Shane Robinson is the Owner and Lead Guide behind Graybird Guiding, a ski-guiding company based in Seattle, WA. If you're a follower of our brand, you've likely seen Shane on our feeds or in our studio photography across our site; he's been a close friend of TREW for some time now and we love to work (and play) with such a fun human being. 

Shane has been taking clients out to live their powder dreams in the Washington Backcountry since 2012 and has gained recognition for his ability to find the best powder stashes and always encourage you into that bonus lap. Shane is an AMGA certified ski guide, AIARE Course Leader, and has been working in the snow and outdoor recreation industry since the 90's (aka, he's old).

Shane leading the way up to some hidden pockets of snowy goodness.

A new menTOURship

This winter, Shane created an opportunity for a guide early in their career to get some high-quality ski guiding experience, which can be hard to come by. The importance of mentorship in any profession is huge, but it is especially important in the avalanche and snow industry where you often work alone or with indirect supervision and not great feedback on your decisions - specifically regarding avalanche hazard management.  

We had a chance to get a bit more detail from Shane about what inspired his Graybird MenTOURship program:

"Ok, pull up a rocking chair and grab a glass of lemonade while I spin a yarn. Back when I was looking into ski guiding as a profession (this is back in the 2000 aughts), ski guiding in the US was primarily a job of avalanche education and a couple of intro to backcountry classes. In the spring you might get some ski mountaineering work on glaciated peaks or more technical descents. I was inspired to start ski guiding from my interactions with Canadian ski guides working out of backcountry lodges when I would meet them during the heli transfers. I knew there was an opportunity for more guided ski days in the US, but there were few examples of this being done and even fewer mentors, role models, or employers offering this type of experience.  

Fast forward almost 20 years later and backcountry, human-powered ski guiding is much more common in the US, and I feel fortunate to have built a career and company that focuses on this type of work. I also feel incredibly lucky to have the support of so many guests who trust me to take them into the backcountry for their vacations or just a special Saturday in the home zones.  However, young guides often spend several years working avalanche courses and entry-level backcountry courses before they get much experience with true ski guiding work."

Thumb's up, rain or shine.

MenTOURship brought to life

This season, Alexis Kane will be the ski guide mentee working closely with Shane for three backcountry tours leading everyone’s favorite guinea pigs, the TREW Crew. TREW has organized a few small groups of ambassadors, athletes, and friends of the brand that are more than happy to follow Shane and Alexis’s every instruction as they lay the perfectly inclined skin track, lead us to the untouched powder stashes, and remind us to eat our best snacks and drink our water.

Shane and Alexis talking through the plan for the day with the rest of the crew.

Meet Alexis Kane

Alexis is originally from Upstate NY where she grew up ski racing at Song Mountain, a tiny mountain in Tully, NY. After college, Alexis took her first chance to move west and ended up in Seattle in 2018. She has been an AIARE instructor for 2 seasons now, teaching courses with Backcountry Adventure Guides at Snoqualmie Pass. She is an aspiring ski guide and will be taking her AMGA ski guide course in April 2025 and will continue down the AMGA ski guide path. Alexis is primarily fueled by Trader Joe's Super Sour Scandinavian Swimmers and peanut butter cups.

Alexis was stoked to hear about Shane's mentorship opportunity: "Last season I took advantage of AIARE's Women's mentorship program and was able to learn from amazing mentors. It was amazing how quickly I became more comfortable once I had a few people I trusted in the industry. I am much more confident in myself and want to continue to grow as a ski guide and outdoor educator with the help of mentorship opportunities like the one Shane is offering". 

Alexis getting the goods despite the rainy day.

All images by Will Phelps. Thanks, Will!