Your AIARE Toolkit: What Colorado Backcountry Guides Actually Carry in Their Packs during Avalanche Season
- marketing01884
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
When you’re traveling in Colorado’s backcountry, what you carry matters just as much as where you go. Our snowpack is notoriously tricky — shallow, wind-loaded, and prone to persistent weak layers — which means the right tools (and the knowledge to use them) can make all the difference.
So what do professional guides who work in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Indian Peaks, Summit County, and the Front Range actually keep in their packs during an AIARE course? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look.
Avalanche Safety Essentials (The AIARE Big 3)
These are non-negotiable. Every guide and every student carries:
1. Beacon
A digital, three-antenna beacon with a fresh battery.Colorado’s treed terrain and complex gullies make signal reliability essential.
2. Shovel
A metal shovel — never plastic — for digging pits, doing compression tests, and practicing rescue drills.Colorado’s notoriously hard wind slabs = you need a strong blade.
3. Probe
Minimum 240 cm, though many guides use 300 cm for Colorado’s deep burial potential and forested areas.
Snowpack & Terrain Tools
These are the tools guides use to read and interpret Colorado’s snowpack — which tends to be faceted, variable, and heavily influenced by wind.
4. Snow Saw
Used for isolating columns during extended column tests and identifying crust or faceted layers (a hallmark of the Colorado snowpack).
5. Crystal Card & Magnifier
To examine grain type, size, and metamorphosis.In Colorado, depth hoar and near-surface facets are common culprits, and guides teach students how to identify them up close.
6. Inclinometer
Slope angle matters.Most human-triggered slides in Colorado occur on slopes between 30–45 degrees, making this tiny tool essential.
Navigation & Communication
Even a bluebird day in the Front Range can turn into a whiteout in minutes.
7. Map & Compass / GPS
Guides often pair paper maps with GPS units or apps like CalTopo and Gaia GPS.This is especially important in places like RMNP where terrain traps and cliff bands hide beneath early-season snow.
8. Radios
Wind, terrain, and tree cover can separate groups quickly. Two-way radios keep teams connected, especially on Berthoud Pass, Loveland Pass, or in tight drainages.
Colorado-Specific Add-Ons Guides Swear By
9. Extra Mid-Layers
Colorado’s temperature swings are dramatic — it can be 15°F on the ridge and 40°F in the trees.Guides typically carry a synthetic puffy plus an emergency shell.
10. Repair Kit & Skin Essentials
Colorado’s cold, dry snow frequently leads to skin glue failures, especially during transitions.Guides often pack:
Skin wax
Voilé straps
Multi-tool
Tape
Spare tail clip
11. First Aid & Emergency Gear
Due to long approaches (Indian Peaks, RMNP) and remote drainages (like Jones Pass), guides typically carry:
Compact first-aid kit
Space blanket or bivy
Headlamp
Fire starter
Optional but Game-Changing Extras
12. Snow Study Kit
Thermometer, density gauge, or field book for more advanced snow science (often covered in AIARE Level 2).
13. Extra Snacks & Hot Drinks
Altitude + cold = everyone burns calories fast.Most guides bring high-calorie, no-freeze snacks and a thermos of something warm.
14. External Battery Pack
Cold temps drain phone batteries. Guides rely on GPS apps and need a backup.
Why This Matters for AIARE Students
When you join an AIARE course with Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides, you’re not just learning how to use gear — you’re learning how to make decisions that match Colorado’s unique avalanche problems.You’ll practice:
Reading the snowpack
Running rescue drills
Identifying weak layers
Interpreting CAIC forecasts
Moving through terrain safely
And you’ll do it using the same tools our guides rely on every single day.
Ready to Build Your Own Kit?
Check out our upcoming AIARE Level 1, Level 2, and Avalanche Rescue courses — including hybrid evening sessions that make scheduling easy.
Whether you’re new to the backcountry or refining your expertise, the right training (and the right gear) set you up for safe, confident travel all season long.
