British Columbia’s snowbelt is ideal for backcountry skiing with some weeks seeing over 140cm of snowfall, making it one of the areas with the best skiing in the world! Experience a helicopter ride on the way to the cozy Valhalla Mountain Lodge, and have fun in the ten skiable basins just a short ski from the front door, with terrain for any style of skiers — those looking for cruisy mellow runs to those going for extreme descents. The lodge offers a homely feel, and nice and warm rooms after a long day of skiing in deep Valhalla powder. Relax in the cedar log sauna, enjoy apres ski snacks and drinks and meals made by your in-house chef!
Let experienced guides show you the best terrain in the Kootenays! Explore the terrain and the best ski slopes, try out tree skiing or simply enjoy the fresh powder and solitude of the Valhalla Mountains in the eponymous Provincial Park. Incredible terrain combined with epic snowfall and perfect temperatures results in nothing short of heavenly conditions! After a full day of enjoying deep powder, return to your luxurious and warm lodge for some recovering time in its cedar log sauna. Experience the perfect combo of adventure and relaxation, and make the most of your week on Kootenay pow!
On Saturday morning, you’ll meet with your guides at 7 AM and head to the staging area. Then, it’s a helicopter ride to the mountain lodge, where you’ll get situated and have a safety briefing before heading out for your first day of ski touring in the Valhalla Mountain area. With miles upon miles of terrain, there will be plenty to explore over the coming week.
Be prepared to spend whole days out with the group. The guides will make every effort to accommodate each member, but also try to set a pace and choose objectives that work for the whole group. Try to make an effort to accommodate the group’s needs and be as organized and punctual as possible. It’s best if everyone can get out the door on time and have a smooth day of touring the Valhalla Mountain slopes.
You will spend the next five days touring the surrounding Valhalla Mountain backcountry terrain. Your days will be customized to match the skill level and objectives of your group. Depending on the objectives, your days may start earlier and end later, but they will generally look like this:
You’ll wake up at 7:30 AM, have breakfast and get ready. Gear up, go over safety considerations, put on your climbing skins, and climb above the hut to the agreed-upon location. You’ll explore new terrain or revisit favorite runs from previous outings. Depending on the group, you will ski between 1,100 and 1,500 meters per day. At 11 AM, you should be at the skiing location for the day, where you’ll spend the day shredding powder and stopping for lunch and breaks as needed. Your guide will plan each day according to the weather and avalanche conditions in the backcountry, as well as the group’s wishes and goals for the day.
As the sun starts to set around 5 PM, you’ll go back to your lodge for a gourmet dinner prepared by a professional chef. Depending on the lodge, you could steam in the sauna, do some yoga, or just warm up next to the fireplace while admiring the starry sky from the deck. Enjoy your favorite beverage, discuss goals for the next day, get to know your group, and retreat to your bedroom for some well-deserved rest.
After breakfast, pack up your gear and prepare for a helicopter ride back to the staging area, where your cars will be waiting. Say farewell to British Columbia and head back to civilization.
Not still ready to say goodbye to British Columbia? Check out some of our hand-curated backcountry ski huts in BC to satisfy your powder skiing lust!
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.
We had two amazing ski trips with Tom Wolfe of Sawback Alpine Adventures last winter – one on the Bow-Yoho Traverse where we spent a week crossing the ice fields and exploring the nearby glaciers and peaks and a second at Valhalla Mountain Touring where we skied epic powder every day for a week. I would highly recommend Sawback Alpine Adventures and am looking forward to next year’s ski trip with Tom!
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.
Included:
Not included:
In order to enjoy this Valhalla Mountain guided backcountry adventure, you need to have a very good level of fitness. You will be skinning for a few hours every day and skiing in variable terrain. You must be able to manage controlled descents in challenging conditions and have the stamina to ski tour for multiple days in a row. All participants should be very experienced on groomers and be able to carry a loaded daypack.
This Valhalla Mountain ski touring adventure is reserved for solid intermediate to advanced skiers with previous experience in backcountry skiing. You should be happy with days in the 1300-1500 m range. Ski runs will be on average of intermediate difficulty but there will often be pitches of advanced difficulty as well as steeper tree runs and rugged alpine snow conditions involving hard and sastrugi surfaces. You have to be comfortable with multiple hours of skinning, steep descents, diving into deep powder and navigating between trees to fully enjoy the terrain. Days are customized to the experience level of the group, but backcountry experience is necessary.
For those looking to take their first foray into backcountry skiing, there is plenty of terrain in the surrounding area to spend the day at with a private guide and learn the fundamentals of backcountry skiing.
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.
Snow safety gear (can be rented):
Ski touring gear (can be rented):
Glacier gear:
Personal Items:
Hut gear:
Please Note: All bedding, pillows and duvets are supplied by the lodge
Group Gear (supplied by the guides):
Note: Make sure your equipment doesn’t weigh over 45 pounds per person. If you are over the allowable gear weight, the helicopter will have to make an extra flight. The cost for this is $400.00 CAD (cash only) and payable prior to the flight.
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Ski rental locations are in Nelson, BC, 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 and pricing:
Min. age requirements:
If you plan to ski with anyone under the age of 18, please contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
Most people fly into Kelowna International Airport 3.5 hours away. From there, you need to rent a car to Nakusp, the meeting point for your Valhalla adventure.
The evening before your Valhalla Mountain ski trip, you’ll have dinner with your guides at the Arrow Lakes Tavern at 6:30 pm on Saturday night. At that time, you’ll discuss the logistics of the next day in detail.
There’s plenty of options for an overnight stay in Nakusp. Here’s a few that we can recommend:
On Saturday morning you must be present at Arrow Lakes Tavern for breakfast and a pre-trip meeting at 7:00 am sharp. During this meeting, your group will be given waivers to sign. The guides will guide you to the heli staging area, in nearby Burton, a 30-minute drive south of Nakusp on Highway 23. Your group is expected to be at the heli staging by 09:00 am. The guides will organize the helicopter logistics. Once you arrive at the lodge you will be given an orientation in regards to the use of the facilities.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both medical and travel protection. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their 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.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
A deposit of 50% of the total price is due with your booking unless otherwise indicated. Once your guide confirms your booking, your trip departure is guaranteed. Final payments are due 120 days before your trip starts.
If you need to cancel a reservation, please do so in writing (best by e-mail). Once your booking is confirmed, you and Sawback Alpine Adventures 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”.
Sawback Alpine Adventures 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. Sawback Alpine Adventures 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.
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.