Not in CO, but wanted to share 2 tips on how to get the most out of your avy classes. First, get your gear figured out before you show up for your AIARE on-snow days. Even if you're renting a setup for the class, give yourself enough time to watch a shop tech transition in and out of ski mode and then try it once yourself. Likewise, if you bought first, watch the YouTube videos for your boots and bindings, or even better, take it on a forest service road or to a resort with an accommodating uphill policy. The more time you spend trying to figure out how your bindings work, the less time you spend learning (guilty).
Then I'd also recommend finding a mentor. There seem to be 2 mindsets coming out of AIARE - either people are terrified to tour, or they confidently dive into the backcountry because they see AIARE as a formality and they've checked the box on their training. Neither are ideal. Going with some more experienced partners is the perfect way to start taking ownership of your backcountry safety with solid reinforcements. If you don't know someone like that yet, go to the social events & hit the social media networks. Grab a beer before you tour, have some questions in mind and vet them (and hopefully they vet you too) - these people end up being just as influential or even more so than your class instructors. It takes a little extra time & effort, but my mentors and mentees are my favorite people to tour with because we put so much work into communication on the front end.
Also, you're picking a great time to get started. Feb & March can be pretty spicy from a snowpack perspective, so you'll probably have some neat observations during your on-snow classes, and by the time you're ready to head out on your own, the spring snowpack will be starting to stabilize.
