Novice looking to learn the ways of the off piste

Hello, I am Chris. I am 24 and I want to get into ski mountaineering/backcountry skiing. I need to get tele/skin gear and ice climbing gear as well.
I started skiing in high school at Stevens, then moved up to Baker, and finally Alpental; where I fell in love with the backcountry.

Now that I have moved back north to the Arlington area, I wan to start getting into the real BC. I am not the strongest skiier, but I can usually keep up with the people I follow at Alpental. Althought I am not skilled enough to ski the mushroom couloir or some of the narrow chutes with any degree of comfort.

I usually hike every few weeks and dirt bike in between. I have some climbing experiece and glacier travel. My most recent peak was Three Fingers in October. I have not attempted much with any technical climbing, but I am eager to try.

I work a rotating shift, so taking classes isn't an option that I have found yet. I have lots of weekdays off, with weekends mixed in

If you have any advice for me I would appreciate it, or if anyone wants to teach a freshie the ropes! Thank


Chris

Hopefully you can at least swing taking an Avalanche Level 1 class. If you know how to stay warm and mostly dry in wintertime, and have the avy training, go skiing! If you can't wrangle partners here, see if you can get some of your existing friends to join the journey with you, and buy a guidebook and read TRs here for ideas. Have fun, play fair, and be safe.

Just get the skis, take the class, stay close to frequented areas and go low angle. Wade in don't jump with ice axes and all that. Once your out there you'll meet other people, make a connection and find partners.