Skiing Mont Blanc du Tacul – May 31 2014
Finished up our first guiding week in Chamonix France with Jasmin and Christina by skiing Mont Blanc du Tacul. The Mont Blanc du Tacul is the first section to the “Trois monts” route to the Mont Blanc summit and on it own still at righteous peak at 4260m.
Mount Garibaldi Summit
Climb Mt. Garibaldi with Altus Mountain Guides! Mt Garibaldi or also know as Diamond Head is in Garibaldi Provincial Park and is the last peak in the chain of strato-volcanos that extends up from California’s Mt. Shasta. Mt Garibaldi sports massive glaciers and a truly Olympian summit in Garibaldi Park. This two day guided trip up Mt Garibaldi has a bivouac at the edge of the Warren Glacier and a steep snow/ice climb up the north-east face of the mountain to its highpoint at 2678 meters or 8,786 feet. This is a grand outing that takes you literally from Sea to Sky! Scaling Mt Garibaldi with a guide is a “must do” climb on the Sea to Sky corridor. Mountaineering on Mt Garibaldi is an experience that has to be seen to believed. The vistas off the top of Mt Garibaldi looking down to the Howe Sound are next to none world wide.
Blackcomb Buttress Whistler
Blackcomb Buttress is an unbeatable way to spend a day in Whistler! A short walk from the gondola leads to scenic Blackcomb Lake. Make your way up the 200 meter Blackcomb Buttress climb with difficulties up to 5.7. Top out on the summit of Blackcomb Peak and descend the glacier back to the lifts.
Heli Assisted Mountaineering
Heli Assisted Mountaineering in Canada. Let the magic of a helicopter whisk you off to the most amazing untouched Alpine destinations in Canada. Heli Mountaineering, short for (Helicopter Mountaineering) is the most exquisite civilized way to experience the remote untouched wilderness. The coastal mountains of British Columbia are among the most beautiful in the world and among the hardest to access because of the thick coastal rainforest. The jungle like vegetation can all but stop progress. With the aid of a short Helicopter trip you can skip the painful slog to the Alpine.
Sky Pilot Mountain – Trip photos
Sky Pilot Mountain. What a fun trip into the Shannon Creek drainage above the new Sea to Sky Gondola! Despite the odd shower it was a great trip instructing navigation and traveling up to Sky Pilot Mountain over 3 days. Early season spring conditions still exist in the backcountry with lots of soft snow still…
Cosmiques Couloir – Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix Steep Skiing
Snuck in a lap on the Cosmiques Couloir off the Aiguille du Midi yesterday. 40cm of new snow in the high mountains around Chamonix made for pretty good skiing.
Rock Climbing in Italy – Aosta Valley
Rain in Chamonix… Well lets just go Rock climbing in Italy!! Amazing how with a 20 minutes drive you can get to Italy where it is generally much sunnier and warmer than in Chamonix.
Wedge Mountain
Wedge mountain, if you have ever visited Whistler BC you have certainly noticed the formidable Wedge Mountain. This peak is the largest (2904m) of the Garibaldi park which ranges from Squamish to north of Whistler and one of the best mountaineering climbs near Whistler. The most common Wedge mountain climb is via the NE ridge route;
Cosmiques Arete – Aiguille du Midi – Chamonix Mountaineering
Really no better way to starting a mountaineering week in Chamonix than with the Cosmiques Arete. Normally when you think of mountaineering you would think of a long walk from the valley, climbing the mountain then finally and long knee bashing decent back home. Not the Cosmiques Arete.
Spencer Couloir – Chamonix France SKI TOURING IN MAY!
Today we headed up off the Plan de L’aguille and up to the Spencer Couloir Chamonix, a proud 50 degree couloir standing high above town. The skiing was surprisingly excellent with 50cm of new snow making boot top powder skiing in the steep terrain.
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.