Learn the fundamentals of ski mountaineering in Rocky Mountain National Park! Find out how to step into more exposed territory and master various steep skiing skills with the supervision of your AMGA-certified guide. Get familiar with technical descents and climbing skills, as well as avalanche safety in extreme terrain. Over 2 days of the course, the focus will be on providing the-real-deal ski mountaineering environments, while keeping you maximally safe. Join your guide on this advanced ski mountaineering tour in Rocky Mountain and take a leap from a seasoned backcountry skier to a beginner ski mountaineer!
Get more confident with tackling steep slopes and exposed terrain during your 2 day ski mountaineering tour in Rocky Mountain National Park. Learning objectives of this course include managing challenging ski descents, covering various ropework and climbing skills, using mountaineering equipment, and staying safe in backcountry terrain. That said, everything that will be covered can be tailored to your needs and goals once you get in touch with your expert guide!
This program will be a chance to learn about ski mountaineering strategies by actually doing it. During 2 days, your guide will cover a variety of ropework and climbing skills:
Go ski with Ben! I have taken both an avalanche education course and a ski mountaineering course. For the avalanche course I learned avalanche safety in the real world – how to ski great powder and minimize risk – not the kind of stuff you can learn in a book. In the ski mountaineering course we learned how to use ropes in ski situations on day one and skied an epic couloir on day two. Again GO SKI WITH BEN!
I had an incredible experience with Ben. I cannot recommend him highly enough. He takes a close personal interest in clients, and applies talent, expertise, and a human touch to helping them develop plans, and execute on them safely, efficiently, and enjoyably. I owe a successful Emmons ascent of Rainier to Ben, I trust him, and I am looking forward to another adventure with him.
Did a great job communicating the fundamentals in addition had a lot of other great insights you are not going to get from a course or your buddies. Hoping to do some more courses with him in the future.
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 the Rocky Mountain National Park, please refer to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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:
What’s not included:
In order to enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to have an advanced level of fitness and backcountry skiing experience. The terrain in the Rocky Mountain NP will be very steep, ungroomed, and treed. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while hiking uphill for 4000-6000 vertical feet every day.
This adventure is suited for advanced skiers with previous skiing and riding experience in the backcountry. In order to keep up with your guide’s pace, you should be comfortable hiking uphill for 4000-6000 vertical feet every day and navigating steep, ungroomed and treed terrain.
If you’re not an advanced skier, we recommend checking out these beginner and intermediate backcountry options in Rocky Mountain National Park you can choose from.
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. You can rent:
Ski rental locations are in Boulder, CO 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 mountaineering courses in the Rocky Mountain National Park can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to the Rocky Mountain National Park, most people fly into Denver International Airport, which is about 2 hours from the entrances to the national park. From there, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location—usually close to Estes Park or Grand Lake. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain depending on conditions and the ability of the group.
Deposits
Secure your spot with a 30% deposit upon booking! The remaining 70% of the trip price must be paid 90 days prior to departure at the latest. If booking within 90 days of departure, the full amount is required at the time of booking.
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable after a 48-hour grace period. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options—Basic, Flexible, or Super Flexible. Depending on which one you choose, a different cancellation policy will apply to your booking.
Basic
Flexible
Super Flexible
Go ski with Ben! I have taken both an avalanche education course and a ski mountaineering course. For the avalanche course I learned avalanche safety in the real world – how to ski great powder and minimize risk – not the kind of stuff you can learn in a book. In the ski mountaineering course we learned how to use ropes in ski situations on day one and skied an epic couloir on day two. Again GO SKI WITH BEN!