With the start of the ski season, I thought it prudent to do a roundup of avalanche resources available online and in the Sierra Nevada region.

Now you have no excuse. Go take that avalanche course you’ve been putting off. It’ll make the backcountry more fun because you’ll be able to geek out on your snow science knowledge. And you’ll be safer and more confident (although those two things don’t necessarily go together).

The preeminent avalanche organization is American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE). These are the guys who put together the curriculum for the Levels I, II and III courses.

I took AIARE Avalanche Courses Level I and II a few seasons ago at the Colorado Mountain School. Great outfit, but there’s no reason to go that far if you’re a CA local. I’ve compiled a complete list of CA courses below.

Personally, I spend the vast majority of my winter season in Tahoe, so I’m a daily visitor to the Sierra Avalanche Center. They have  full-time forecasters who put out an advisory every single day. They do an amazing job. Thank you SAC!! Check out Avalanche.org for a round-up of all avalanche centers around the rest of the country. This site is packed full of good stuff.

My go-to weather forecast is the NOAA Weather Service. I’m no weather expert, but this seems to be more accurate than Weather.com and the like. I have Truckee and various points on the East Side of the Sierras bookmarked for easy reference.

Avalanche Forecasts and Advisories:

• Sierra Avalanche Center (For the Tahoe region)
• Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (For the East Side)
• Mount Shasta Avalanche Center (For our cousin in the Cascades)

Avalanche Awareness and Education:

• Alpine Skills International, Truckee, CA
• Bardini Foundation, Bishop, CA
• Donner Summit Avalanche Seminars, Norden, CA
• Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Kirkwood, CA
• Lake Tahoe Community College, South Lake Tahoe, CA
• Mountain Adventure Seminars, Bear Valley, CA
• Shasta Mountain Guides, Mt Shasta, CA
• Sierra Mountain Center, Bishop, CA
• Sierra Mountain Guides, June Lake, CA
• Sierra Mountaineering International, Bishop, CA