Palisades Tahoe and Alpenglow Expeditions want more people to have access to avalanche rescue skills. So, the two companies are launching a program for the 2024-2025 winter at the resort, offering a lift-accessed AIARE avalanche rescue course. It’s a first for both Palisades Tahoe and the local mountain guiding company.
Avalanches can happen anywhere, even at a resort — as happened in 2024 when a deadly avalanche at Palisades Tahoe buried multiple people in-bounds. Alpenglow Expeditions told GearJunkie that this program is designed for any skiers and riders who access avalanche terrain, no matter where they are.
“Avalanche safety is critical for anyone spending time in the mountains, whether in the backcountry or resort-accessed terrain,” Adrian Ballinger, founder of Alpenglow Expeditions, said. “With avalanches being a reality in many mountain environments, it’s essential for all skiers and snowboarders to be prepared and educated.”
So, for the 2024/25 season, Alpenglow Expeditions is partnering with Palisades Tahoe to offer guests a one-day lift-accessed AIARE rescue course at the resort. Guests can now learn rescue skills without needing backcountry experience or uphill gear. All they need is a lift pass and a reservation for the course.
Bringing AIARE Skills In-Bounds: Palisades Tahoe x Alpenglow Expeditions
The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) is a nonprofit organization that provides standardized avalanche courses throughout the U.S. Different AIARE certifications offer different levels of training.
The AIARE rescue course is not a full certification, but a one-day training session. It familiarizes participants with avalanche rescue gear, how to use it, understand avalanche hazards, read forecasts, develop a plan, and refine response times.
AIARE recommends that backcountry users take a rescue course once a year to improve their skills. But Alpenglow thinks resort skiers could benefit from it as well.
“Knowing how to react if someone finds themselves in [an avalanche] is a key step someone can take in their own personal mountain education journey,” Alpenglow said.
Currently, the outfitter plans to host courses nearly every week during the winter months across 18 set dates. Spots must be reserved ahead of time. Each class will have a minimum of three people and a maximum of 18. Alpenglow Expeditions will provide an instructor for every six participants, so one class could have as many as three teachers.
“These courses will be held across the resort depending on conditions, mostly targeting intermediate terrain away from congested areas,” Alpenglow explained.
To book your spot in one of the AIARE rescue courses at Palisades Tahoe, sign up on Alpenglow Expedition’s website. The outfitter offers a variety of other training courses and guided adventures you can book as well.
In-Bounds Doesn’t Mean ‘Safe’
Ski patrollers do their best to mitigate avalanche danger in resorts. It is one of the most important aspects of their jobs.
But accidents happen, like the aforementioned slide at Palisades Tahoe, which tragically killed one guest. In 2019, an avalanche at Taos Ski Valley took two lives on Kachina Peak, the resort’s highest lift-accessed point. In 2012, an avalanche within bounds at Vail ended the life of a 13-year-old — the same day another avalanche at Winter Park’s Mary Jane killed someone else.
“The fact of the matter is, avalanches can and will happen at ski resorts,” Alpenglow said.
Whether an AIARE rescue course could have changed the outcomes in any of those cases is unknown. But the more people who are trained in rescue skills, the safer everyone becomes. Historically, those skills have been available only to those who own backcountry equipment and desire to venture out of the resort. Access to rescue courses for non-backcountry users has never been a big priority.
This program from Alpenglow Expeditions at Palisades Tahoe could change that. It will open the gates for more people to gain these useful skills — even if they only ride in bounds.
“We’re really excited to launch this new option to expand our reach to in-bounds as well as backcountry skiers and riders alike!” Alpenglow said.
