North Lake Tahoe Backcountry 3.0

We recommend visiting Sports LTD or Sierra Ski and Cycle. Both locations are in South Lake Tahoe.

This intro to mountaineering course is an entry level program, designed to teach you all the skills you need to begin your mountain climbing career. While you do need excellent general fitness, no climbing experience is necessary.

Skiers must be confident on a variety of terrain, including off-piste black diamond-caliber descents. 25+ days of prior ski touring experience is required, and excellent physical fitness is important.

At Alpenglow, we have only the highest standards of safety and guide qualifications. All of our local backcountry tours are led by AMGA trained/certified guides. Our guides assess the snow conditions and avalanche hazards every morning to mitigate risk, and are supervised by fully certified IFMGA guides.

We have an excellent selection of backcountry ski gear available to rent. We offer top of the line equipment from Black Diamond Skis, Technica Boots, and Jones Snowboards. Many of our guides use the same gear available in our demo fleet. If you have any gear or sizing questions, we would be more than happy to get you situated to ensure you get the most out of your day in the mountains.

A/T Skis

We can offer touring specific skis from Blizzard, a personal favorite for our mountain guides. We have skis available for both females and males. We have sizes available in 164cm,  171cm, 178cm, and 185cm.

Splitboards

We have Jones Splitboards available to rent in sizes 145cm, 152cm, 160cm, 161cm, 162cm, and 164cm) Please let us know your stance/binding angle preferences if you are planning to rent a splitboard setup.

A/T Ski Boots

Alpine touring ski boots from Technica Boots are available to rent. Sizes range from 23.5 to 29.5 in both genders.

Avalanche Equipment

Avalanche gear is mandatory for all peoples traveling in alpine terrain. If you do not already own gear, we rent an avalanche kit (incl. beacon/shovel/probe) for a small daily fee.

In general, your gear for the day will be very similar to a day of skiing in the resort, but here are a few key pieces that are unique to the backcountry and crucial for the day –

• A hat and pair of sunglasses (These come in handy on the hike up)
• Sunscreen
• Water and snacks (Our guides recommend between 1-2L of water depending on your intake)
• Lighter, more breathable layer options than a typical resort layering system. An additional light pair of gloves is preferred for uphill travel
• Ski poles with powder baskets, or a pair of collapsable poles for splitboarding. (We have these available at no extra charge if you need them)
• A backpack, and any avalanche rescue gear you may own. (Our guides recommend packs around 20-30L)
  **Please give us a call if you have any questions about what to bring, or if your gear will be appropriate for the day.

Location and timing vary depending on the conditions and objectives of the group.

The amount of hiking during the day varies largely on the size, pace, and motivation of the group. On a light day, you can expect about 1-2 hours of hiking, and on a larger day some groups may surpass 4 hours of hiking throughout the course of the day.

Advanced intermediate skiers/riders that are competent on and off-piste in a variety of conditions are welcome. You should be confident skiing all blue runs and most black diamond runs at a ski resort (including ungroomed terrain). Here is a good example of intermediate skiers and riders.

You will receive a welcome email shortly with more information about your day. Please be sure to fill out our waivers, and let us know if you have any rental needs. Verify you have all your personal gear that you’ll need, and give us a call if you have questions about any aspect of your Alpenglow adventure.

Operating in partnership with the Tahoe National Forest and the Truckee Donner Land Trust, our outdoor classroom contains some of the best terrain in the region to begin your avalanche education. For your day out, we have many trailhead options at our disposal and with your input, your guide will pick the location with the best conditions for the day. Our permitted zones include Tahoe National Forest, Eldorado National Forest, Inyo National Forest, Truckee Donner Land Trust, Mt. Rose / Carson Pass, and Humboldt-Toiyabe.
This course is also available in South Lake Tahoe. See here for details.

While no outdoor adventure can be completely free of risk without losing the essence of the activity, hiring a professional guide is a fantastic way to manage and mitigate this risk. Activities like skiing and climbing have what we call “inherent risk”, which can be defined as a risk that cannot be completely mitigated by a professional. That is part of playing in the mountains. We encourage you to reach out to the office if you would like to discuss this in more detail.

Lunch is not included. We recommend bringing a sack lunch and plenty of water.

Yes! We rent beacons, probes, and shovels for a small daily fee.

We have an excellent selection of backcountry ski gear available to rent. We offer top of the line equipment from Black Diamond Skis, Tecnica Boots, and Jones Snowboards. Many of our guides use the same gear available in our demo fleet. If you have any gear or sizing questions, we would be more than happy to get you situated to ensure you get the most out of your day in the mountains.

Splitboards

We have Jones Splitboards available to rent in sizes 145cm, 152cm, 160cm, 161cm, 162cm, and 164cm) Please let us know your stance/binding angle preferences if you are planning to rent a splitboard setup.

A/T Ski Boots

Alpine touring ski boots from Technica Boots are available to rent. Sizes range from 23.5 to 29.5 in both genders.

Avalanche Equipment

Avalanche gear is mandatory for all peoples traveling in alpine terrain. If you do not already own gear, we rent an avalanche kit (incl. beacon/shovel/probe) for a small daily fee.

In general, your gear for the day will be very similar to a day of skiing in the resort, but here are a few key pieces that are unique to the backcountry and crucial for the day –
A hat and pair of sunglasses (These come in handy on the hike up)
Sunscreen
Water and snacks (Our guides recommend between 1-2L of water depending on your intake)
Lighter, more breathable layer options than a typical resort layering system. An additional light pair of gloves is preferred for uphill travel
Ski poles with powder baskets, or a pair of collapsable poles for splitboarding. (We have these available at no extra charge if you need them)
A backpack, and any avalanche rescue gear you may own. (Our guides recommend packs around 20-30L)
**Please give us a call if you have any questions about what to bring, or if your gear will be appropriate for the day.

Location and time is variable for this trip, but we will typically meet at our office at Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort.

The amount of hiking during the day varies somewhat on the zone and motivation of the group. The shortest day you can expect contains about 2 hours of skinning, and the longer days may have upwards of 4 hours of skinning.

Skiers/Riders must have our Backcountry 1.0 plus 5-10 tours, OR 10+ days of individual touring experience, and be competent in variable terrain and conditions. This is comparable to confidence on and off-piste on all blue runs and most black diamond runs at the resort, in variable weather.

Yes! A large portion of our business is designed around custom adventures. Booking a private day gives you the freedom to tailor the day around your goals, pace, and group size.

Please click here to review our domestic cancellation policy

Yes, you should bring a sack lunch and water bottle for this course.