Custom Backcountry Ski & Splitboard Program

Come enjoy the 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!
Skier making a powder turn during a Blackbird Guides Private Ski Touring trip in North Lake Tahoe
Custom Backcountry Ski & Splitboard Program
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
Custom Backcountry Ski & Splitboard Program

This is a private backcountry touring program with just you and your team.  We tailor the program for the ability level of your team so you don’t have to worry about having other skiers or riders in your group that have different skills or fitness.  

Private tours are about getting you and your team what you want.  If you’d like to focus on getting the best quality turns that you can for the day, we’re all about that!  If you’d rather work on improving your efficiency and fitness we can work on technique, cover terrain and log vertical footage.  If your team wants to build skills, we can work on navigation, skin track setting, managing avalanche hazard, avalanche rescue, ropework and more.  You tell us what your objectives for the day are and we’ll build a perfect program to suit your needs!

Requisite Experience 

Private ski tours are based on your team.  Various objectives may require specific skills and fitness.

    Skier making a powder turn during a Blackbird Guides Private Ski Touring trip in North Lake Tahoe
    Custom Backcountry Ski & Splitboard Program
    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
    Custom Backcountry Ski & Splitboard Program
    • Load image into Gallery viewer, Custom Backcountry Ski & Splitboard Program
    • Load image into Gallery viewer, Skiers touring through the forest in Lake Tahoe, California
    • Load image into Gallery viewer, Skiers touring through the forest during a storm in the Sierra Nevada mountains
    • Load image into Gallery viewer, Skiers on the skin track in South Lake Tahoe, California
    • Load image into Gallery viewer, Custom Backcountry Ski & Splitboard Program

    Dates

    Available Dates

    January 3-5, 2023 - Frog Lake Huts
    January 8-10, 2023 - Frog Lake Snowshoe 3 People
    January 8-10, 2023 - Frog Lake Snowshoe 4 People
    January 25-26, 2023 - Frog Lake Huts
    January 28, 2023
    January 29-31, 2023 - Frog Lake Huts Lim
    February 13, 2023 - Snoqualmie Pass
    February 18-19, 2023 - Knightley Overnight Ski Trip
    February 20-22, 2023 - Mountain Ex Intro to Backcountry
    February 23-26, 2023 - Frog Lake Huts
    February 24, 2023 Private
    March 2-5, 2023 - Frog Lake Huts
    March 6-9, 2023 - Bentley High School
    March 6-9, 2023 - Bentley High School Part 2
    March 7-8, 2023 A2 Fee
    March 10-13, 2023 - Frog Lake Huts
    May 12-14, 2023 - Eastern Sierra Basecamp
    March 28-31, 2023 - Eastern Sierra Ski Touring
    May 18, 2023 Mt Shasta Deposit
    June 13-15, 2023 - Shasta/Lassen Linkup

    Prices

    See sidebar for pricing.

    Itinerary

    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. 


     

    Equipment

    Gear Guide / Packing List

    Backcountry Touring Gear

    ❏ Alpine Touring Skis or Splitboard - Light to Midweight Setup with “Tech Bindings”

    ❏ Alpine Touring Boots or Splitboard Compatible Boots; Scarpa F1

    ❏ Climbing Skins - Mohair Mix is Best; Black Diamond GlideLite Mohair Mix,

    ❏ Touring Backpack - A Pack with Avalanche Tools Pocket; BD Cirque 35

    ❏ Ski Poles - Lightweight, Adjustable Poles with Baskets; BD Expedition 3 Poles

    ❏ Ski Helmet - Lightweight S

    Avalanche Gear

    RENT a the full Avalanche Gear Kit from Blackbird

    ❏ Avalanche Beacon - Digital Avalanche Transceiver; Black Diamond Guide Recon BT

    ❏ Avalanche Shovel - Collapsible, Aluminum Shovel; Backcountry Access BT2 Shovel

    ❏ Avalanche Probe - Quickdraw Style Probe; Backcountry Access Stealth 300

    Head and Neck Layers

    ❏ Sun Hat - A Baseball Hat; Blackbird Mountain Guides Logo Hat

    ❏ Sunglasses - Dark Lens Glasses with Side Coverage; Julbo Shield

    ❏ Goggles - Ski Goggles with a Storm Lens; Julbo Aerospace Reactive

    ❏ Warm Hat - Lightweight Warm Hat that Fits Under Your Helmet;

    ❏ Neck Gaiters - Light to Midweight Neck Gaiters; Buff or your favorite Face Masks

    ***These Are Required as Covid-19 Face Coverings

    Upper Body and Hand Layers

    ❏ Long Sleeve Base Layer - Lightweight, Synthetic/Wool; Patagonia SunHoody

    ❏ 2 Insulating Top Layers - Light to Midweight Insulation Layers; Patagonia R1 & Nano Air

    ❏ Puffy - Midweight Down or Synthetic with Hood; Patagonia Fitzroy or similar

    ❏ Hardshell Jacket, Hooded - Waterproof, Gore-Tex, NOT insulated; Arc’Teryx Alpha FL

    ❏ Light Gloves - Light to Mid Weight for Warm Temps; Flylow John Henry Gloves, BD Tour

    ❏ Midweight Gloves - Mid to Heavy Weight for Cold Conditions; BD Legend

    ❏ Sports Bra - Wool/Synthetic;

    Lower Body and Foot Layers

    ❏ Socks - Midweight Wool/Synthetic; Darn Tough Via Ferrata

    ❏ Underwear - Wool/Synthetic

    ❏ Long Underwear - Wool/Synthetic “Long Johns”; Patagonia Capilene Air

    ❏ Softshell Ski Pants - Breathable, Weather Resistant for Fair Weather; OR Trailbreaker II

    ❏ Vented Hardshell Ski Pants - Waterproof Pants for Extreme Weather; Flylow Compound

    Food and Water

    ❏ Nalgene Water Bottle - Hard Sided Bottle; Nalgene 16oz-32oz Wide Mouth Bottle

    ❏ Soft Water Bottle 1.5L - Flexible Water Bladder; Hydrapak Flux 1.5L

    ***Please bring at least one hard sided water bottle.

    ❏ Snacks - Enough Snacks for the Day. There will be no lunch break so snacks must be

    convenient and easy to eat.

    Other Essentials

    ❏ Sun Screen (SPF 30 minimum)

    ❏ Lip Balm (with SPF)

    ❏ Hand Sanitizer

    ❏ Toilet Paper

    Optional

    ❏ First Aid/blister Kit

    ❏ Chemical Hand Warmers

    ❏ Hydration System - Flexible Water Bladder with Hose; Hydrapak, Camelback, Platypus

    Group Gear

    Blackbird Mountain Guides will supply all of the group gear for the trip, including:

    ✓ Guide’s First Aid Kits

    ✓ Wag Bags (Solid Human Waste Disposal Bags)

    ✓ Snow Observation Equipment (Snowsaws, Loops, Crystal Cards, Etc)

    Know Before You Go

    Location

    You name it!

    Elevation

    3,000-10,000'

    Technical Difficulty ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪

    This is a private program and the difficulty will depend on what you pick for an objective.

    Physical Difficulty ⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪

    This is a private program and the difficulty will depend on what you pick for an objective.

    Trip Length 

    1 day

    Policies

    We highly recommend Trip Insurance. Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy.

    Regular price
    $775.00
    Sale price
    $775.00
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