The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has teamed up with backcountry professionals to offer a free online course aimed at introducing essential avalanche safety concepts to winter travelers.

Avalanche Aware is an online course developed by the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, a nonprofit that provides avalanche education across the country, in collaboration with the CAIC and the Washington-based Northwest Avalanche Center.

About an hour in length, the course uses video, expert insights and real-world examples to help participants build a solid foundation before heading out into the mountains, according to a news release.

Participants will learn how to find and interpret the local avalanche forecast, recognize the warning signs of hazardous snow and identify areas where avalanches are most likely to occur, the news release states. Upon completing the course, participants are directed to local events, entry-level field courses and additional training opportunities to continue their avalanche education.

CAIC Director Ethan Greene said in a statement that the free course is “allowing us to bring avalanche safety basics to more people.” He described the curriculum, which has been taught at in-person trainings at schools, community events and gear shops throughout Colorado since 2013, as “a straightforward first step for heading into the backcountry.”

Colorado has the most avalanche deaths in the U.S., with twice as many avalanche deaths as any other state between 1950 and 2022-23, according to the CAIC. Most avalanche deaths in Colorado occur in the backcountry, since ski resorts work to mitigate avalanche danger.

With the course now available online at AvalancheAware.com, Greene encouraged anyone who is planning to recreate in the backcountry this winter to take the course to prepare for the upcoming season. He said it is now “easier to start learning at home, and then building skills in the field.”