Arctic Cat and the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) announced today that AIARE has become Arctic Cat’s official avalanche safety education partner. This relationship will further promote avalanche safety education to a larger audience, so more snowmobile enthusiasts can share the ride safely.
AIARE makes a huge impact on avalanche safety in the snowmobile community, with more than 1,000 students per year attending its in-person avalanche safety courses. The agreement between AIARE and Arctic Cat will provide more support for AIARE’s current team of instructors, which spans eight states with 11 providers, streamline the process of training new instructors, and enable updates to curriculum tools – including offering more online courses to reach and educate more riders.
"Arctic Cat has stepped forward in the motorized industry with a vision to share avalanche awareness with everyone in the riding community,” said Jeff Hambelton of AIARE. “The impact of this partnership with AIARE will support the development of much needed motorized avalanche course instructors and improve the tools available to every backcountry rider to help reduce the number of riders involved in avalanche accidents."
Avalanche safety awareness has always been an important focus for Arctic Cat, but with the tragic loss of one of its own, Rob Kincaid, avalanche safety, preparedness, and awareness became a top priority. Kincaid was an advocate of avalanche safety, and Arctic Cat continues to commemorate him by ensuring riders have the resources and information needed to enjoy mountain riding safely.
“Mountain riding is one of the largest segments of snowmobiling,” said Troy Halvorson, Director, Product Strategy for Arctic Cat. “The increase of new riders brings a significant educational challenge, and it is our responsibility to provide resources and information for a safe and enjoyable ride experience.”
According to the Colorado Avalanche and Information Center’s national statistics, multi-person avalanche accidents, and avalanche-related fatalities, have increased. More avalanche safety initiatives are needed to ensure riders are aware of the risks, understand how to ride safely, and know what to do if they or a member of their group is involved in an avalanche.
Arctic Cat looks forward to working with AIARE to continue to educate mountain riders on the importance of avalanche awareness and safety. To learn more about avalanche safety and the AIARE partnership, visit Arctic Cat’s snow safety page.