Backcountry Skiing at the Harrison Hut

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Canada, please refer to British Columbia Centre for Disease Control.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

What you get in this adventure:

• • An experienced, ACMG-certified ski guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  • Five days of backcountry ski touring
  • Helicopter flights
  • Hut fees
  • Group safety equipment
  • Meals (except for lunch on day 1)
  • 5% GST

What’s not included:

• • Personal ski & safety equipment (transceiver, probe, shovel, etc.)
  • Transportation to the staging area
  • Accommodation in the valley
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal hut equipment (sleeping bags, pads, etc.)
  • Technical backcountry ski touring equipment

To enjoy the backcountry skiing tour at the Harrison Hut, you need to have at least a moderate fitness level. The Harrison Hut adventure offers intermediate to expert levels of difficulty, which means that some previous backcountry skiing experience is required. There will be two guides on the trip and each one can team up with skiers on different levels. If you’re intermediate, your expert guide will help you improve your skills and coach you when things get a bit more difficult. Don’t worry if you’re on an advanced to expert level, the terrain is challenging so you’ll still have lots of objectives to tackle! For the latter level, you’ll need to be in excellent physical shape.

To participate in the Harrison Hut backcountry skiing trip, you need to have at least some previous backcountry skiing experience. The levels for which this trip is tailored are intermediate to expert. Your guides will take care of the planning, oversee your technique and teach you how to manage the terrain. Whether on an intermediate or an expert level, you can be excited about some new challenges and polishing up your technique.

For technical backcountry ski and safety equipment, you will need to bring:

• • Touring skis or splitboard with skins
  • Touring boots and poles
  • Helmet
  • Ski and boot crampons
  • Glacier harness with two locking carabiners
  • Avalanche safety equipment (can be rented):
    • Digital, 3-antenna avalanche transceiver or beacon
    • Lightweight snow shovel and avalanche probe
    • Mountaineering axe

For the Harrison Hut, you will need to bring:

• • Comfortable clothing for lounging around the hut
  • Slippers
  • Alcoholic beverages (optional)
  • Sleeping bag (about 0 to -5 degree range)
  • Sleeping pad
  • Headlamp
  • Toiletries

For personal items, we recommend bringing:

• • 20-30L ski pack
  • 50L duffel
  • Sunglasses and ski goggles
  • Sun and lip cream
  • Face mask
  • Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex recommended)
  • Ski pants (Gore-Tex recommended)
  • Down jacket or vest
  • Synthetic or wool base layers, underwear and socks
  • Mid-insulation fleece of puffy jacket
  • Warm outer puffy jacket
  • Toque (wool or synthetic)
  • Brimmed cap
  • Face warmer (scarf, neck tube, face mask, buff, etc.)
  • Light gloves and insulated gloves or mitts
  • One triple-action locking carabiner or two conventional locking carabiners
  • Repair kit and Leatherman for your equipment (can be shared between several people)
  • Water bottle and 1L of water
  • Thermos with a warm beverage — optional
  • Lunch for day one
  • First aid kit
  • Camera — optional

Keep in mind that no extra skis or baggage will be allowed over and above the ski level pack and 50L duffel weighing no more than 35 lbs (16 kg). Extra equipment may result in additional charges or exclusion from the trip.

All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent an avalanche safety pack (transceiver, probe, and shovel) with your guide for $30 a day or $100 a week.

Other mandatory gear is available to rent from the Escape Route in Whistler. Make sure to make plans on time.

Group sizes and pricing:

• • For this adventure, the max client-to-guide ratio is 4:1 with groups of 8 people. All prices are per person.
  • Cost is per person and it doesn’t decrease as the group grows.

Ski touring at the Harrison Hut can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:

• • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  • Minors may be permitted to join tours on a case-by-case basis.

If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

A $500 deposit is due upon Booking.  Final payments are due sixty (60) days prior to the departure date unless otherwise specified. Failure to make this final payment by the deadline will result in forfeiture of the trip and deposit. If booking a trip within 60 days of the departure date, full payment is due upon booking.

Deposits are non-refundable, but transferable at the discretion of your guiding company as long as the cancellation is made more than sixty (60) days prior to the trip or is initiated by your guiding company.

Cancellations to trips made less than thirty (30) calendar days prior to the departure date for any reason are non-refundable, but potentially transferable to another trip or date at the discretion of your guides. Any such transfers are subject to a 25% administrative fee and recovery of any sunk costs. No more than one transfer will be offered. Your guiding company will accept a substitute guest should you not be able to attend, provided they meet the skill level requirements for the trip. Your guiding company reserves the right to determine if the substitute guest meets these requirements. Any such substitutions are subject to a 10% administrative fee.

Your guides reserve the right to modify or cancel a trip at any time due to unfavorable weather conditions, injury/illness, or other reason without penalty. Clients will be notified as soon as possible and refunded less any sunk costs. If the weather doesn’t permit flying into the hut/ lodge, the client would not be refunded for the day. However, the guides would still take clients skiing somewhere. On the other hand, if the weather doesn’t permit leaving the lodge on schedule, the client would not be charged for the extra lodge day.

To get to Whistler, which is the starting point of your adventure, most people fly into Vancouver International Airport. From there, it’s a two-hour drive to Whistler by car or with a shuttle service.

Once you meet your guide at the Whistler heliport, they will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.