Aligning the laser is surprisingly quick. Chronocurl comes with a high quality retroreflector that shoots back the laser exactly where it came from. As long as you point to the reflector, you will get a good signal.
Although every iceman will argue that his ice is completely leveled, you might see a pebble or two that sticks out and disturb your alignment. To point to the reflector you don't need shims or whatnot, just rotate the device horizontally and use the swivel head to adjust vertically.