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Start your backcountry journey with our AIARE 1 + Rescue Course

info@blackbirdguides.com

California Adventures

climbing on Donner summit with an AMGA Rock climbing guide

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Full Day / Half Day

Rock Climbing in Tahoe - Private

The perfect day climbing, from fun single pitch or multi-pitch rock climbing or geared toward learning and improving skills.

Climber in Mount Emerson Gully in California

Intermediate Advanced Expert

Eastern Sierra Climbing - Private

Build a custom itinerary for your group in the Range of Light based on your objectives, skills, and preferred trip length!

Intro to Trad Climbing Techniques in Tahoe

Intro to Trad Climbing Techniques in Tahoe

Learn how to properly place gear (cams, nuts), how to clean gear, how to trust your gear, and how to build trad anchors.

Anchor building while rock climbing

Rock Climbing Anchor Building Course in Tahoe

Learn to build a variety of different rock climbing anchors that will allow you to climb safely and efficiently outdoors.

Intro to Outdoor Rock Climbing in Tahoe

Intro to Outdoor Rock Climbing in Tahoe

Learn the foundational skills you'll need to climb the famous granite rock of Donner Summit and beyond!

Lover's Leap Rock Climbing

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Lover's Leap Rock Climbing

The perfect day rock climbing on Sierra granite - we'll tackle fun single-pitch or multi-pitch rock climbing or can focus on improving trad and multi-pitch climbing skills.

Temple Crag Climbing

Intermediate Advanced

Temple Crag Climbing

Climb the famed Celestial Aretes that make up one of our favorite rock-climbing areas in the Eastern Sierra- Temple Crag!

Calaveras Dome Rock Climbing

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Calaveras Dome Rock Climbing

The perfect day rock climbing on Sierra granite - we'll tackle fun multi-pitch rock climbing or can focus on improving multi-pitch efficiency and climbing skills.

Intro to Alpine Rock Climbing - Crystal Crag

Beginner Intermediate

Intro to Alpine Rock Climbing - Crystal Crag

Crystal Crag is the perfect intro to Alpine Climbing for climbers with sport and trad experience.

Exposure while rock climbing bear creek spire above little lakes valley in the eastern sierra of california

Intermediate Advanced

Bear Creek Spire Climbing

Bear Creek Spire is a gem of the High Sierra, with steep faces of white granite that the Sierra is renowned for

A Rock Guide in Tahoe working on a group rock climbing program at Donner Summit

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Group Rock Climbing in Tahoe

Group and Family Rock climbing on Donner Summit. This program is a fun single pitch rock climbing session or skills development course for your group.

Wilderness First Aid (WFA) in Tahoe

Truckee, California (North Lake Tahoe)

Beginner Intermediate

Wilderness First Aid (WFA) in Tahoe

Learn the fundamental first aid skills that every backcountry adventurer should have to be a great partner.

Students treating a wound during a wilderness first responder course in Tahoe

Truckee, California (North Lake Tahoe)

5 Days + Pre-Course Work

Wilderness First Responder (WFR)

Wilderness First Responder is an essential course for outdoor professionals and serious recreationalists who spend significant time in environments with limited access to medical care and that have unreliable means of communication.

A WFR assessing an injured person on a wilderness First Responder Course

Truckee, California (North Lake Tahoe)

2 Days (16 hours)

Wilderness First Responder Recertification (WFR Recert)

Wilderness First Responder is an essential course for outdoor professionals and serious recreationalists who spend significant time in environments with limited access to medical care and that have unreliable means of communication.

Backcountry Navigation 1

Backcountry Navigation 1

If you are an aspiring mountaineer, backcountry skier or just love to recreate outdoors, knowing how to use a map and compass is an essential skill.

Climbers on the Boston Glacier Traverse in the North Cascades during a Blackbird Guides Mountaineering Basics course

Intro to Mountaineering in Tahoe

Make the leap from hiker to climber with this introduction to mountaineering skills!

A student practicing during a crevasse rescue course in Tahoe

Crevasse Rescue Course in Tahoe

Expand your rope skills and develop the advanced ski mountaineering skills needed to push into bigger terrain and rescue a partner.

Skier hiking on the summit of Mt Shasta during a Blackbird Guides Summit Climb 2 Day trip

Intermediate Advanced

Mt Shasta Summit Climb

Climb one of California’s biggest mountains while pushing your boundaries and gaining mountaineering skills.

Skier camping at Helen Lake on Mt Shasta in California

Intermediate Advanced

Mt Shasta Summit Climb & Skills Seminar 5 Day

Learn mountaineering skills needed for any big mountain climb, from Denali to Mt Everest, on California's most massive volcano!

Intro to Alpine Rock Climbing - Crystal Crag

Beginner Intermediate

Intro to Alpine Rock Climbing - Crystal Crag

Crystal Crag is the perfect intro to Alpine Climbing for climbers with sport and trad experience.

Temple Crag Climbing

Intermediate Advanced

Temple Crag Climbing

Climb the famed Celestial Aretes that make up one of our favorite rock-climbing areas in the Eastern Sierra- Temple Crag!

Exposure while rock climbing bear creek spire above little lakes valley in the eastern sierra of california

Intermediate Advanced

Bear Creek Spire Climbing

Bear Creek Spire is a gem of the High Sierra, with steep faces of white granite that the Sierra is renowned for

Climber in Mount Emerson Gully in California

Intermediate Advanced Expert

Eastern Sierra Climbing - Private

Build a custom itinerary for your group in the Range of Light based on your objectives, skills, and preferred trip length!

Fisher Chimneys climbing route on Mt Shuksan in Washington

Intermediate Advanced Expert

Alpine Skills Course - Private

Build the skills you need to accomplish your mountain objectives, from Mt Baker to Mt Everest, or anything in between.

Climber climbing with crampons on Mt Shasta in California

Intermediate
Advanced
Expert

Mt Shasta Summit Climb - Private

Build a custom itinerary for your group based on your objectives, skills, and preferred trip length!

Backcountry Navigation 1

Backcountry Navigation 1

If you are an aspiring mountaineer, backcountry skier or just love to recreate outdoors, knowing how to use a map and compass is an essential skill.

South Lake Tahoe backcountry skiing and splitboarding

North Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe

Intermediate Advanced

Tahoe Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding

Select an objective based on your experience and then explore the best backcountry zones in Lake Tahoe with our expert guides

Mt Rose Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding

Intermediate Advanced

Mt Rose Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding

Mt Rose offers large amounts of dry snow and an incredible retreat from storms with high snowlines

Skier on a ridge above Lake Tahoe during a Blackbird Guides Sugarbowl to Squaw Ski Tour

Intermediate Advanced

Sugar Bowl to Palisades Ski Tour

A 13 mile traverse along the Pacific Crest Trail with plenty of climbing and skiing between two of Tahoe's great ski resorts.

A backcountry skier enjoying the view from the deck of the Morgan Hut, one of the new huts at the Frog Lake Backcountry Hut system. The amenities make these huts the best huts in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee area.

Intermediate Advanced Expert

Frog Lake Huts

Explore Incredible terrain and enjoy plush accommodations with the finest hut-based skiing experience outside of BC.

Frog Lake Huts - Private Guiding

Intermediate Advanced

Frog Lake Huts - Private Guiding

Book our guides to make your Frog Lake Huts Trip a huge success!

Backcountry Skiing Tahoe - Private

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Backcountry Skiing Tahoe - Private

We'll select an objective based on your experience and then explore the best backcountry zones Tahoe with our expert guides

Ski touring in the eastern Sierra near Mammoth Lakes

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Backcountry Skiing Mammoth & Eastern Sierra - Private

We'll select an objective based on your experience and then explore the best backcountry zones in the Eastern Sierra with our expert guides

A skier arcing a turn above his guide on Mt Shasta

Intermediate Advanced

Mt Shasta Summit & Ski Descent

Climb and ski one of California’s biggest mountains while pushing your boundaries and gaining ski mountaineering skills.

Mt Shasta Ski Mountaineering 5 Day Skills Expedition

Intermediate Advanced

Mt Shasta Ski Mountaineering 5 Day Skills Expedition

Learn fundamental efficiency, safety skills & strategy to climb & ski challenging routes on big mountains.

Women's Mt Shasta Summit & Ski Descent 3 Day

Intermediate Advanced

Women's Mt Shasta Summit & Ski Descent 3 Day

Climb and ski one of California’s biggest mountains while pushing your boundaries and gaining ski mountaineering skills with our women-led team.

Mt Shasta + Lassen Summit & Ski

Advanced Expert

Mt Shasta + Lassen Summit & Ski

Climb and ski one of California’s biggest mountains while pushing your boundaries and gaining ski mountaineering skills.

Skier making a turn on Mt Shasta in California during a Blackbird Guides Summit & Ski 3 Day trip

Intermediate Advanced Expert

Mt Shasta Summit & Ski Descent - Private

Build a custom itinerary for your group based on your objectives, skills, and preferred trip length!

Lassen Peak Backcountry Skiing - Private

Intermediate Advanced

Lassen Peak Backcountry Skiing - Private

The Southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range, this peak is an ideal place to hone your ski mountaineering skills, or to just ski incredible snow!

Eastern Sierra Ski Mountaineering

Intermediate Advanced

Eastern Sierra Ski Mountaineering

Join us for a day of ski mountaineering in one of the most magical ranges in the United States.

Eastern Sierra Ski Mountaineering 3 Day

Advanced Expert

Eastern Sierra Ski Mountaineering 3 Day

Join us for three days of ski mountaineering in one of the most magical ranges in the United States.

Eastern Sierra 4 Day Ski Mountaineering Basecamp

Advanced Expert

Eastern Sierra 4 Day Ski Mountaineering Basecamp

Set camp and explore for 4 days & 3 nights of ski mountaineering, deep in one of the most magical ranges in the United States, the Eastern Sierra!

Tahoe Backcountry Pass

Lake Tahoe, California

Intermediate Advanced

Tahoe Backcountry Pass

The Tahoe Backcountry Pass is a great way to meet new touring partners and enjoy new zones in the Tahoe area!

Students during an AIARE 1 Avalanche course in Lake Tahoe, digging snow pits to inspect the snowpack and layering.

Touring Experience

AIARE 1 Avalanche Course in Tahoe

Our AIARE 1 Avalanche Course features two full days in the field and an online course built by Blackbird Mountain Guides.

Students practicing rescue drills during an AIARE 1 +Rescue Avalanche course. A beacon is buried to simulate a burial victim.

North Lake Tahoe

Touring Experience

AIARE 1 + Rescue Avalanche Course in Tahoe

Maximize your time and gain all of the fundamental avalanche awareness and rescue skills in our innovative three days course.

Lift Accessed Avalanche Rescue Course Participants performing a mock avalanche rescue at donner ski ranch

North Lake Tahoe, California

Touring Experience

Lift-Accessed AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course in Tahoe

Our innovative lift-accessed course gives you more practice in more realistic avalanche terrain, making you a better backcountry partner.

Skier touring toward Pyramid Peak in South Lake Tahoe

North Lake Tahoe, California

AIARE 1, Rescue, Extensive Touring

AIARE 2 Avalanche Course in Tahoe

Dive deeper into weather, snow, route planning, human dynamics, and avalanche terrain with the Blackbird AIARE 2

Skiers skinning through the backcountry in the Eastern Sierra

Touring Experience

AIARE 1 Avalanche Course in Mammoth

Our AIARE 1 Avalanche Course features two full days in the field and an online course built by Blackbird Mountain Guides.

Students from an AIARE 1 Avalanche course perform snowpack tests in the Truckee, Lake Tahoe area during their avalanche level 1 course.

Touring Experience

AIARE 1 + Rescue Avalanche Course in Mammoth

Maximize your time and gain all of the fundamental avalanche awareness and rescue skills in our innovative three days course.

Avalanche Rescue Course in Mammoth

Mammoth Lakes, California

Touring Experience

AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course in Mammoth

Our innovative course gives you more practice in more realistic avalanche terrain, making you a better backcountry partner.

Blackbird instructor demonstrating snow pit shear test during an AIARE 1 Avalanche course

Touring Experience

AIARE Avalanche Courses in California - Private

A private AIARE course just for your and your friends & backcountry partners.

A skier rips a turn on deep day in the Tahoe backcountry.

Lake Tahoe, California

Beginner - Intermediate

Avy Pass - Tahoe

A series of courses throughout the season to develop skills to understand risks and make smart decisions in the backcountry.