Large cornice chunks below a ridgeline near the Sierra Crest on November 9th.  Photo: Zeb Blais.

Gear Checklist

The classic error for the first ski tour of the year is forgetting your skins, your avalanche safety gear, or other critical items like footbeds.  Do a full run through of your gear at home and make sure everything is ready for the season ahead.

1. Skins 

Lay them out, check the glue, and make sure the plush is clean. During the summer, make sure you store your skins in a cool, dry place to keep the glue in good condition.  Replace any tired glue, fix tail clips, and confirm they match the skis or splitboard you plan to tour with.

Finally, make sure to pack them in the bag you will use on day one so they cannot get left behind!

2. Ski / Splitboard

Inspect edges, bases, and bindings. Look for core shots, cracked edges, and loose screws. Give them a fresh wax (either do it yourself, or drop them off at your local gear/rental shop) and confirm your touring bindings function smoothly in tour and ski mode.

Do a quick function test with boots clicked in, to ensure everything is working great so you don't spend time on your first day at the trailhead trying to fix any issues. 

3. Boots

Check buckles, straps, walk mode, and liners. Slide your footbeds in, confirm nothing has migrated, and make sure your boots still fit your feet with your winter socks. If you need new boots, look for a retailer that has an expert boot fitter on staff and who can also recommend custom footbeds.

If you know you have a tendency to get cold feet, consider purchasing some Sidas heated socks. These are a gamechanger, especially on very cold days in Tahoe or the North Cascades! 

Finally, practice transitions at home so stepping into bindings in the cold feels automatic.

4. Layers

Plan a system for moving uphill and skiing down in cold, variable conditions. Start with a wicking base layer, add a light mid, and keep an insulated puffy and waterproof shell accessible on top of the pack.

If your shell has lost some of its waterproofing, there are plenty of products on the market which you can apply in the wash to help make that beloved jacket and/or pants fully waterproof again! 

For even more tips on layering strategies, check our our blog post: How to Layer for Backcountry Skiing.

Finally, remember to include some dry clothes which you can leave in your car in case you get soaked through.

5. Gloves & Accessories

Pack a light touring glove plus a warmer glove or mitt for transitions and cold descents.

If you have leather gloves, consider reapplying waterproofing balm to them at the beginning of the season so your hands stay dry even on wet days.

Add hat, buff, sunglasses, goggles, sunblock, lip balm, and a headlamp with fresh batteries. Early season days can end quickly, so choose your gloves and accessories with that in mind.

Safety Checklist

1. Avalanche Beacon

Put fresh batteries in and keep a backup set in your repair kit. Check the battery terminals for corrosion - this is a common failure point for avalanche beacons!  

Confirm your beacon firmware is up to date before the start of each season. If you're unsure how to do that, take it to your local Gear & Rental shop and they will help you do it at no charge. Run a range and group check with your partners, and carry it on your body in a harness for every tour.

If your Avalanche Beacon is more than 4-5 years old, then consider replacing it. Like any electronics, beacon have a useful life and deteriorate over time, especially given the wet/moist conditions that they are subjected to. The Mammut Barryvox Avalanche Beacon is the tried-and-trusted beacon our Guide Team uses in California, Washington and Oregon.

Care for your Beacon: Add fresh batteries and check the terminals for corrosion!

2. Helmet

A helmet is possibly the most important piece of protective gear in the backcountry. Always buy it new rather than used as the foam and shell integrity degrade over time from UV exposure, sweat, temperature swings, and general wear. Even if a used helmet looks clean, you can’t know whether it has already sustained an impact that weakened its structure.

After any serious crash or a direct hit to your head (tree or rock), replace your helmet immediately. The EPS foam inside is designed to crush once to absorb impact energy. Even a seemingly minor bump can create micro-fractures that reduce its ability to protect you in the next fall. A compromised helmet might look fine on the outside but can fail when you need it most.

Inspect your helmet each season for cracks, dents, and loose padding, and check the manufacturer’s lifespan. Most recommend replacement every five years. A new helmet ensures reliable protection, updated safety tech, and a secure fit for long days in variable conditions. Blackbird clients can save 20% off POC Helmets and Gear - see our Discounts & Offers page for details. 

3. Wilderness First Aid Kit

Build a compact wilderness first aid kit that actually fits your terrain and needs. Include bandages, blister care, pain relief, trauma supplies, and any personal meds. Having a First Aid kit is one thing, knowing how to use if effectively is quite another.

Consider taking a Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder course, to help you be prepared for any eventuality in the backcountry. You're also feel much more confident about putting together your first aid kit and using it. Here's what we pack in our Wilderness First Aid Kit.

Be sure to store your kit in a waterproof pouch that lives in your ski pack all season.

4. Repair Kit

Pack tools to fix the problems that can end your day or turn small issues into emergencies. Things to include in your repair kit can be: Include a multi-tool, ski straps, spare screws, duct tape, wire or cord, scraper, and a small amount of ski wax. Add spare parts specific to your bindings and poles.

5. Start Tracking Weather & Snow Conditions

Understanding snow and weather patterns early in the season helps you make better terrain choices and reduces risk when you head out. Start checking your regional avalanche center daily, as these advisories provide the most reliable updates on avalanche problems, snowpack layers, and recent observations:

• Sierra Avalanche Center (Lake Tahoe)

• Northwest Avalanche Center (Washington & Oregon)

• Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (Mammoth & Eastside Region)

• Mt Shasta Avalanche Center (Mt Shasta)

Bookmark your local advisory and read it even before the season fully starts. Early snow events often create persistent weak layers that can linger for months, so following the forecast builds context for later tours.

Consider using tools like OpenSnow to track incoming storms, snowfall totals, and temperature trends. These detailed forecasts make it easier to spot when new snow is stacking up on weak layers or when warming events might trigger instability. Blackbird clients can receive 50% off Annual OpenSnow membership on our Discounts & Offers page. 

If you’re planning trips in Blackbird’s operating zones, check out our detailed weather pages for each region. We compile links to forecasts, snow & weather telemetry and webcams in one place, helping you make informed decisions for Lake Tahoe, Mt Shasta, Eastern Sierra, Pacific Northwest, and beyond.

6. Meet with your partners & practice Avalanche Rescue

Early season is the perfect time to reconnect with your touring crew and rebuild your decision-making rhythm. Set aside a day before the snowpack deepens to review communication habits, rescue roles, and your emergency protocols. Clear communication and shared expectations on terrain, turnaround times, and group management create smoother, safer tours.

If it’s been more than two years since your last avalanche rescue course, make a plan to take a course together. Skills fade over time, and new techniques, gear, and teaching methods emerge each season. Taking a rescue course as a refresher early in the season helps rebuild muscle memory before you find yourself in complex terrain.

If you don't want to take a course again, then at the very least plan to meet up with your partners to practice rescue drills together. Starting the season with sharpened rescue skills and a unified approach pays dividends every tour that follows.

Terrain Tips for Early Season

1. Expect hazards to exist!  

Early season snow coverage is soft and weak, and even if it is deep, it's easy to punch through to the hazards below.  Common hazards that cause early season injuries include branches or rocks lurking just below the snow surface. It's easy to hook a ski tip under a branch, or catch an edge on a hidden rock, to bring you to an abrupt stop, break a leg or rip a tendon, and your season to an early end!

A lightly covered tree can snag skis or break a leg on the descent. Photo taken in Alpine Meadows Backcountry on November 9th. 

2. Take it easy! 

Early season isn't the time to give it 110%.  Build your ski legs with a few mellow tours to get your muscles up to speed. Your body will appreciate a bit of time to get used to having ski/snowboard boots on, lugging heavy skis uphill and not crashing into the thinly covered hazards at high speed! 

If you're looking to build the right muscles and develop flexibility for skiing or riding, why not try completing our bodyweight exercises for skiing/riding each day early in the season?

3. Aim for low angle terrain and avoid roll overs

Steep terrain may look great with a coating of soft, fresh snow on it, but it's also the terrain that is easiest to scrape the snow off of.  Look for consistent, low angle slopes with few roll overs to minimize the chance that you'll scrape the snow off and ruin your skis or get injured.

4. Avalanches Still Exist! 

Just because the season is just starting, doesn't mean that there is no avalanche hazard. In fact, as we kick the season off it's actually more dangerous in a lot of areas based on the fact that:

• Avalanche centers may not have started their daily forecasts yet, so it's more difficult to gauge the hazard and make decisions.
• There are less options to ski - not everywhere has enough coverage for good skiing, so you're limited to what you can get to.
• Much of the terrain is steeper now without the seasonal snowpack that flattens out steep pitches near ridges. We found this out near Grouse Rock, where skiers triggered a 2 foot slab that propagated about 200' across the slope.  

5. Tell your friends where you're going and ski with partners

Given the increased hazards of early season skiing, and the potential to wreck your season, go out with friends to help you make good terrain choices and respond if you have a gear failure or injury.

Is there anything else you do to prepare?  Get in touch - we'd love to hear what tips you use to stay safe for early season backcountry tours!

About the Author

Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide and AIARE Course Leader based in Truckee California. He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding - ski, rock and alpine climbing - but skiing is his first love.  In the winter he enjoys backcountry skiing, guiding local and international ski trips, and teaching avalanche courses across the west coast, from Bishop, California to Mt Baker, Washington.