The stunning Bow-Yoho traverse, running from Bow Lake to the Yoho Valley, has lived in the shadow of its neighbor—the famous Wapta Traverse—for years. However, it has recently started catching up to the competition, thanks in great part to the addition of the Richard and Louise Guy Hut, by far the most deluxe hut in the area. Some of British Columbia’s most scenic peaks—which were previously reachable only through days of walking or high camping—are now more accessible than ever before with this 7-day tour! The Yoho and des Poilus glaciers abound with ski traversal and powder hunting opportunities, and the cozy huts add a level of sophistication and comfiness to the rough Canadian backcountry. You even get the opportunity to ski in a storm—what’s not to love!
Head to Canada’s spectacular Bow-Yoho Traverse together with for a week of conquering peaks, running awesome slopes, and enjoying fantastic nature. Spend your nights in rustic and cozy flagship huts, and your days traversing and shredding British Columbia’s stunning powder. An experienced backcountry guide will be there to show you the best that the Bow-Yoho has to offer!
The price of the tour is for ACC members only. Note that the exact dates for this trip are subject to huts availability—once the guide books the huts, you will be notified about the exact dates, which may change by a day or two.
Meet your guide and team over dinner in Field, BC, at the Truffle Pigs Bistro. After dinner, retreat to your room. Your guide will take you through an equipment check and distribution of group gear and food.
After a leisurely breakfast, pick up your lunches provided by the Kicking Horse Lodge. Make sure your backpacks and ski gear are packed and ready to go. At 9:00 AM, depart for the trailhead at Bow Lake from the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge parking lot. The ski tour from Bow Lake to Bow Hut takes anywhere from 3 to 5 hours depending on conditions and group speed. If there’s enough time, run a quick lap on the awesome slopes above Bow Hut at the end of the day.
Traverse day! Set course west for the Guy Hut, traversing over the Gordon-Rhondda pass and the Yoho Glacier’s gnarly icefall, below the spectacular Mt. Collie, and a short distance down to your hut below Yoho Peak.
Peak bagging day! The Guy Hut is not only the premiere hut on the Wapta, it’s also an excellent staging point for many of the great ski runs in the area, including Yoho Peak N and SE faces, Des Poilus SE face, the subpeak to the north of Des Poilus, Mt. Collie! While most of the objectives are ideal in fair weather, there’s a tree run that provides amazing storm skiing.
Pick one of two ways to get to Stanley Mitchell Hut, both equally exciting. The first takes you over Isolated Col. It is steep and relentlessly exposed to avalanche hazards on both the north and south sides. The second is over the Whaleback, which is less exposed to avalanches and which, in the right conditions, offers a good ski descent through a lightly treed avalanche path to the valley bottom and then a trudge up-valley to the famous and ancient Stanley Mitchell Hut. If avalanche hazard is low, drop your load at the top of Isolated Col for a hot lap on the amazing 300 m (950 ft) north-facing side for an outstanding powder run, and complete the day in style with a long descent down the south side!
If you’re in the Little Yoho Valley with the wood stove crackling then you will definitely want to stay for at least one more night. Take the chance to bag the Presidents, Mount MacArthur, Isolated Peak, Mt. Kerr, or use the opportunity for some loop trips or storm skiing on the Vice President trees or glacier.
The ski out from Stanley Mitchell Hut is best if you can head up over the Iceline trail and out via Yoho Pass and Emerald Lake Lodge. This requires good stability and cool conditions, so you might have to slog out via Takakkaw Falls road. Your guide will aim to have you back in Field by early afternoon. Kick back by the shores of the Kicking Horse for another night, or just jet back home.
Included:
Not included:
To enjoy the Bow-Yoho traverse, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for 5-7 hours a day for 5 or 6 full days, covering 6-10 miles (10-15km) of terrain every day. Hut elevations are approximately 7,200ft (2,200m), with 2,300ft (700m) vertical.
You will be carrying equipment throughout your hut-to-hut traverse. Expect to carry 2-4 lbs (1-2 kg) of group gear and 4 lbs (2 kg) of food, with the rest depending on your personal gear. The total weight of your pack should be up to 45 lbs (20 kg).
You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
To participate in this tour, you need to have previous powder skiing and ski mountaineering experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain for 5-7 hours every day. Your guide will take care of the planning, oversee your technique, and teach you how to better manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training necessary to keep you safe.
Liability waivers are a standard part of all guided outdoor adventures. Recently, the requirements have become a bit more rigorous for ACMG guides—meaning that you’ll need to agree to the signing of the waiver at the time of booking.
Prior to booking, we ask you to review the waiver. During the checkout process, you’ll have to acknowledge the risks and agree to the signing of the waiver. You are required to bring a printed copy on the trip.
Please note that signing and agreeing to the terms of the waiver is required in order to join this adventure. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us prior to booking.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. In Lake Louise, Canmore, or Banff, you can rent:
If you plan on using alternate touring systems such as telemark skis, frame-style AT bindings, or splitboards, please contact your guide in advance.
Ski rental locations are in Lake Louise, Canmore, and Banff, and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes:
Ski touring in the Bow-Yoho Traverse can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has ski tourers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to the Bow-Yoho Traverse, most people fly into Calgary International Airport 2,5 hours away. The starting point is Field on Day 1 of the tour. You’ll meet your guide sometime in the afternoon at the Truffle Pigs Bistro & Lodge in Field, BC, have dinner, a briefing, and you’ll start the traverse on Day 2.
You can rent a car or take a bus straight to Field from Calgary Airport.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
For set dates, a deposit of 50% of the total price is due upon booking. Once your guide confirms your booking, your trip departure is guaranteed and second payment is due 120 days before the trip.
If you need to cancel a reservation, please do so in writing (best by e-mail). Once your booking is confirmed, you and your Guides enter into financial obligations and they cannot refund payments or release you from your contractual obligations. Therefore, it is highly recommended buying cancellation insurance to cover your losses for the case that you can’t participate or have to interrupt your trip “for any reason”.
Your Guides do reserve the right to change guides, particular lodging or the itinerary or venue should unforeseen circumstances (guide sickness, hut or route closing etc.) force them to do so or should the physical condition of the participants, weather or mountain conditions make a continuation as planned too risky. Your Guides will not be deemed to be in default for any delay or failure to perform their obligations under this agreement resulting from acts of God, the elements, war, acts of government, civil or military authorities, natural calamities, catastrophe, fire, flood, accidents, epidemics, shortage of transportation, or any other like events beyond our reasonable control.
Early Bird booking
Want to be the first one to know when we publish new dates or secure your spot well in advance? Select a future month that suits you best and lock in your Early Bird spot in time with just a 10% deposit.
As soon as our guides publish new tour dates, you’ll be the first one to know. We’ll hold your spot for 2 weeks until you choose the date that suits you best.
More about how Early Bird bookings work below:
