Frequently Asked Questions

    • Upon registration of a program with SNBG, you will receive an email with specific details including lodging options in the particular area of your program.

    • This is a complicated & nuanced question. Give us a call and we’ll chat about it to make the best decision for you!

    • Yes! We offer rentals on a limited selection of gear items. Please check out our equipment rental page to see what we offer.

    • Also, upon registration, you will receive an email with the gear list for your trip. That list will indicate if we can provide rentals for the item or not.

    • No, we do not offer portering services at Sierra Nevada Backcountry Guides.

    • Please visit our cancellation policy page as this should answer all your questions or concerns regarding trip cancellations.

    • Don’t stress about this too much. We will provide these details upon registration of your program.

    • You can also expect individual text messages from your guide to provide more specific details before your arrival.

    • It depends. For some of our programs, you will need to provide all food for yourself including breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks.

    • For others, you only need to provide snacks & lunch for yourself.

    • We will inform you about food details upon registration for a program with SNBG.

    • We do not offer womans trips as we support the growth of several female owned guiding services in the United States that offer a plethora of womens exclusive trips. Support these companies! Reach out if you’d like any suggestions on guide service options.

    • Once you register & pay your deposit, you can expect an email outlining program logistics within 24 hours after registration.

    • Nope, you don’t need any formal avalanche training to join any of our programs.

  • By definition:

    • Ski Mountaineering is a skiing (or snowboarding) discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis.

    • You can decend the rabbit hole of opinionated definitions of Ski Mountaineering but we’ll leave it here.

    • Backcountry skiing (sometimes called off-piste skiing) is any type of skiing done outside the patrolled boundaries of a ski area. It's often done with alpine touring, splitboards or telemark ski gear, where you use climbing skins and bindings with a free-heel feature to ski uphill and then back down.

  • Alpine Climbing

    • Environment: Takes place in mountainous regions, often on snow and ice.

    • Techniques: Combines skills from both rock climbing and ice climbing, including the use of crampons and ice axes.

    • Objective: Focuses on reaching higher altitudes, often summiting peaks.

    • Conditions: Involves varying weather conditions, necessitating adaptation to snow, ice, and variable terrain.

    Rock Climbing

    • Environment: Primarily conducted on rock formations such as cliffs and boulders.

    • Techniques: Emphasizes the use of climbing shoes, harnesses, and rope systems specifically for rock surfaces.

    • Objective: Aims to ascend vertical or near-vertical rock faces, often within established routes.

    • Conditions: Typically occurs in milder weather and is less impacted by environmental conditions compared to alpine climbing.

    Mountaineering

    • Environment: Encompasses activities within mountainous areas, which may include both rock and snow/ice.

    • Techniques: Integrates skills from alpine climbing, rock climbing, and often glacier travel. Involves navigation and survival skills in remote areas.

    • Objective: Focused on reaching the summit of mountains, which may involve a combination of diverse terrains.

    • Conditions: Can involve extreme weather conditions, requiring a comprehensive understanding of navigation, safety, and emergency response.

    -Alpine climbing merges rock and ice techniques in high-altitude environments.

    -Rock climbing is a focus on vertical ascents on rock.

    -Mountaineering is a broader discipline aiming for mountain summits that incorporates various climbing methodologies and survival skills.

    • To answer simply, we suggest bringing all of the gear listed on the gear list provided in the logistics email you received upon your registration.

    • Your guide will do a full gear check before leaving the trailhead. This is when you can dial in spacific items and ask as many questions as you want!