**Prices listed are based on group size. Adjust the size of the group to see the price per person.**
Come enjoy the Tahoe backcountry - just you, your crew and our guides! Let us know what type of terrain and how big you want your day to be and we'll plan a perfect tour for your group. We'll manage the hazards & logistics & you can focus on having a great day of skiing!
Backcountry Skiing Tahoe - Private
Overview
Itinerary
Prerequisites
Inclusions
Gear
Private Backcountry Skiing is all about you and your team. Let us know what type of terrain and how big you want your day to be and we'll plan a perfect tour for your group.
- Find the best zone in the Lake Tahoe area for you and your team based on your interest, 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
Not looking for a Private Tour? Check out our Mt Rose Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding and Tahoe Backcountry Skiing & Spliboarding in North Lake or South Lake.
Want the ultimate overnight backcountry hut ski experience in Tahoe? Check out our available dates at Frog Lake Huts.
- 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 tour:
- 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.
Here's what's included with your tour:
- Experienced AMGA Trained Guide
- Tahoe or Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Permit
- Group Safety Gear - Snow Science, First Aid Kits
- Wag Bags - for human waste disposal in with compliance 'Leave No Trace' principles
- Ski & Splitboard Gear
- Avalanche Gear - beacon, shovel, probe
- Transportation to the trailhead
- Meals
- Guide Gratuities
Tahoe Backcountry Skiing Gear List
- Avalanche Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from Blackbird
- Ski & Splitboard Touring Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from Tahoe Sports Hub - use code BLACKBIRD10 for 10% off at checkout.
Know Before you go
Price/Person
$215.00
Private Programs
Duration: 1 Day
View Full Itinerary
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!
Full Itinerary
8:00 am Meet your guide at the trailhead 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.
8:30 am Tour into our objective for the day and ski as many laps as time will allow on the best snow available.
3:30 pm Return to the trailhead with enough daylight to have a margin to get back safely.
Private Backcountry Skiing is all about you and your team. Let us know what type of terrain and how big you want your day to be and we'll plan a perfect tour for your group.
- Find the best zone in the Lake Tahoe area for you and your team based on your interest, 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
Not looking for a Private Tour? Check out our Mt Rose Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding and Tahoe Backcountry Skiing & Spliboarding in North Lake or South Lake.
Want the ultimate overnight backcountry hut ski experience in Tahoe? Check out our available dates at Frog Lake Huts.
- 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 tour:
- 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.
Here's what's included with your tour:
- Experienced AMGA Trained Guide
- Tahoe or Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Permit
- Group Safety Gear - Snow Science, First Aid Kits
- Wag Bags - for human waste disposal in with compliance 'Leave No Trace' principles
- Ski & Splitboard Gear
- Avalanche Gear - beacon, shovel, probe
- Transportation to the trailhead
- Meals
- Guide Gratuities
Tahoe Backcountry Skiing Gear List
- Avalanche Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from Blackbird
- Ski & Splitboard Touring Gear - Come prepared with your own gear or rent from Tahoe Sports Hub - use code BLACKBIRD10 for 10% off at checkout.
Skier making a powder turn during a Blackbird Guides Private Ski Touring trip in North Lake Tahoe
Skiers touring through the forest in Lake Tahoe, California
Skiers touring through the forest during a storm in the Sierra Nevada mountains
Skiers on the skin track in South Lake Tahoe, California
Epic Reviews From Adventurers
5 reviews
- Rated 5 out of 5 starsFirst Backcountry Tour w/ 13yo Daughter
This review is of a trip in April of 2022. Better late than never...
I wanted to take my 13 year old daughter out on a tour but wanted to make sure that risks were kept to a minimum. I asked Blackbird if they had a female guide who could take us out and they set us up with Sammy.
Sammy was highly intuitive and took us on the perfect tour working with us to set objectives and then work through them.
I thought it would be great for my daughter to see a woman in a leadership role in an outdoor situation. Not only was it great for my daughter but it was actually really good for me. In what is still a largely male dominated space, seeing different approaches and communication styles has had a meaningful influence in how I approach the backcountry.
I recently returned from a trip to Japan where I spent a week touring with my now 14 year old daughter and couldn't be more stoked on how she got her start with Sammy and Blackbird!
Jeremy R.Verified Buyer - Rated 5 out of 5 starsTop notch!
I've had an amazing winter with Blackbird. Their admin is top notch and their guides are highly knowledgeable. I've always felt safe out in the backcountry with blackbird and at the same time I've found the best powder riding of my life and summitted peaks I never though I could. 5 stars all the way.
Scott L.Verified Buyer - Rated 5 out of 5 starsExcellent Safety and Great Snow!
Excellent day in the backcountry on a guided tour with Andrew A. He was patient, knowledgeable, prioritized safety and knew where to find the great snow.
Anjeanette D.Verified Buyer - Rated 5 out of 5 starsCastle Peak
We had a fantastic spring ski day with our guide Sam.
Sam was very knowledgeable and fun to ski with. We will be coming back next season !
Marco W.Verified Buyer
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