How to Become a Backcountry Skier

Backcountry skiing in the huge terrain of the Italian Alps. The Alps are one of the most magnificent ranges for backcountry skiing, boasting huge terrain and often incredible snow quality. Photo: Zeb Blais.

How do I start Backcountry skiing? This is a common question for many seasoned resort riders. Luckily, the answer is not as daunting as it might seem.

Backcountry skiing can be an intimidating sport to get into. There are a lot of hazards, unknowns, and gear. This post will give you a framework to get started. Stay safe and experience the incredible sense of accomplishment and pure joy that comes from making deep, untouched turns in the backcountry with your friends by following these guidelines. We'll refer to both skiing and snowboarding simply as skiing, so no offense to the splitboarders in the crowd, we're all just snow-sliders in the end!

A backcountry skier enjoying some perfect Japanese powder skiing in Hokkaido, Japan’s northern powder skiing paradise. Photo: Zeb Blais.

Step one: be or become a great resort skier. The backcountry is not the place to learn how to ski. There are many challenges that don't exist at ski resorts, such as variable snow surfaces including breakable crust (sometimes called "windboard") and the surface we all pray for - bottomless powder! By the time you hit the backcountry you should be an advanced to expert level resort skier. There is no ski patrol to scoop you up in the backcountry if you get injured, so the golden rule is to stay safe out there!

Use the power of the chair lift to get your reps in and improve your skills. In the backcountry, you're going to spend 75% of your time, or more, going uphill. You'll hear it called "earning your turns". You're much better off honing your skiing skills at the resort where you'll spend most of your time going downhill. As an "expert" backcountry skier, I still love riding the resort for the simplicity of enjoying the descent without exerting the effort to climb to the top.

Ski Touring and backcountry skiing in the Lake Tahoe area

Backcountry skiers and splitboarders skinning in some fresh powder in the Lake Tahoe backcountry. Photo: Zeb Blais.

"Ok, ok, I'm a great skier! How do I get into the backcountry already!?" Once you feel ready to tackle the snow surfaces and terrain the backcountry is going to throw at you, it's time to get out there. The easiest way to make the leap with confidence is to rent some gear and take our Intro to Backcountry course. This program is the fastest way to start building the skills and confidence needed to venture into the backcountry safely and in style. By taking our Intro to Backcountry course, you'll learn:

How to find your local Avalanche Advisory & the basics of how to understand it
How to perform a trailhead departure check & transceiver check
How to use your touring gear (skis / splitboard, binding, and skins)
Skinning techniques, including some tips on how to set a skin track
Basics of backcountry navigation
Tips from your guide to help you travel efficiently in the backcountry

Now, with your first tour under your belt, it's time to dig deeper. The Intro to Backcountry course provides you with a great understanding of how it all works, from the gear to the skiing back down. However, if you plan to ski in the backcountry on your own, without a guide, you'll need to better understand the hazards in order to stay safe and have fun.

Avalanches are the hazard that most resort skiers identify when they progressing into the backcountry. One place to start understanding avalanche terrain and what makes a snowpack unstable (or more prone to avalanche) is a simple online tutorials such as those provided by Avalanche.org.

If you're serious about spending any meaningful time in the backcountry then taking an AIARE (American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education) Avalanche Level 1 Course is a must. This course will provide you with a foundation to understand mountain weather, a layered mountain snowpack, and small-team avalanche rescue. It also provides a framework for making good decisions in the backcountry. The Blackbird AIARE 1 Avalanche Course provides an online course with multimedia content, quizzes and exercises that allow you to learn the material on your own time and the instructors are AIARE- and AMGA-trained (American Mountain Guides Association) and have decades of combined experience in the backcountry.

Students performing a snowpack test during an AIARE 1 Avalanche Course in the Truckee / Lake Tahoe Backcountry. Photo: Zeb Blais.

Knowing how to mitigate avalanche hazards in the backcountry is great but if one occurs, you need to be prepared. You can do this by taking an AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course. Even if you've taken an AIARE Level 1 avalanche course, accidents still happen. And when they happen, they happen fast. Once a person is buried, statistics show you have less than 15 minutes to locate and dig them out before the chances of survival drop exponentially. The last thing you want to be doing when your partner is buried is wondering what to do! One of the best ways to not just learn but also put it into practice is by taking an Avalanche Rescue Course. Blackbird offers a lift accessed Avalanche Rescue Course at Lake Tahoe. The only one of its kind North America. Lift-accessed means that we use chairlifts to go up, ski part way down, run a rescue scenario, ski to the bottom and repeat. This provides you with reps in as similar a set-up as you would encounter in real life. By necessity, traditional rescue courses require you to spend time accessing the terrain and therefore spend less time practicing.

Blackbird offers a combined AIARE 1 + Rescue course, including our lift-accessed AIARE 1 + Rescue at Lake Tahoe, which maximizes your time developing your knowledge with our expert guides and putting it into practice. Mentored practice with multiple scenarios in varied and realistic terrain is the best way to dial in your rescue skills.

Continue your avalanche education - every year! There are no avalanche “experts” and understanding the phenomenon of avalanches is a lifelong pursuit. Seek mentors to tour with and make it a point to refresh your skills each season. Here are a few simple ways to build skills and continue your avalanche education:

Get your friends together and join us on a backcountry tour. This will help you build your observation and decision making skills, by allowing you to plan a tour and lead the team while leveraging the knowledge and mentorship of an experienced guide. Plus you get plenty of skiing on a fun ski tour.
Ride with others that have more experience than you! The more time you spend in the backcountry learning from people with more education and experience than you, the better!
Expand the terrain you ride in. Try new routes and travel to new snowpacks. Hire a guide to take you into terrain that pushes your limits and builds your skill sets.

Reach out if we can help you or answer any questions. We love working with new skiers and riders to build their skills and achieve their goals!

Ski Mountaineering and backcountry skiing in the Chamonix Mont Blanc area of the French Alps.

Backcountry skiing in the Chamonix, Mont Blanc Region of the French Alps. This is huge terrain, packed with hazards ranging from steep slopes, crevassed glaciers, serac fall, rockfall and avalanches. Hazards aside, the skiing is AMAZING. Photo: Zeb Blais.

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.