Backcountry skiing in British Columbia

An awesome trip with a great, conscientious, and professional guide. Definitely felt that Tom listened to the whole crew and took our collective objectives, safety, weather, snow conditions, and skillsets to get the maximum we could have out of our Bow-Yoho traverse over New Year 2018. Super fun trip and lots of hilarious and educational stories and experiences Tom shared with us. And Eric was great in lending a hand where needed and carrying a ton of weight too. Would definitely recommend both Tom and Eric for any high adventure trips and any furthering of backcountry education. Not only do they really know their craft, but they also present their knowledge in a smooth and easy way for all to understand and learn from. Great guides, great guys. All five stars for sure!

I was out on trips with Tom Wolfe of Sawback Alpine Adventures twice during the ski season of winter 2018. Both trips were great. The Bow / Yoho Wapta Traverse was particularly spectacular traveling between Alpine Club of Canada huts. Tom really knows this area well.

Thank you for all that you do to make these experiences happen!!! “We like it here” is an understatement… Love the details in the new cabins and the amazing terrain each hut/cabin/lodge access has- the views are beyond beautiful. Easily top favorite place’s on earth! A huge thank you and shout out to Corin Lohmann- he is a fantastic guide. Two full Traverse trips with him, and I hope to have another in my time. Always a grand adventure!!!

Monte was a fantastic guide for our 4-day ski touring trip. He has an unbelievable amount of knowledge of the backcountry, weather and snow but struck an outstanding balance between the level of information he provided and the practicality of applying it in a backcountry scenario. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide! His dry sense of humour also kept thing fun on the skin track!

I have been on a number of backcountry ski/ski mountaineering trips with Monte & Black Sheep Adventure Sports over the past several years. On all the trips Monte and his guides have displayed excellent professionalism, tuition, and decision making in the mountains. In mixed ability groups, Monte will tailor the trip to all ability/fitness levels, ensuring everyone has a great time. Monte has also pushed me to tackle steeper terrain than I was used to skiing in the backcountry (both on the up and down). I would not hesitate to go on more trips in Monte in future.

Monte is a very professional guide and teacher. The biggest compliment I can give anyone is to let them take my son out without me in the mountains. With Monte I would not hesitate to let him take my 15 year old son out climbing. That alone speaks to the trust I have in his skill, safety and preparation. Monte also has an immense amount of knowledge.

Conor is one of the best guides I have ever been out with. He was fully flexible and catered to our group, while still being very safe. He also offers some custom programs and locations that no one else does!

As recent participant of a week long, hut-based, AIARE 2 avalanche course with Rob, I must recommend him as an excellent educator and entertainer. Rob and his colleague, fellow IFMGA guide, Tim Brown went above and beyond to cover the course curriculum and way beyond. They were able to also offer us incredible opportunity to apply the course concepts in the field. As avalanche education is a never ending process, I’m already in talks with Rob for the next trip/course.

I have been guided by Tom for over 10+ years. In that time we have been on numerous trips and every time when you think that the trip couldn’t be better it does. Tom’s attention to safety when in the backcountry is the definition of professional and never once have I felt that anything we did was unsafe. If there is ever a question about terrain that we are entering, Tom takes the time to explain to the group his decision making process. On top of that Tom has a sense of where the good snow is and always seems to lead us to the powder. All of our trips have been well organized and the booking process is very easy. I would highly recommend any trip that Tom is involved with.

Monte is a great guide! Very knowledgeable, fun and safe. I would recommend him to anyone wanting to get out in the back country or rock climbing. He can teach you skills or just show you a great stress free time in the mountains!

I have been on a number of backcountry ski/ski mountaineering trips with Monte & Black Sheep Adventure Sports over the past several years. These trips have included avalanche safety training (level 2), and multiple multi-day hut trips in some expert level terrain (such as the Tantalus range near Squamish, BC).
On all the trips Monte and his guides have displayed excellent professionalism, tuition, and decision making in the mountains.
In mixed ability groups, Monte will tailor the trip to all ability/fitness levels, ensuring everyone has a great time. Monte has also pushed me to tackle steeper terrain than I was used to skiing in the backcountry (both on the up and down).
I would not hesitate to go on more trips in Monte in future.

I’ve used Monte (head guide at Black Sheep) for 2 seasons now for backcountry ski-touring. He’s very experienced, inspires confidence, and ensures you develop your skills as you go while feeling safe. He’s also highly capable of finding fine powder lines, great views, and good company to ski with. Can’t recommend him enough.

I have done multiple instruction courses and guided trips with BlackSheep Adventure Sports over the past years, and can’t praise Monte’s professionalism and experience as a guide enough.
From rock climbing (sport, trad, multi-pitch), ice climbing, backcountry skiing/touring, crevasse rescue training, glacier travel and multiple adventures climbing mountains, Monte has been my trusted mentor on my journey to become an alpinist. During all the group courses and trips he still paid close attention to my individual development and risk tolerance, and he keeps pushing me to the next level, taking me places I’d never imagine I could go. We are already planning what training and trips we could do next.
He also brews a pretty decent alpine coffee, so that’s a plus. 😉

Organized, personal and fun adventures. All my trips with Black Sheep Adventure Sports are definitely full value!
Monte is a great guide and knows his way around the Squamish area / West Coast, so if you can give him an idea of what you’d like to experience, he can find the right objective!

I have been doing backcountry ski trips with AAA for 3 years now and have been impressed every time. They’re very good at adapting the plan to fit the group and have the knowledge to take you into some full-on terrain if that’s what you desire. Thanks for pushing my limits and I can’t wait for the next one!

AST2 course with MSAA was excellent! Eliel Bureau-LaFontaine was our instructor and he did an incredible job of providing us with a systematic approach to this complex topic when backcountry skiing. I definitely feel much more informed about avalanches risks and now have more tools to make informed trip planning decisions. I would definitely recommend Eliel and this course!

Heaps of info on Avi awareness, search and rescue techniques, and above all else, awesome skiing! Our guide’s ability to put us in just the right level of terrain was spot on the mark. Very friendly staff, good gear, and very professional. 100% the best days I have spent in Whistler. Will be back for more…

I participated in the two-days Intro to Mountaineering course and I loved it. We were a small group of three people and being lucky with the weather, we enjoyed the full attention of our guide, who shared his knowledge and skills that we could put into practice the very next day. It is the best and safest way to enter the mountaineering world. Totally recommend!

Eric D went out of his way to ensure the full course syllabus was covered on this complex and potentially lifesaving topic. Repeat MSAA customer and continue to be very impressed with the service.

I took AST 1 from MSAA in Whistler – had a great time and learned a ton. Kurt and Tim were fantastic classroom instructors – direct, patient and not patronizing or bro-y. Rob was our instructor in the field and again, was super passionate about the subject and very clear with instruction, feedback and direction. He answered all questions thoroughly and made the experience relevant to each of our experience levels. I highly recommend the crew at MSAA – the office crew is awesome as well!! Thank you all!

Guided ski touring with AAA is unreal. I keep coming back for more and only get more addicted! The knowledge of conditions and routes is deep enough that you can have excellent days even when most people choose to stay in. I’ll be back!

Highly recommended Whistler experience for backcountry skiers/snowboarders. My friend Bruce and I spent a gorgeous day skiing the backcountry adjacent to Whistler Ski Resort with Cam from Whistler Alpine Guides in February 2014. The snow conditions in the resort were not very good, as it hadn’t snowed in a while, but it was cold and clear and we found some amazing wind-deposited powder stashes around Oboe Summit. Cam was a cool guy and a great guide and made sure we hit some good turns and wore us out pretty well. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

Fantastic AST Course! Small group, well-executed, and professionally run. Great content and relevance. Thanks for the rad weekend!

I Learnt heaps from Jeff, highly recommend doing the avalanche safety course, I can’t speak for any of the other courses, but I’m sure they have the same level of professionalism.

Brent put together an absolutely phenomenal AST2 trip and his crew Jay and Shabaz took great care of us. He always puts safety first and helped us to learn both experientially and with theory throughout the day.  We had 2 vegans in our group and the food was fantastic and accommodating for everybody.  If you want to ski some challenging, fun lines while constantly learning, definitely choose Peak Strategm – I would strongly recommend.

Chris and Monte were great to deal with and got us into some amazing terrain!

Jeff Bullock is a remarkable mountain guide, with more than 25 years experience.. His professionalism is apparent from day one and it gave us confidence to tackle some big mountains is remote territory. In addition Jeff is a very friendly and a generous person who is easy-going and fun to talk with about lots of things. I have the highest regard for him.

Tom Wolfe was our guide in a Jan 2018 trip to Burnie Glacier in northern BC. We had the whole range of conditions of conditions from *cold* deep snow to near melting point conditions. He did a great job along with his assistant guide (name escapes me now – from Quebec) of finding places to ski with the existing/variable conditions, (despite having a terrible cold for part of the time, where he broke trail nearly all day in *deep* snow with no complaints). I’d recommend his guide services any time!

I’ve now spent 9 days in the mountains with Tom of Sawback Alpine Adventures. Tom is methodical in his snowpack analysis and does a great job of breaking down all the steps he takes to be safe. If you are keen on learning how to safely push your limits on snow, Tom does a great job on balancing safety and fun. My trips with him have always seemed to fully embrace the new slogan “send and return” where there is an equal amount of fun turns and exciting climbs as there are snowpack and weather observations.

I enjoyed a backcountry ski trip to Valhalla Mtn Lodge in late February of 2018. Excellent guiding and trip management by Tom (and Lila). I’ll be doing more ski trips with Tom in the upcoming winters.

Tom Wolf was our back country ski guide for a week at the Selkirk Lodge 1/2020. He and the other guides over delivered everyday. Tom not only knows where to ski for amazing runs but makes sure it is safe. He handles group dynamics and made sure everyone’s needs where taken care of. He is just a super fun guy to hang with besides – out skiing or around the dinner table he is super fun to talk and joke with – just like an old friend and ski buddy. As soon as Covid restrictions are lifted for us Americans I plan to book a BC ski trip with him again- He’s the real deal and one of the best.

Tom was professional, well equipped and well prepared! The snow conditions we experienced at Sunrise Lodge made it imperative to have a guide with experience to keep us safe yet challenged. Hope to ski with Tom and his crew again soon.

Best skiing of my life! Awesome people, fantastic guides, and superb choice of terrain, and let us not forget all that delicious food. I will come back for more!

Dave Cote was our guide.
He provided for an exceptional experience.
He was knowledgeable, patient and kind! He made us feel capable and secure.
It was a pleasure to spend the day with him!

It was so beautiful to get off the beaten path and the get away from busy Whistler.

Jeff was amazing. Epic day on Rogers pass. 10/10 would do again and again.

I live in the area he primarily guides yet he has shown me new areas almost every time we have gone out together. Be it rock climbing or backcountry skiing/snowboarding we always have a great time. He is the best insurance policy I have that makes sure I am safe and have a great time.