Empowering recreational and professional students with the tools, technologies, tactics and techniques to make competent decisions in the backcountry.
We Know Snow
The International Mountain Climbing School is the only provider of the Silverton Avalanche School recreational and professional curriculum on the East Coast.
Born in Silverton, Colorado, a natural avalanche laboratory, the Silverton Avalanche School (SAS) is the oldest continuously operating avalanche training and snow safety program in the US.
SAS is focused on the student experience. We facilitate student-centered, inquiry-based learning, leveraging a continually refined and accredited curriculum, rooted in best practice and whilst utilizing new technology and proven resources.
Partnership for Excellence
The Silverton Avalanche School and the International Mountain Climbing School share a deep commitment to comprehensive mountain safety education through the SAS Provider Network.
The combination creates a powerhouse of mountain education that spans the full spectrum of alpine hazards, from technical climbing skills to snow science, leveraging Silverton’s 60+ year legacy as the nation’s premier avalanche education provider with IMCS’s 45+ years of expertise in comprehensive mountaineering instruction.
Which Course Should I Take?
Silverton Avalanche School is accredited by the American Avalanche Association (A3), which recommends the following course structure. IMCS offers a progression of learning through Rec Level 1, Rescue, and is hosting a Professional Level 1.
Recreational Level 1
Three-day Recreational Level One course engages students in hands-on curriculum designed to develop an understanding and application of tools to help navigate or avoid avalanche terrain.
Rescue Course
Avalanche Rescue is a one-day stand-alone course that covers the basics of companion rescue as well as the current best practices in rescue techniques and gear.
Professional Level 1
The first step in professional level training designed for those new to working in avalanche terrain or for experienced workers looking to stay current with industry standards.
See What Our Avalanche Education Students Have to Say!
Learn From Real Conditions, Not Just Classroom Theory.
We believe the best way to learn is through experiential education—applying knowledge with expert guidance in the field to build the skills needed for competent backcountry decision-making.
Meet our Avalanche School Educators
Jordan Cargill
Silverton Avalanche School Instructor
I was born and raised in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My love for the outdoors was immediate and permanent thanks to family vacations, summers, and weekends exploring the mountains, rivers, and lakes of the northeast.
In my early teens I ventured into the vertical for the first time on New Hampshire’s classic Cathedral Ledge. Immediately, I was enraptured by the unique experiences, places, and people climbing unlocked. Since that first climb, my passion for the mountains steadily increased alongside a desire to share access and respect for these places through guiding and education.
Since then, I’ve explored the globe, guided on three continents, and put up a few first ascents and descents. You’ll catch me smiling whether it’s a short trail run to catch the sunrise behind my home in New Hampshire, or at 20,000’ watching the mountain shadow unfold on the plains below. My limitless excitement for mountain adventures (plus a lot of training and certifications!) enables me to provide safe, customized, and unforgettable client experiences.
Stephen Inman
I grew up in Rhode Island but discovered my passion for climbing, skiing, and guiding in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After graduating college, and a brief stint playing professional ice hockey, I went west to Ketchum, Idaho to pursue a career in the mountains.
I spent several seasons working for the Sun Valley Ski Patrol while climbing and skiing as much as possible for fun. Eventually, I made the transition to full-time guiding.
Now I split my time guiding in the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, New England, and Alaska. I draw on both my experience and my passion for the mountains while guiding. My love for the wild lead me to become a leave no-trace master educator in addition to gaining guide certifications. I am currently pursuing the IFMGA guide certification to enhance my skillset.
Max Lurie
Max’s dedication to understanding mountain environments predates his guiding career. He holds a degree in environmental science with a focus on glaciology and climate change. During his studies, research projects took him to Denali, Iceland, and the Cordillera Blanca in Peru.
Max’s guiding and outdoor education career began in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Where, as a guide, he honed his skills in both summer and winter. He became an EMT in 2012, working for an emergency response ambulance service. He also volunteered with Mountain Rescue Service, becoming a team leader coordinating technical mountain rescues and backcountry avalanche response.
As his guiding career progressed, he moved west to work on Mount Rainier and in the North Cascades. Eventually, he relocated to Boulder, Colorado in 2017 and completed his American Mountain Guides Association rock guide certification that same year. His alpine guide certification followed in 2019.
In 2020, he founded Alpine to the Max, now an AMGA-accredited guide service with over a dozen guides operating on the Front Range of Colorado and beyond. In summer, he guides in Eldorado Canyon State Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. In winter, he teaches and oversees recreational avalanche programs in Rocky Mountain National Park.