Blackbird Mountain Guides

"Over a series of focused trips spanning a few seasons, Zeb and his guides, especially Jason, completely transformed the way I think about and move in the mountains. I learned to see skiing, climbing, mountain biking, and simply moving on foot as facets of a broader practice of moving in the mountains. I learned about the idea of skiing and climbing big lines, and got to experience some. I learned about planning, logistics, teamwork, and how to maintain a good attitude and get things done under uncertain, changing, and sometimes adverse conditions. I also met a community of other clients who were uniformly kind, safe, and stoked If you want to learn to move in the mountains, or you already move in the mountains and want to move better, I wholeheartedly recommend reaching out to Blackbird and having a conversation about how they can take your journey forward. They accelerated my growth in ways I never imagined possible, and I bet they can do the same for you."

"I took the AIARE 1 course with Zeb and it was a fantastic learning experience that I really felt like I took a lot away from. The entire structure of the course was very well laid out with some online self-study preceding a webinar before we got into the practical portion over the course of the weekend. Our guide was a very humble wealth of knowledge with a ton of experience. If you want to learn a ton and have fun while doing it highly recommend Blackbird mountain guides!"

"Completed AIARE 1 Avalanche Awareness course with Brandon Seymore at Snoqualmie Pass. It was a great learning experience despite the fact that it rained the first day, and the snowpack was less than ideal given the El Nino season (avalanche danger was in the green all weekend likely due to the fact there simply wasn't enough snow to worry about). Still, I think the focus on the fundamentals was beneficial and Brandon seemed very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about teaching. Would recommend this course for those who want to get out into the backcountry in winter."

"I took AIARE 1 with guide/instructor Thomas White in Feb 2023 and it was a fantastic experience. I had taken my AST1 in Whistler the year prior and wanted to brush up. The two courses were actually quite complementary and although they taught the same things, had different focuses. The best part about AIARE 1 was Tom's extensive experience in the mountains and knowledge not only about avalanche safety and guiding but also weather/meteorology and snow science! I really enjoyed learning from someone who has many years of field experience- that's the only way to learn those things that are hard to teach! On Day 2 of the course Tom had us plot our own touring route which I thought was the best part of the course- hands on, group decision making using real data. That's the best way to prep yourself for exploring the backcountry in the Sierras. I would definitely recommend AIARE 1 with blackbird and particularly Thomas White!"

"It was easy to book my AIARE 1 + avalanche rescue course on their website. The communication leading up to the course was excellent, the online training material was up to date and helpful, and the field experience was highly relevant and engaging. My instructor was Jan and he was incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, friendly and did an exceptional job ensuring everyone in our course felt included regardless of our varying depth of backcountry experiences and skill level. I highly recommend Blackbird for your next backcountry course."