North American Ski Training Center – Tahoe, CA

Category: Guided Backcountry Skiing

  • AIARE AVALANCHE LEVEL 1 2025-2026 (TRUCKEE)

    AIARE AVALANCHE LEVEL 1 2025-2026 (TRUCKEE)

    LEVEL 1 WITH THE OLDEST CONTINUALLY OPERATING AIARE SCHOOL IN TAHOE

    Click HERE to Venmo a $200 deposit to enroll, we will send you the online link today to start your class! 

    or PAYPAL: [email protected]/ ZELLE: 5303862102 / VENMO: @JENNY-FELLOWS-3
     
    NASTC is proud to be one of the two oldest continually operating AIARE schools in Tahoe/Truckee, offering avalanche classes since 1996, and AIARE courses since 2007.
     
    All AIARE Level 1 classes take place in Truckee/Donner Summit.
    Upon completion, students have their AIARE 1 certification.

    PRICE: $575 until Dec 1, then $635  (deposit of $200, balance due 30 days prior to fieldwork weekend)

    DATES:

    Dec 6-7, 2025 canc due to snow
    Dec 13-14, 2025 canc due to snow

    Jan 10-11, 2026 some room
    Jan 18-19, 2026 (Sun-Mon, MLK weekend) some room

    Jan 31-Feb 1, 2026 plenty of room
    Feb 7-8, 2026 plenty room
    Feb 15-16, 2026 (Sun-Mon, Presidents’ Day weekend)  room

    Feb  21-22, 2026 

    Mar 7-8, 2026 

    March 14-15, 2026 plenty of room, final class of the season

    Day 1 of your avalanche course is comprised of self-paced online coursework plus a 3-hour Zoom class with your instructor(s). When you enroll, we send you the online links. The Zoom is held usually on a Thurs night within 2 weeks of your fieldwork.

    Days 2 & 3 of your AIARE 1 are 8-hour fieldwork days in Truckee on Donner Summit with your instructor(s).
     
    Required skier or rider skill level: strong intermediate to expert. This means that at a minimum, you should be able to successfully link parallel turns with a pole plant down un-groomed blue terrain at a ski resort. If you want help reaching that level, sign up for our Jumpstart at Palisades clinic Dec 8-9.
     
    Text or call 530-386-2102 or email [email protected] anytime with any questions.
     
    “NASTC’s AIARE 1 was – bar none – the best experience I could imagine. I did my AIARE 1 five years ago with another provider in CO, but my NASTC course leader and instructors were so much more organized, professional, and fun! Didn’t hurt that we skied epic powder for two days! I am going to do an advanced ski clinic at Palisades with NASTC next.” –Beth, San Francisco
     
    Each year more skiers are venturing into the backcountry lured by the opening up of resort boundary lines and the promise of pristine powder fields and underpopulated terrain. However, with more access the risk has never been greater, and the need to know basic safety protocols, rescue techniques, avalanche hazard awareness, and management are essential to survival and having a great time out there.
     
    The AIARE curriculum is a 3-day intensive seminar designed to give you an understanding of avalanche formation, “nature’s billboard” observation skills, the ability to use an avalanche transceiver and probe, and how to dig a snow study pit. This is a minimum amount of know-how if you want to travel, ski, or ride in the backcountry or sidecountry safely. There is time spent daily in the classroom and in the field.

    The goals of the course are:

    • The student will be taught safe travel methods in avalanche terrain including trip planning and preparation, interpretation of the avalanche bulletin, observational techniques for snowpack, weather, avalanches, terrain analysis, safe travel techniques, and decision-making fundamentals
    • The student will be shown how to use various rescue equipment and companion rescue protocols
    • The student will be taught how to execute mock rescues in the field
    • The student will be introduced to the avalanche triangle, weather, snowpack, terrain and the human factor
    • Attain Level 1 certification upon successful completion
    In addition to your on-line coursework, you will have a 3-hour Zoom session with your full class and instructor(s) prior to the fieldwork weekend. You will meet from 8AM-4PM for your two days of fieldwork on Donner Summit (Johnson Canyon and Castle Peak/Boreal Snowpark).  We’ll also send you an equipment and reading list.  For field work/ski touring days be sure to dress in layers.  Bring a bag lunch with snacks and plenty of water.
     
    We will send you an updated itinerary as we get closer to the start of the course. This schedule may change slightly based on the group, weather, etc. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the NASTC office.
     
    Avalanche Kit Rental (beacon, shovel, probe): $40/day
     
    “If you want a beginning to end great experience, book anything with NASTC. This is their least expensive course and a very important body of knowledge (24 hours worth) if you go backcountry skiing with friends or even just off-piste at your home ski resort.” –Derek, Sacramento
     
    “I have taken ski improvement clinics with NASTC but this was my introduction to skiing away from the crowds and I LOVED it just as much. My guide was so helpful and fun!” –Lacey, 
     
     

    Dec 16-18, 2025 (Tu-Th)

    Jan 24-26, 2026 (Sat–Mon)

     

    Jan 9, 2026 (Fri before L1)

    Jan 23, 2026 (Fri before L2)

    March 13, 2026 (Fri before L1)

  • AIARE AVALANCHE LEVEL 2 (TAHOE/TRUCKEE)

    AIARE AVALANCHE LEVEL 2 (TAHOE/TRUCKEE)

    Dec 16-18, 2025 (Tu-Th)

    Jan 24-26, 2026 (Sat–Mon)

    Price: $695, to book please email [email protected] or text 530-386-2102

    Add the 1-day RESCUE COURSE:

    Jan 9, 2026 (Fri before one of our L1 classes)

    Jan 23, 2026 (Fri before L2)

    March 13, 2026 (Fri before L1)

    L2 + Rescue = reduced price of $895 total (4 consecutive days)

    Location: Donner Summit, CA 

    Pay via VENMO @jenny-fellows-3 or via Paypal link below: 

     

    The AIARE 2 course is a 3-day program that provides avid backcountry skiers and riders the opportunity to advance their avalanche knowledge and decision making skills. Led by the top instructors in the field, this is an advanced avalanche safety course for the general public.  The focus is on analyzing snow stability and avalanche hazard. The AIARE 2 builds from the introductory avalanche hazard management model introduced in the AIARE 1 and adds to it the evaluation factors critical to stability evaluation. Students will describe and discuss weather, snowpack and avalanche processes, and identify how these processes relate to observations and travel within avalanche terrain.

    Learning Outcomes:

    1. Advance understanding of avalanche terrain, particularly from the perspective of stability analysis.

    2. Discuss how the snowpack develops and metamorphoses over time; and discuss the factors that contribute to spatial variability.

    3. Learn standard observation guidelines and recording formats for factors that influence or indicate snow stability. SWAG MODULE.

    4. Advance understanding of avalanche release and triggering mechanisms.

    5. Introduce a snow stability analysis and forecasting framework. The students will dig a snow pit and study the snow pit profile.

    6. Improve companion rescue skills including multiple and deep burials.

    Required reading:

    Snow, Weather and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States, (American Avalanche Association, ISBN-13: 978-0-9760118-1-1) commonly referred to as the “SWAG.”   It can be purchased from

    http://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/swag/

    The text may also be available through amazon.com or local retailers. 

    Also recommended is The Avalanche Handbook (3rd edition, McClung and Schaerer)

    Optional reading before the course:
    Snow Sense by Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler
    Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper
    Avalanche Aware by John Moynier

    Equipment Suggestions: Alpine touring gear, telemark gear, splitboard, or snowshoes, backpack, avalanche beacon, shovel and probe – see the equipment/packing list below for a complete list.

    This course is 100% off piste with a short meet & greet via Zoom the week prior.

    Sample Daily Schedule:

    8:00am – Meet outside for beginning of course

    12:00pm – Lunch break

    1:00pm – Head outside for the on-hill practical portion

    4:00pm – End of training day

    PACKING LIST:
    Climbing skins
    Randonnee (AT) or Telemark boots, or snowboard boots
    Probe with cm ruling
    Adjustable ski poles (if no probe ski poles)
    Alpine Touring set-up or Telemark skis orsplit board
    Avalanche beacon
    Pack (2500-3000 cubic inches)
    Snow shovel
    Complete snow study kit incl 2 m folding rule, grain card and loupe, 2 C thermometers, 2 m length of knotted cord/rope, compass, slope meter, writing tools.
    GPS recommended not mandatory
    Snow density kit
    Altimeter watch
    Printed copy of the SWAG (Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States). Published by the American Avalanche Association.
    Water bottle
    Small first aid kit (moleskin, bandaids, aspirin, personal meds.)
    Lunches
    Note book & pen for note-taking and pencil for filling in observations in logbook
    Ski/Snowboard clothing
    Light touring gloves (heavy liners etc.)
    Warm gloves (waterproof)
    Warm hat, baseball cap, headband, face mask, and neck warmer
    Goggles and sunglasses (2 pair goggles if you have them)

    Though it is acceptable to plot your snow profile data by hand, we strongly recommend using SnowPilot (snowpilot.org) or Avanet (avatech.com) snow profile plotting software. SnowPilot is free; Avanet requires a paid subscription.

    If you have any old or current field books in which you’ve recorded avalanche, snowpack, or weather data please bring them to our first meeting.

     

     

  • PRIVATE GUIDED BACKCOUNTRY SKIING (TAHOE/TRUCKEE)

    PRIVATE GUIDED BACKCOUNTRY SKIING (TAHOE/TRUCKEE)

    Want to get out away from the crowds, lift lines, parking lot reservations, and $30 hamburgers? Are you new to the backcountry? Or are you a seasoned backcountry skier looking to learn some new descents? Hire a guide for a day! Our veteran guides can show you the way to great Tahoe snow away from the crowds, and help you increase your know-how, no matter how experienced you are.

    If you are new, we offer a one-day curriculum that will give you a solid introduction to the equipment and skills you need to get out safely. You will learn how to: use your ski equipment, choose terrain, skin, do kick-turns, set a track, basic mountain navigation/route-finding, to use your avalanche beacon, and of course do some great skiing! 

    So choose your day, plan your group (or come alone), meet at the trailhead and spend a full day immersed in this beautiful landscape away from the crowds. 

    FULL DAY (8am-3pm)                    HALF DAY (8am-12pm)

    1 person-$695                                       $495
    2 pp- $455 pp                                        $345 pp
    3 pp- $365 pp                                        $275 pp
    4 pp- $305 pp                                        $245 pp
    5 pp- $295 pp                                         $225 pp

    OVERNIGHT TRIPS

    $650 per day for one skier + $100 per day each additional skier


    Make your $100 deposit to lock in the date you choose, deposit is fully refundable up to 2 wks prior.

    Have questions? Email [email protected] or text our office at 530-386-2102. 

    Avalanche Kit Rental (beacon, shovel and probe) $30/day 

    We can also assist you if you are buying gear. Call our office for advice and guidance. 

    You’ll meet your guide at the designated trailhead. 

    Also consider AIARE Avalanche Level 1 or 2

    Depending on the group’s fitness and skill level, as well as daily conditions, skiers and riders will enjoy fresh tracks in a variety of terrain including trees and open bowls.

    Skiers or riders with little to no backcountry experience are welcome on this course as long as they are competent on ungroomed advanced resort terrain and be in at least moderate physical condition.