Blackbird Mountain Guides is the #1 Provider of AIARE Avalanche Education in North America
This week AIARE released data from the 2023/2024 season showing Blackbird Mountain Guides was the top provider of AIARE avalanche courses. The data revealed that Blackbird trained more students and ran more courses than any other provider in North America in the 2023/2024 season.
Blackbird gained the trust of thousands of students, one small group at a time, by providing innovative and impactful avalanche education. Small group sizes courses and focusing on how to best convey the information and thought processes around backcountry travel, decision making in avalanche terrain and avalanche rescue are the mainstays of Blackbird avalanche courses.
We couldn’t be more excited about this distinction, but our focus remains the same—offering the best team of instructors, responsive and personalized communication, and the ongoing support that sets us apart, helping our clients keep leveling up and chasing their biggest dream lines in the backcountry.”
- Eric Lee O'Brien, Blackbird COO
Blackbird's AIARE avalanche course offerings span from Mammoth Lakes and Lake Tahoe in California to Snoqualmie Pass and Mt Baker in Washington. Course groups are small, with a maximum number of 6 students, and course formats are unconventional and designed to maximize learning opportunities for students. The goal for all Blackbird programs is to make the biggest impact on the student's decision-making process to help them make objective, safe decisions in avalanche terrain.
Ultimately, the goal is to get skiers to make solid decisions in the backcountry. These decisions need to be based on knowledge, experience and appropriate field observations. Our courses do that by providing fundamental knowledge, mentored field experience with expert instructors and a tool kit of field observations that help students make sound decisions.
- Zeb Blais, Blackbird Founder & AIARE Course Leader
Blackbird Students have been raving about the courses. Here's an example from the 2023/2024 season:
Did an AIARE 1 through BMG. Course logistics were well-organized and there was great communication leading up to the class.
Our instructor was phenomenal, going above and beyond to answer questions and share knowledge beyond the standard AVY1 curriculum.
Field days were packed with real-world application of course learnings...and fun -- and our group was given a remarkable amount of autonomy (+ guidance of course) for our tour day.
Lastly, the small class size created an intimate learning environment. Very pleased with the experience overall and highly recommend.
- Nick R, AIARE 1
Blackbird Mountain Guides' Avalanche Courses are different. See our blog on the Blackbird difference:
Why Choose Blackbird for your next Avalanche Course
Students work on extricating a buried companion during an avalanche rescue scenario on Blackbird's Lift-Accessed Avalanche Rescue Course in Tahoe. Photo: Zeb Blais.
About the Author
Eric Lee O'Brien is the COO of Blackbird Mountain Guides and an accomplished entrepreneur with a background in law, tech, and outdoor sports. As an attorney and the founder and former CEO of Snowledge, a mobile platform for skiers and snowboarders, Eric has blended his business expertise with his passion for the mountains. A seasoned freeride athlete and competitor, he is an ambassador for core industry brands and creates media projects for resorts and travel associations in the ski industry. When he's not guiding business strategy for Blackbird, you can find him handing out Japanese candies on the skin track or pushing the limits of intermediate mountain biking on trails around the PNW.