Glacier Travel + Crevasse Rescue
Learn the necessary skill for glacier travel and crevasse rescue course. We will cover glacier dynamics, glacier assessment, risk factors, glacier travel and companion rescue (crevasse extraction)
Advanced Mountaineering Course
Tantalus Advanced Mountaineering Course Next Level Mountain Climbing Skills Whether you’re looking to summit the local volcanoes of Mount Garibaldi and Mount Baker, or the alpine rock splitters in the Bugaboos – all climbers need the skills to safely travel through these varied landscapes. This course offers the fundamental skills for any aspiring mountaineer. Before…
18/19 Ski Season Day 1
18/19 Ski Season – Day 1 November 16, 2018 With unusually dry and warm weather on the coast, ski season is a bit delayed. It took some driving and some walking, but we found winter hiding up high in the coast range…in a narrow band above 1700/1800m. Despite the slim snow depth, the skiing was…
Run Skoki Lodge – Banff National Park
Run Skoki Lodge – Banff National Park Hut Based Running in the Heart of Banff National Park Located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, Banff National Park needs no introduction. Towering rock walls, massive mountains, and quiet lakes make trail running a runner’s dream in the Lake Louise area. We will fastpack our way…
How to backcountry ski
Its no secret, the ski resorts are busy. The lift lines are long, the chairlift is cold and the fresh tracks don’t last as long as they used to. I will let you in on a secret, the ski resorts comprise of less than 0.01% percent of mountains to ski on, and that just around…
Run Chamonix
Alpine Running Chamonix The Alpine Running Epicenter Chamonix, France is the home of lush green valleys, forested single track, alpine ridges and rumbling glaciers in all corners. Join Ross Berg IFMGA mountain on his 11th summer running and climbing around this valley and its nearby gems. Enjoy a mix of alpine rips, glacier excursions, and buffed…
Run the Dolomites – Alta Via 2
Trail Running the Dolomites – Alta Via 2 Hut to Hut in the Italian Alpine “Each mountain is like a piece of art” Reinhold Messner The Dolomites, a jewel of the European Alps and UNESCO world heritage site, also serve as an alpine running mecca for those brave enough to get off the beaten path. …
Spearhead Traverse
The Spearhead Traverse is the proper way to ski Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb! Leave from the summit of the Blackcomb Ski Resort, and make your way over high mountain passes and wild glaciers over the course of 2 or 3 days. Absorb the expansive views and great alpine ski descents every day on this high alpine adventure. Finally, arrive back at the Whistler Ski Resort to cruise back home.
Spearhead Hut Overnight
Spearhead Hut Overnight Backcountry Hut Based Touring in Whistler Whistler Backcountry from a brand new, state of the art hut. Easy. We are excited to welcome the Kees and Claire Hut to the Whistler Backcountry Community. A 38 person backcountry hut poised at 1950m on the border of excellent tree skiing and big alpine prizes…
Run Patagonia – Torres Del Paine
Run Patagonia – You might consider THIS adventure to be THE trip of a lifetime. If you have always wanted to explore one of Patagonia’s finest gems on your own two feet, than come along with us for the inaugural fast-pack of the Torres del Paines circuit! Together, we will complete both the O and the W routes in Patagonia’s iconic National Park.
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.