lodging expenses. Additionally, there are other requirements that must be met to be an AIARE instructor or course leader that have intangible costs. In short, becoming an avalanche course instructor requires a substantial commitment of time and resources, which is why we choose to pay them well.
Avalanche Course Payroll Costs
Avalanche course wages are the primary driver of avalanche course costs. Obviously, wages are going to be different depending on where an instructor works. Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School can’t speak for other organizations, but we can be transparent about our pay structure.
In the outdoor industry, we often structure compensation in the form of day wages. There is a shift underway towards hourly compensation, for various reasons, but day wages are still the norm. At Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School, our AIARE instructors and course leaders start out at the following base, day wages:
AIARE Instructor: $350/Day
AIARE Course Leader: $425/Day
For every 5 courses an instructor or course leader commits to for the winter season, they get an extra $25/day, up to 10 courses, so an instructor could make up to $400/day, and a course leader could make up to $475/day. For perspective, when I began teaching avalanche courses in 2009, I was making $75/day as an instructor. Times have changed.
Most level 1 and level 2 avalanche courses in the United States are 3 days, or 24 hours in length. At Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School, we split the first 8 hours into 2 online zoom sessions, which we staff with a course leader and one instructor. AIARE mandates 6:1 ratios in the field, which means that we add in 2 additional instructors for the two field days on our 24-student courses. So, one avalanche course costs us 3 days of course leader wages and 7 days of instructor wages. When you do all of the hard math things and add in payroll tax, You’ll find that an average of $181.25 of the $575 that you spent on your avalanche course is going to the pro who is out in the backcountry with you.
The Bottom Line
So, on average, every student that we teach at Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School costs us $107 in program overhead and $181.25 in payroll. That means that our net profit is $286.75 per student this winter. Keep in mind that this number does not include business overhead such as curriculum costs, office space, administrative staff, guiding equipment, or taxes. These are the primary variables that drive differences in avalanche course costs from one provider to another. But generally, everyone has a similar business model, which is why most advertised avalanche course costs fall within a range. Beyond that, competition normally drives everyone toward the same number, and this winter, the median avalanche course cost is $575.
If you have a calculator and some spare time, you can probably pull the curtain back a little further. For profit businesses go into business for a profit, and that’s true for Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School as well. This is what we do for a living, and like everyone else, we have to pay our bills, fuel our car, feed our family, enjoy ourselves some, and save a little for the future. All that being said, at Baker Mountain Guides and the Northwest Avalanche School we are good at what we do, and we are proud to make a living doing it. We hope you agree.
