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!
Learn ski mountaineering skills in real context
Familiarize yourself with rappelling and belaying strategies
Improve your movements skills on steep, exposed terrain
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:
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.
A $300 deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. The remaining amount is paid 3 months (90 days) prior to departure. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies.
All trips offered are subject to inherent risks and hazards including, but not limited to inclement weather, avalanche conditions, route conditions, and your own abilities or fitness. Your guide reserves the right to change the location or itinerary of any trip as necessary to reduce risk.
No refund will be given for changes in the itinerary due to weather, conditions, or circumstances within or affecting your group such as fitness and technical ability.
In the unlikely event that your guide is forced to cancel a trip due to inadequate booking, guide cancellations, or for any other reason, a full refund will be given. In such cases, your guide is not responsible for expenses incurred by the client in connection with the trip such as airfare, car rental, equipment purchases, etc.
