Mont Blanc Summit trip.
Yesterday Altus Mountain Guides Guided Mont Blanc. We got to the Summit at 930 am July 4th. The conditions on the mountain were near perfect. One day earlier people had to turn around because of Avalanche hazard on the Mountain. Today the weather is poor with rain in the Valley and clouds covering the Summit.…
Squamish Climbing
Yesterday I got to get out and do some climbing in the morning at Chech Canyon Squamish BC. It was a busy day as you can see. Took a bunch of photos with my new camera for the people at the crag. Another day climbing in Squamish even though it slashed rain the day before.…
Tour Ronde – Gervassutti Couloir
80cm’s of new snow in the past week we decided to give the biggest peaks another day to settle so we set our sights on the Gervassutti couloir on the Tour Ronde. This 1500 foot 50 degree couloir has been on my personal ski list for some years. A beautiful peak with an esthetic sustained…
Cosmiques Arete – Chamonix France
Last week was the grand finally of the ski season for us. Finished with a bit of bang! Had the pleasure of guiding returning client Carsten Kulche in Chamonix France. The week started with terrible weather so we opted for a quick lap up the Cosmiques arete for some acclimatization. After leaving the coffee shop…
Spring Wapta Ski Traverse
This spring Altus’s IFMGA Mountain Guide Ross Berg guided the Wapta Traverse. Weather and snow conditions cooperated and everyone had a great time. Altus Mountain Guides gives a big thanks to the clients for being in such good shape and choosing to ski with us! Hope to see you again.
Angels Crest! Summer is on it’s way.
As of last week the climb is completely dry thanks to the strong Howe Sound winds and the sunny skies of spring. Few climbs in Squamish serve up the zesty taste of alpine justice like the Angels Crest Arete. Several steep pitches punctuate a half kilometer of ridgework with showstopping positions along the serrated spine…
Climbing with a Legend: A day with Fred Beckey
Last week, I had a chance to get out on the cliffs of Squamish with a man who needs no introduction to the area: Fred Beckey. In fact Fred is largely responsible for introducing the rest of the world to Squamish. Since the late fifties, when the Sea to Sky highway was just a…
Bugaboo Alpine Rock
Home to North America’s most amazing alpine rock: Bugaboo, Snowpatch, pigeon and the Howser Towers, this place has to be experienced to be believed! From the Beckey-Chouinard (V 5.10) to the West ridge of Pigeon (II 5.4), there is something here for everyone!
Mount Robson
Mount Robson is one of the most beautiful and most sought-after peak in the Canadian Rockies. From the parking lot of Mt Robson the 10200 feet of rock and snow towers above like no other mountain in Canada. Mt. Robson being one of the more challenging summits in Canada, it sees at most a few summits per year.
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.