Alpine Skills Course - Private
Our Private Alpine Skills Course is a fully customizable training experience designed around your mountaineering goals and available anywhere we guide—including Tahoe, the North Cascades, Mt. Baker, Eastern Sierra, Mt. Shasta, and international destinations. Led by AMGA-trained instructors, this single or multi-day course can focus on foundational mountaineering skills like snow travel, crampon and ice axe use, rope systems, and alpine movement, or advanced topics such as crevasse rescue, glacier travel, multi-pitch climbing, steep snow and ice techniques, and expedition planning.
Whether you’re new to mountaineering or preparing for big expeditions, we tailor the curriculum to your experience level and objectives. Build confidence, safety awareness, and technical skills needed to succeed on Sierra peaks, Cascades volcanoes, and mountains around the world.
Build the skills you need to accomplish your mountain objectives.
- Our Private Alpine Skills Course is customized for you and your team. Tell us what experience you have and what your goal is. We'll design a program that helps you build the skills you need to overcome the challenges of your mountaineering dream.
- From Avalanche education to Z-Pulley, we've got you covered! Private skills courses are completely tailored to your objective and are single day to week plus in length. We can set up recurring training sessions that span months and don’t stop until you feel comfortable with your skill level.
We'll build a custom itinerary for your group based on your objectives, skills, and preferred length of trip!
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your trip:
- Basic Mountaineering Skills - Including ice axe, crampon, and basic rope skills are encouraged, but not required. Build those skills during the program or attend our Intro to Mountaineering Skills course prior to attending and spend more time climbing
- Strong Fitness - Able to spend a long, active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of 1-1.5 hours between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 8-10 miles, climbing 2,500 - 3,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day. People with strong fitness typically have a strenuous workout 3-4 days a week.
- Mountaineering Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from us
- AMGA Trained Guide
- Climbing Gear: Ropes, Harness
- Camping Gear: Tents, Stoves, Fuel
- Group Safety Gear: Guide will be equipped with a first aid kit
- Leave No Trace Materials: wag bag
The gear required for each course varies depending on the location and objectives that you are interested in. However, our Master Alpine Gear Guide is a great place to start.
Please consult your guide to discuss the specific gear requirements for your courses location and objectives.
Know Before you go
PRIVATE PROGRAMS
- Custom Scheduling: Choose your dates and plan around your availability.
- Tailored Experiences: Itineraries and objectives are adjusted to suit your goals, experience, and fitness.
- Cost-Effective for Most Large Groups: Private programs are typically more cost-effective for groups of 3 or more.
- Flexibility Comes at a Price: For groups of 1-2, private programs are generally more expensive.
- AIARE Courses: AIARE course pricing is based on a group of 6. Running these as a private program with fewer than 6 participants will increase the per-person cost.
SCHEDULED PROGRAMS
- Fixed Dates & Costs: Scheduled programs have set dates, itineraries, objectives, and pricing.
- Great for Solo or Small Groups: Ideal for individuals or small groups looking to share costs with others.
- Affordable for 1-2 People: Scheduled programs are typically less expensive for groups of 1-2.
- Less Flexibility: Dates fill quickly, and group programs require adapting to the skill level and pace of all participants
- Group Atmosphere: Meet others with similar interests and make some new backcountry buddies!
Note: Any scheduled program can also be run as a private program with customized dates and rates.
Both options offer exceptional guiding and experiences. Choose what works best for you!
We'll build a custom itinerary for your group based on your objectives, skills, and preferred length of trip!
Our Private Alpine Skills Course is a fully customizable training experience designed around your mountaineering goals and available anywhere we guide—including Tahoe, the North Cascades, Mt. Baker, Eastern Sierra, Mt. Shasta, and international destinations. Led by AMGA-trained instructors, this single or multi-day course can focus on foundational mountaineering skills like snow travel, crampon and ice axe use, rope systems, and alpine movement, or advanced topics such as crevasse rescue, glacier travel, multi-pitch climbing, steep snow and ice techniques, and expedition planning.
Whether you’re new to mountaineering or preparing for big expeditions, we tailor the curriculum to your experience level and objectives. Build confidence, safety awareness, and technical skills needed to succeed on Sierra peaks, Cascades volcanoes, and mountains around the world.
Build the skills you need to accomplish your mountain objectives.
- Our Private Alpine Skills Course is customized for you and your team. Tell us what experience you have and what your goal is. We'll design a program that helps you build the skills you need to overcome the challenges of your mountaineering dream.
- From Avalanche education to Z-Pulley, we've got you covered! Private skills courses are completely tailored to your objective and are single day to week plus in length. We can set up recurring training sessions that span months and don’t stop until you feel comfortable with your skill level.
We'll build a custom itinerary for your group based on your objectives, skills, and preferred length of trip!
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your trip:
- Basic Mountaineering Skills - Including ice axe, crampon, and basic rope skills are encouraged, but not required. Build those skills during the program or attend our Intro to Mountaineering Skills course prior to attending and spend more time climbing
- Strong Fitness - Able to spend a long, active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of 1-1.5 hours between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 8-10 miles, climbing 2,500 - 3,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day. People with strong fitness typically have a strenuous workout 3-4 days a week.
- Mountaineering Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from us
- AMGA Trained Guide
- Climbing Gear: Ropes, Harness
- Camping Gear: Tents, Stoves, Fuel
- Group Safety Gear: Guide will be equipped with a first aid kit
- Leave No Trace Materials: wag bag
The gear required for each course varies depending on the location and objectives that you are interested in. However, our Master Alpine Gear Guide is a great place to start.
Please consult your guide to discuss the specific gear requirements for your courses location and objectives.
Epic Reviews From Adventurers
- Rated 5 out of 5 starsMount Shasta Summit!
Had a fantastic experience summiting Mount Shasta with my guide, Sean! He was easy to get along with, very knowledgable, and had a calm, encouraging demeanor. The climb itself was a real challenge, but worth it. The whole experience was positive and getting to the top felt like a genuine accomplishment that will give me the confidence to start taking on more overnight camping and hiking alone.
Laura L.Verified Buyer - Rated 5 out of 5 starsGreat value
I did the crevasse rescue course and it went great, I learned a lot and feel much more comfortable. I especially appreciated how it was a small group - 3 students and 1 guide. Our guide Jan was great - he was very knowledgeable but also kept things laid back and wanted us to enjoy the day. Highly recommend!
Molly D.Verified Buyer - Rated 5 out of 5 starsSet me up with a perfect custom skills program - highly recommend!
I'd been trying to setup a way to learn some snow skills basics for awhile, and most companies were just not very responsive for what I wanted, and I actually couldn't make it happen. Then I emailed Blackbird - and not only was it great to finally get some conversation going by email/phone, they were able to set me up with the type of program I was looking for. I was setup with Jon as my guide and felt like I was in very capable hands the entire time - covering all the topics relevant for my goals. While I'm comfortable enough camping and hiking in the wilderness, I had zero experience with crampons, ice axes, safety aspects etc, along with navigating more challenging and steep terrain. We started off covering some initial information that went well enough to tackle a couple objectives - which were far more challenging than I'd originally thought possible for myself. But he really nailed it, and picked a plan which let me push what I could do while still feeling comfortable. Plus I appreciated his patience, encouragement and positivity as I sorted out my practice of these new skills. Overall highly recommended!
Tobin S. - Rated 5 out of 5 starsIncredibly knowledgeable guides!
Incredibly knowledgeable guides. It was my first time on a serious mountaineering trip, and our guide Jason was a great resource for our attempt at the Shasta summit. Despite insanely cold and snowy weather for May we had a great time!
Thomas M.Verified Buyer
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