Blackbird Mountain Guides, Truckee CA

On behalf of all the staff at Yosemite who took the AIARE I course with Blackbird Mountain Guides, I can say without a doubt that we are so thankful that we were able to make this happen. Zeb and Andrew were fantastic instructors, our team learned so much and this course has opened so many doors for us, both personally and professionally. Thank you for letting us ask ALL the questions and explaining sometimes complicated concepts very clearly. We had a wonderful time.

Zeb was awesome, and our intro to ski mountaineering course was a great intro to take before hitting some Eastern Sierra objectives the following week. Zeb was patient and informative and open to any and all questions throughout the course, and then we did a mini tour where he continued to share his breadth of knowledge about various observations and snow conditions. Couldn't recommend enough!

Excellent day in the backcountry on a guided tour with Andrew A. He was patient, knowledgable, prioritized safety and knew where to find the great snow.

I took the PCT Snow Travel Skills course with Angelique and the entire experience was far more enriching and inspiring than I could’ve possibly imagined! Angelique is positive, motivated and passionate about every subject. She takes the time to listen, and to make sure that everyone’s questions and concerns are addressed; she doesn’t cut corners. I feel vastly more prepared and safe for the Sierra section of the PCT in such a high snow year, but most importantly, I feel knowledgeable enough to make safe, informed decisions for my well-being… thanks to Angelique and the entire course. Highly recommend for PCT hikers or any backpacker who wants to gain some valuable skills in winter mountain terrain- they’ll last a lifetime.

Blackbird guides is awesome! All of their guides are super knowledgeable and approachable. Highly recommend for any type of avalanche education, skills courses, and private guiding days.

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 sunmited peaks I never though I could. 5 stars all the way.

I'd highly recommend Blackbird Mountain Guides for guiding and instruction. The owner, Zeb, was incredibly helpful in getting me into a course I needed for school and our Instructor Andrew was super knowledgeable, humble, cool, kind, and a total shredder on the mountain. All the good stuff. Can't recommend enough. Thanks for your stoke and dedication to the mountains Blackbird!

Couldn’t be happier with my Black Bird Guide experience. Had a great weekend of learning and adventure. Highly recommend the AIARE + rescue class. Andrew was an excellent teacher and guide.

Had an awesome experience in Shasta with Blackbird. My guide, Jason, was excellent and I learned a ton from him. Highly recommend Blackbird and I’ll certainly be a repeat client.

I have done two backcountry ski tours with Blackbird Mountain Guides this year and had great experiences! I skied amazing terrain around the Frog Lakes Huts for 3 days. The guides, Andrew and Evan were great and encouraged me to push my boundaries. I most recently did a 1 day tour in South Lake Tahoe with Jason and really enjoyed it. Spoke to Ali on the phone for questions prior to the trips and she was always knowledgeable and patient. Thank you Blackbird Guides! I’ll be back!

My wife and I spent an incredible day with Tyler. He directed us to a great area near Mount Rose with views and powder we never would have had access to without him. We took a path less travelled at his recommendation and only saw a few other people. Tyler was highly skilled and helped us navigate all of our gear and turns and gave us a intro to backcountry skiing/boarding that we'll never forget. Highly recommend Blackbird!

The most important thing for a trip like this is going with someone knowledgeable and experience. I give them 10/10. I have done 2 trips with BBMG, and I am blown away by their level of knowledge of the terrain and conditions. They are also great to be with. They are incredibly patient and helpful and make being outside with them enjoyable. They are also fun to spend time with around the fire at the end of the day. I couldn't recommend them more highly.

Really appreciate their efforts to make my goal happen, despite touring on Monday (presumably the day off for most guides) in less than ideal conditions. I learned more about spring skiing in the Sierra and what to expect in the weeks ahead. Looking forward to working with Blackbird in the future.

I had Brandon Seymore as my instructor for the AIARE 1/Partner Rescue Course. He was awesome! I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend taking this course (especially adding on the partner rescue portion).

I took the Avalanche Rescue course with these guys and gals, and it is hands down the best course. Using ski lifts to maximize time actually searching buried victims, allowed me to really hone my skills and muscle memory. Probably the closest real world experience you can get when it comes to looking for people buried in an avalanche. Highly recommended if you want know what do when encountering an avalanche while skiing in the backcountry.

I had a great day out in the field with Blackbird Mountain Guides. They offer a handful of women's courses, and I love the opportunity to learn new skills in a crew of rad shreddistas. Our guide Ali was simply the best - she was super knowledgeable, pushed us all to practice and develop ownership of the skills we learned, and had a great approach to teaching by asking a lot of questions and encouraging us to think through the different situations. I learned so much in a short time and had a really great day.

Just finished a hut trip with Ali and Sammi! We had the most epic powder, we were well fed, and well taken care of - what more could you ask for! Highly recommend!