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North Lake Tahoe Backcountry 2.0

private backcountry ski guiding in lake tahoe with professional mountain guides

North Lake Tahoe Backcountry 2.0

$249MON – THU
Per Person
$299FRI – SUN
Per Person
Intermediate 8 Hours / Full Day Lake Tahoe, CA
Learn to Backcountry Ski or Ride in Lake Tahoe! This is the second part in our three-part Intro To Backcountry series. Please see Backcountry 1.0 for an overview of part 1. In this 2.0 course, you’ll build upon basic backcountry touring skills, diving into advanced tour planning and backcountry leadership principles and practices. Both skiers and splitboarders are welcome. This is an intermediate-level backcountry course. Please see the preparation section before reserving. This course takes place in North Lake Tahoe. We also offer this course in South Lake Tahoe, see here for details.
December 21, 2024
Inquire
private backcountry ski guiding in lake tahoe with professional mountain guides

Expand upon baseline backcountry skiing or riding knowledge and allow your accessible Tahoe backcountry terrain to blossom before your eyes.

Solidify your backcountry touring fundamentals in this second part of our 3-part Intro to Backcountry series. This backcountry touring course is designed for someone who already has the basic training and experience to go on a backcountry tour, and seeks the next step. Our Backcountry 1.0 course plus 5-10 days of touring experience, OR 10+ days of touring experience are ideal prerequisites. Backcountry 2.0 picks up where 1.0 leaves off, continuing the basics of touring in the backcountry.

You must be an advanced intermediate skier/rider for this course and be competent on and off-piste in a variety of conditions. Skiers/riders should be comfortable on all blue runs and most black diamond runs at a ski resort.

Prerequisites
Skiers or riders who have taken our Backcountry 1.0 PLUS 5-10 days of touring experience or those with 10+ days of individual touring experience are welcome to join.
Fitness
Excellent physical fitness is required. Skiers and splitboarders must be able to hike for many hours at a time while carrying a pack.
Technical Experience
Skiers and splitboarders must be competent in backcountry travel and able to link turns in a variety of terrain and snow conditions. This compares to competency on all blue runs and most black diamond runs at the resort–including off-piste terrain.
8 – 8:30
Meet & Greet

Meet your ski guide and fellow skiers. These tours may meet at a trailhead, or at our offices in the Village at Palisades. You’ll spend the first 30 minutes or so discussing the goal for the day, and assessing terrain options that your guide will have in mind.

8:30 – 12
Morning Tour

After making our plan for the day, we head out for the first climb and descent of the day. We’ll have a number of options available to us and terrain selection will come down to group choice and conditions. The first tour of the day is your opportunity to discuss avalanche problems, refine uphill and downhill techniques and transitions, all while finding the best snow conditions available for the day.

12 – 12:30
Lunch

In between the morning and afternoon sessions, we’ll take a break for some much needed calories. As with any tour, you’ll have time to snack in the morning and afternoon sessions, but we want to make sure to stop, eat, and discuss any deeper topics that come up during the skin track chats.

12:30 – 3:30
Afternoon Tour

Depending on our observations from the morning, we’ll spend the afternoon harvesting the goods! This is your opportunity to work on group leadership skills, and analyze the outcomes of the day.

Our Backcountry Skiing Guides

Meet some of the guides you who might be instructing your Intro To Backcountry course.

Learn To Backcountry Tour Questions

The answers to our most commonly asked questions about learning to backcountry tour.
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