Haute Route Ski Traverse
This is THE classic and most renown ski traverse in the world. A high alpine tour from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland over a the period of 6 days.
Backcountry Touring Intro
On our, Weekend – Backcounty Skiing Course – Whistler, you will learn how to take your skiing experience to the next level. We will introduce you to back country ski touring gear, travel techniques, avalanche awareness, route finding, route planning, without navigation and descent strategies. Our courses are ran at a maximum 4:1 student to guide ratio to ensure each student will gain as much as possible from the course. Typically based in Whistler.
Women’s Backcountry Touring Intro
Women’s Backcountry Touring Course Intro Open the Door to Endless Peaks and Powder Spend the weekend learning the skills to safely and confidently ski the backcountry in our Women’s Intro Ski Touring course. This 2-day course covers backcountry ski/split touring gear, travel techniques, avalanche awareness, route finding, route planning, whiteout navigation and descent strategies- all…
Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue
On our Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue Course, you will learn the necessary skills for glacier travel and companion rescue. We will cover glacier dynamics, glacier assessment, risk factors, glacier travel and companion rescue (crevasses extraction).
Steeps and Peaks
Ski Mountaineering Course – 5 day, is the complete program to take your backcountry skiing to the next level. This course is designed to teach and practice the skill for safe skiing in remote heavily glaciated terrain, Steep Mountain peak faces, Technical ascents/descents, advanced avalanche training, White out navigation. Our 5 day Ski Mountaineering Course is typically held in Whistler area or the Tantalus Range. We hire only certified ACMG Ski / Snowboard Guides or IFMGA certified mountain guides, who are highly familiar with the terrain.
AST 1 +
Our AST 1 + Ski Touring Skills Course is designed to fill the gap between conventional AST 1 programs and actually getting out into the terrain ski touring on your own! The thought is why learn about avalanche terrain if you dont have the skills to actually get there on your own. This is why we are incorporating ski touring skill to our normal AST 1 course. Giving you the skill to get into and ski the terrain and the also the skills to do it safely.
Participant Info – Rock Climbing Courses
North Island, Japan
Women’s Ski Mountaineering
Big mountains, glaciers, steeps, summits! Learn the skills to go after the big peak and objectives. Join professional ski mountaineer Holly Walker and ACMG guides for 3 days of intensive structured education and a supported atmosphere to push your limits.
Big Mountain Skiing
Big Mountain Ski Course is, Advanced Skiing Snowboarding and Mountaineering School. It is a specialty course set up to teach people methods to manage Big Mountain terrain. Altus Mountain Guides has the skills and technical abilities to guide you through the learning process so you can ride the places you have always dreamed of, safely and with confidence.
What is Backcountry Skiing?
Do you have a craving to ski on ungroomed, all-natural snow in some of the most beautiful wilderness mountains' have to offer? If your answer is yes, then backcountry skiing can provide the adventure you're looking for.
Backcountry skiing generally occurs in sparsely populated areas outside designated ski resorts - truly making it an adventure. Human power is frequently the means of access and ascent, but some adventures may require helicopters and ski lifts may be used so long as the land accessed is backcountry.
Types of Backcountry Skiing
According to Wikipedia, backcountry skiing can include:
- Frontcountry: off-trail within ski area boundaries where ski lifts and emergency services are close at hand.
- Slackcountry: terrain outside of the ski area boundary that is accessed from a lift without having to use skins or bootpack. Usually this also includes area with access back to the lift as well. For purists, this could also include where people use a car as a shuttle.
- Sidecountry: terrain outside marked ski area boundaries yet accessible via ski lift. Typically sidecountry requires the skier to hike, skin, or climb within ski area boundaries to reach or return from the sidecountry area, or both.
- Backcountry: skiing in remote areas not within ski area boundaries. Ski patrol, marked ski runs, grooming, snowmaking, and ski lifts are absent.
Want to Try Backcountry Skiing?
Give Altus Mountain Guides a call to start your adventure today +1.604.848.8543
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Altus mountain guides is a group of motivated professionals dedicated to providing our clients with outstanding quality in the mountains with safe adventurous trips. From our base in Squamish and Whistler BC we provide you access to the most amazing mountain experiences the West Coast has to offer. Our exciting itineraries showcase the Coast Range but reach beyond to the interior ranges of the Selkirkʼs and Purcellʼs and onto the Rockies. We also offer trips internationally from the historic and classic European Alps to the windswept wilds of Patagonia.