Overview
Located in the beautiful Flathead Valley, The Mountain Guides Montana offers avalanche courses and backcountry skiing skills courses. Our goal is to educate and develop backcountry users who feel confident in their abilities to assess and manage risk. Let us help you deepen your knowledge base and refine your backcountry skills. Our avalanche courses utilize a mix of self guided learning, virtual classroom time and experiential education to create a comprehensive learning environment that adapts to your schedule and learning needs. Our professional guides and avalanche instructors are dedicated to providing you with a unique and powerful course that will fundamentally change the way you view the winter world and how you make your choices when recreating in it.
Whitefish Yurt-based Avalanche Courses from The Mountain Guides on Vimeo.
We highly encourage every backcountry user to educate themselves and to follow up with yearly practice, so you enjoy a long lifetime of rewarding backcountry experiences. Along with our avalanche courses, we offer custom 1-day course focused on learning and refining backcountry skills.
Season Winter
Minimum Age 18
Trip Planner
Itinerary
Our in-person AIARE Level 1 Courses are designed for people looking to build a foundation for safe Backcountry travel but might not be ready to navigate more challenging terrain as a skier or a snowboarder. This comprehensive 3-day course focuses on hazard evaluation, decision-making and companion rescue in avalanche terrain. These courses include proper instruction for basic safety and protocols for safe backcountry travel. Over the 3-days you will learn the skills and tools needed to navigate the winter mountains and evaluate the snowpack when traveling through avalanche terrain.
The course begins at noon at Blacktail Mountain Resort, located 14 miles West of Lakeside. The following days’ classes will be held there as well from 9am – 5pm.
Our hybrid online/in-person AIARE Level 1 Courses are designed for people looking to build a foundation for backcountry travel who need a more flexible timeline that can fit into a weekend format. This comprehensive course consists of +/- 5 hours of self guided learning, a 3 hour evening session and 2 days in the field. The curriculum focuses on hazard evaluation, decision-making and companion rescue in avalanche terrain. These courses include an introduction to equipment options and proper use, instruction in basic risk management and terrain selection and protocols for backcountry travel. Throughout the course you will learn the skills and tools needed to navigate the winter mountains and evaluate the snowpack when traveling through avalanche terrain.
The course begins at 6PM for the 3 hour evening session and then meets at the base lodge fire pit at Whitefish Mountain Resort at 830 AM on both days. Students can expect to be back to be done by 630 PM on both days.
CLICK HERE for a course outline.
Pricing
Classroom and Hybrid AIARE Level I Avalanche Courses:
$495 / person
Fitness
Typically we will ascend 1000-2000 ft of vertical throughout a day on moderate slopes. This is spread out throughout the day with breaks for education and food. We recommend that you skin up the mountain a couple of times prior to your course to get the hang of your equipment and to understand the amount of fitness required to participate in the class.
Schedule
CLICK HERE to see current availability for courses at Blacktail Mountain Resort.
CLICK HERE to see current availability for Hybrid courses in Whitefish
Equipment
UPPER LAYERS
- Top Long Sleeve: Mid weight backcountry oriented top Guide Pick: Black Diamond Coefficient LT Hybrid Hoody
- Mid weight insulated Jacket Guide Pick: Black Diamond Solution Jacket
- Shell Jacket with hood. Guide Pick: Black Diamond Recon LT Stretch Shell
- Puffy Jacket: Hood Recommended. Guide Pick: Black Diamond Access Down Hoody
BOTTOM LAYERS
- Bottom Synthetic or Wool Long Underwear Bottoms Guide Pick: Black Diamond Solution 150 Merino Base Layer
- Shell Pant: full side zips and built-in gaiters Guide Pick: Black Diamond Recon Stretch LT Pant
- Socks: Synthetic or wool. Sized for your boots and blister protection. Liners recommended.
HEAD AND HANDS
- Gloves 3 pair: 1 light, 1 medium, 1 heavy pair Guide Pick: Black Diamond Legend Glove
- Hat: medium weight ski hat
- Hat: baseball or visor for sun
- Buff/neck gaiter
ACCESSORIES
- Back Pack: 30 to 40 Liter ski pack, Guide Pick: Black Diamond Jet Force Pro 35 Airbag Pack
- Water & Food: Thermos or insulated water bottles are best. Lot’s of snacks.
- Sunglasses/ Sunglass Case
- Ski Goggles
- Extra Prescription Glasses/Contact Lens
- Sunscreen/Lip balm
- Headlamp Guides Pick: Black Diamond Cosmo 350 R Rechargeable
SKI/SNOWBOARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE BACKCOUNTRY (Packages available for rent)
- Boots: Alpine Touring, Telemark, or Snowboarding Boots
- Skis: Guide Pick: Black Diamond Helio Carbon 95
- Splitboard: Guides Pick: Black Diamond X Cardiff Co-Lab
- Climbing Skins: Guides Pick: Black Diamond Ascension Nylon Climbing Skins ( must trip to fit skis)
- Ski Poles: Guides Pick: Traverse Compactor Ski Poles
- Helmet (optional)
SNOW SAFETY EQUIPMENT (REQUIRED and available for rent from TMG)
Travel
Courses at Blacktail Ski Area take place near Lakeside, MT. Students are responsible for their own lodging, transportation and meals during the course.
Whitefish AIARE 1 course field sessions utilize the Canyon Creek area near Whitefish Mountain Resort. We will be meeting at the base lodge ticket window at 8:30AM for each field day. Each participant will need an uphill pass for the resort for these courses.
Because of Mountain Guides Montana’s location in beautiful Flathead Valley and proximity to Glacier National Park our venues for teaching are one of a kind. Flights come into Glacier International Airport (FCA) and Missoula (MSO) daily. Amtrak arrives in Whitefish once per day.
Because of The Mountain Guides Montana Whitefish, Montana location in beautiful Flathead Valley and proximity to Glacier National Park our venues for teaching are one of a kind. Flights come into Glacier International Airport (FCA) daily. Amtrak arrives once per day.
Community Partners
As the signature sponsor of our Avalanche Safety Courses, all students enrolled will be able to test and demo Mammut avalanche safety equipment during the course at no charge. In exchange, participants provide five photos of the gear in use as well as a review of the gear OR a post on social media tagging @jhmtnguides and @mammutna.
Talk To Us
Here you’ll find online tools and information about joining us for a trip of a lifetime! To sign up for a trip, or if you have any questions, please call us. Listed on the left side of these pages are links that you may find useful, including printable forms and policies concerning a trip with TMG. We encourage ALL prospective climbers to read our Preparation advice. Our office can help place you with others who are looking to climb.
