Backcountry Skiing Mt Baker - Private
Private Backcountry Skiing is all about you and your team. You bring the crew, we will"
- Find the best zone in Mt Baker for you and your team based on your desires, fitness and riding skills.
- Manage the snowpack and conditions.
- Share helpful tips along the way
- Tailor the trip with any skills you'd like to cover during the day, including avalanche, technical skiing, layering, and gear
- 8:00am - Meet your guide in the field at the designated trailhead
- 8:15am - Review avalanche hazard rating, gear check, trailhead departure check
- 8:45am - Begin the course / tour - with lessons and teachable moments along the way
- 12pm - Lunch on the go
- 3:30 - Finish tour at the trailhead. Debrief of the day and discuss strengths, areas for improvement, goals, and next steps in your backcountry progression.
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your course:
- Advanced Resort Riding skills - Including off-piste terrain in challenging snow conditions
- Basic Backcountry Touring Skills - Including familiarity with equipment and avalanche gear
- Moderate Fitness - Able to spend an active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of roughly 1 hour between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 4-6 miles and climb 1,500-2,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day.
- Ski/Split Touring & Avalanche Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from us
Here's what's included with your course:
- Experienced AMGA/AIARE Trained Guide
- Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Permit
- Group Safety Gear - Snow Science, First Aid Kits
- Wag Bags - for human waste disposal, in compliance 'Leave No Trace' principles
- Ski/Splitboard Gear
- Avalanche Gear
- Transportation
- Meals
- Winter Parking Passes
- Guide Gratuities
Washington Backcountry Skiing Gear List
- Avalanche Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from Blackbird
- Ski/Split Touring Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from:
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!
This program begins with email correspondence between you and your guide. Your guide will begin by sending you an objective with a trip plan, including where and when to meet, the proposed route, weather, avalanche and snowpack concerns and the ideal time to be back at the cars. These plans depend a lot on conditions and the fitness of the group, so they will vary.
8:00 am* Meet your guide and review the plan for the day. The guide will discuss the avalanche problem for the day, the proposed route up and options for the ascent and descent. The guide will conduct a Trailhead Departure Check/Beacon Check.
*This is a typical meeting time, but you and your guide may set different logistics based on your objective.
8:30am-3:00pm Begin your tour, tackling the objectives you’ve set for the day. Our guides will manage the hazards of the field and we will try to close the program with a margin of daylight remaining when we hit the trailhead. When we’re safely back at the cars, we’ll debrief the day and close out the tour.
Private Backcountry Skiing is all about you and your team. You bring the crew, we will"
- Find the best zone in Mt Baker for you and your team based on your desires, fitness and riding skills.
- Manage the snowpack and conditions.
- Share helpful tips along the way
- Tailor the trip with any skills you'd like to cover during the day, including avalanche, technical skiing, layering, and gear
- 8:00am - Meet your guide in the field at the designated trailhead
- 8:15am - Review avalanche hazard rating, gear check, trailhead departure check
- 8:45am - Begin the course / tour - with lessons and teachable moments along the way
- 12pm - Lunch on the go
- 3:30 - Finish tour at the trailhead. Debrief of the day and discuss strengths, areas for improvement, goals, and next steps in your backcountry progression.
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your course:
- Advanced Resort Riding skills - Including off-piste terrain in challenging snow conditions
- Basic Backcountry Touring Skills - Including familiarity with equipment and avalanche gear
- Moderate Fitness - Able to spend an active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of roughly 1 hour between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 4-6 miles and climb 1,500-2,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day.
- Ski/Split Touring & Avalanche Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from us
Here's what's included with your course:
- Experienced AMGA/AIARE Trained Guide
- Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Permit
- Group Safety Gear - Snow Science, First Aid Kits
- Wag Bags - for human waste disposal, in compliance 'Leave No Trace' principles
- Ski/Splitboard Gear
- Avalanche Gear
- Transportation
- Meals
- Winter Parking Passes
- Guide Gratuities
Washington Backcountry Skiing Gear List
- Avalanche Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from Blackbird
- Ski/Split Touring Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from:
Epic Reviews From Adventurers
- Rated 5 out of 5 starsCan't recommend enough.
I have taken four courses with Zeb Blais / Blackbird Mountain Guides:
-AIARE Avy Level 1
-Crevasse Rescue Course
-4-day ski-mountaineering course in the Palisades
-4-day trad climbing / mountaineering in the north cascade including the north ridge of Forbidden Peak.
On each occasion, the amount of tangible experiences, pragmatic knowledge and honed skill sets gained has been so comprehensive that I have felt inspired to push for newer and higher objectives.
Moreover, these outings have been more than just a place to learn and level up but are epic and unforgettable treks into the backcountry that you don't forget.
...I keep thinking that at some point I'll be able to do all this stuff myself, but when your always looking to up your game and climb higher peaks, these guys know how to push it. Can't recommend enough.
Coby V. - Rated 5 out of 5 starsAwesome day!
Awesome day tour with our guide, Will. Super knowledgeable, knew the area well and a cool guy. Highly recommend.
John G. - Rated 5 out of 5 stars100% would recommend!
100% would recommend!! I hired Blackbird for a 3 day ski of Mount Baker. Jason was very professional and friendly and made the experience stress free. He is very concerned with safety and the delivering an overall high quality guest experience. Well done! I will definitely use them again, and would recommend to my family and friends. They may be a new company in the mountain guiding world, but Blackbird is as good as any other guide service I've used- which includes the big names.
Russel G.
the blackbird difference
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