The Best Places for Backcountry Skiing: 8 Bucket-List Trips

There’s no better way to start a ski trip than a helicopter ride. At Purcell Mountain Lodge, the flight from Golden sets you down at 7,200 ft (2,195 m). Views stretch toward Rogers Pass. Better still, you skip the approach entirely. Instead of skinning for hours with a loaded pack, you drop your bags, grab a coffee, and meet your guide.

What makes this one of the best places for backcountry skiing for mixed groups is the daily menu. Each morning at breakfast, the guides lay out a few options. Some are gentle, rolling tours through meadows and trees. Others head for steeper bowls and bigger terrain. Because everyone picks their own level, a strong skier and a backcountry newcomer can share the same table at night.

Then there’s the lodge itself. A classically trained chef cooks 3 courses every evening. After 5 to 7 hours on snow, a sauna waits, and rooms come with queen beds and private patios. For a skiing vacation that never asks you to carry a tent, it’s hard to beat. Just remember the helicopter’s rules: soft bags only, and heli evacuation insurance is mandatory.

On the wildcard day, you don’t know where you’re skiing until breakfast. Your guides read the snow that morning, then choose France, Italy, or Switzerland. From Chamonix, all 3 sit within reach of one valley, so the snow decides which one wins.

This isn’t a touring trip. Days are lift-served, so the effort comes from the terrain, not from long climbs. You ride up Les Grands Montets for steep, open runs. Then you ski the Vallée Blanche, about 20 km (12 mi) of glacier past seracs and crevasse fields. Meanwhile, the Mont Blanc tunnel takes you to Courmayeur for Italian tree skiing and powder laps. A long lunch follows, because you’re in Italy.

You need to be an advanced off-piste skier, because the terrain is steep, variable, and glaciated. In return, IFMGA guides handle the route-finding, and a quiver of premium skis lets you swap models as the snow changes. A fitting clinic on the first day matches you to the right pair. If you hold an Ikon Pass, it can cover the lift days. You still bring your own transceiver, shovel, and probe, unless you arrange rentals.

The Wapta Traverse sounds bigger than it is, in the best way. Bow, Balfour, and Scott Duncan are the 3 huts that make it work. The 4-day version sleeps in all of them. That makes the Wapta one of the best places for backcountry skiing when you only have a long weekend.

Traverse skiing means you never return to the same bed. Each day you pack up, skin across the icefield, and ski toward a new hut. Bow Hut sits below the Bow Glacier with shared bunks and a communal kitchen. Balfour is more remote and rugged. Scott Duncan perches above the icefields with views in every direction. The crux is the Balfour High Col, the most exhilarating section of the route. If conditions allow, you can add a summit of Mt. Balfour at 3,285 m (10,778 ft).

Still, expect real work. You’re on your feet 5 to 7 hours a day. That covers 10 to 15 km (6 to 10 mi) or more, with about 700 m (2,300 ft) of vertical. The finish depends on conditions. You exit either by the Bath Glacier, with sweeping views, or by Sherbrooke Lake, with flowing turns toward the highway. Your guide handles permits, hut fees, and food from lunch on the first day to lunch on the last. You’ll need to bring a vehicle for the shuttle, though, or carpool. A signed ACMG waiver is part of checkout.

The volcanoes got to the Andes long before skis did. Over 9 days, you climb 5 of them: Lonquimay, Llaima, Villarrica, Mocho, and Osorno. Then you ski each one straight back down.

Each volcano has its own personality. For example, Lonquimay is the warm-up, a moderate climb with a descent that punches above its grade. Llaima, inside Conguillío National Park, asks for more with a demanding traverse. Villarrica is one of Chile’s most active volcanoes, with a visible crater. Mocho is the quiet one, with glaciers, rugged terrain, and a night in a mountain refuge. Finally, Osorno closes the trip with panoramic views over lakes and forests.

This is a serious ski mountaineering week. Expect 900 to 1,600 m (2,950 to 5,250 ft) of climbing a day. Between summits, you trade skins for hot springs and a bed in a hotel or lodge in Malalcahuello or Pucón. However, plan on buying most meals yourself, since only breakfasts are included. The season runs from August to October, which makes this the one trip here that follows winter south.

In the Lyngen Alps, every climb starts at sea level. That means every meter you gain is a meter you ski back down toward the water. The peninsula has 124 snow-covered peaks up to 1,800 m (5,905 ft) and around 140 glaciers. Sleeping on a boat is the best way to reach them. Few of the best places for backcountry skiing put the sea this close to your skis.

The setup is simple. A skipper moves the sailboat overnight, so you wake up beneath a new set of peaks. After that, a dinghy takes you ashore. Then you skin for 4 to 8 hours. Ascents run 4 to 9 km (2.5 to 5.6 mi) and top out between 800 and 1,500 m (2,625 to 4,921 ft). Slopes mostly sit between 25 and 30 degrees, with steeper lines up to 40 degrees for anyone who wants them. Back on board, a chef serves après-ski snacks and a 3-course dinner.

Most dates suit intermediate to advanced skiers. A dedicated first-timers itinerary exists for strong resort skiers who’ve never toured. Conditions are milder than you’d guess at this latitude, with temperatures around 0°C (32°F) thanks to the fjords. You bring your own skis and safety gear. However, you can rent it a 5-minute walk from the Tromsø harbor.

Almost 60% of Svalbard is covered by glaciers, and the archipelago sits about midway between Norway and the North Pole. Because polar bears live here, your guides follow polar bear protocols every time you step ashore, although sightings are rare. Most skiers will only ever see this place on a map. Even though it’s among the best places for backcountry skiing, it’s also one of the most remote.

The skiing is big and clean. You climb 1,100 to 1,500 m (3,609 to 4,921 ft) a day on glaciated peaks. That covers 10 to 20 km (6 to 12 mi). Then you ski back down toward the boat. During the week, snow can shift from dry Arctic powder to spring corn. By late April, there’s enough daylight to start a tour after dinner.

At night, the boat does the work of a hut. A professional skipper and a chef look after you on board, and groups stay small at 4 to 6 guests. Longyearbyen, where you board, claims the northernmost pub, church, and museum on Earth. Because of the terrain, you need excellent fitness and confidence on black runs and glaciated ground. Sailing experience, however, isn’t required.

Skiers have been crossing from Chamonix to Zermatt since 1911. That makes this Haute Route ski tour a true classic, and 7 days is all it takes to ski it. Almost every day brings a new glacier, a new col, and a new hut.

The most technical moment is the Col des Ecandies, a 200 m (656 ft) bootpack. It pays off with one of the best descents of the week, about 1,600 m (5,249 ft) down toward Champex. Later, you climb Rosablanche at 3,336 m (10,945 ft). A day after that, you reach Cabane des Dix, which many people call their favorite hut on the route. Next you stand on Pigne d’Arolla, the roof of the route at 3,790 m (12,434 ft).

Then comes the day the whole week has been building toward. You cross 3 cols and 7 glaciers over 29 km (18 mi). That’s 1,400 m (4,593 ft) of climbing and 3,200 m (10,499 ft) of descent. Meanwhile, the Matterhorn stays in view for most of the way into Zermatt.

Because of the pace, prep matters here. You need at least 20 days of powder skiing, great fitness, and previous touring experience. Every day brings 3 to 6 hours of skinning with a loaded pack. In return, huts, lift tickets, transportation, and 5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 4 dinners are covered.

Rescue insurance is mandatory for skiing in Switzerland, and dinners in Verbier and Zermatt are on you. Not many of the best places for backcountry skiing ask this much, and few give back more.

Cold air from Siberia crosses the Sea of Japan, picks up moisture, and drops it on Honshu. As a result, Hakuba and Myoko can see about 11 m (36 ft) of snow between December and February. That’s why the region ranks among the best places for backcountry skiing for powder lovers.

Your guide, who has led trips here every season since 2018, uses the Hakuba Valley’s 10 resorts as a shortcut. Lifts cut out the long valley approaches, but you still skin 1,000 to 1,400 m (3,300 to 4,600 ft) a day. The terrain includes steep faces, spines, couloirs, and birch forests that stay skiable when visibility shuts down.

Off the mountain, the reward is just as good. In Myoko you stay in a lodge with an onsen, and in Hakuba you stay in a private chalet. Your guide has handpicked restaurants in Hakuba and books them well in advance. This trip isn’t for first-timers, though. The snow is bottomless, with no firm base, and it’s demanding in a way that surprises even experienced resort skiers. Prior backcountry experience is a firm requirement, and a signed ACMG waiver is part of checkout.

Planning one of the best places for backcountry skiing takes more prep than a resort week. Because fitness, gear, and timing change a lot from trip to trip, here’s what to sort out before you book.

What is the difference between backcountry skiing, ski touring, off-piste, and freeride?

The terms overlap, but they aren’t the same. Backcountry skiing is the umbrella term for skiing outside resort boundaries, on terrain that isn’t patrolled or groomed. Ski touring is the human-powered version, where you climb on skins and then ski down. Off-piste is the European word for any skiing away from marked, groomed runs, even when a lift is close by.

Freeride describes skiing natural, ungroomed terrain with the focus on the descent, usually with lifts doing the climbing. Ski mountaineering, meanwhile, adds tools like an ice axe and crampons to reach summits.

On this list, Chamonix is lift-served freeride, while Hakuba and Myoko are lift-assisted touring. Purcell, the Wapta, Lyngen, Svalbard, and the Haute Route are ski touring. Chile, finally, leans toward ski mountaineering.

Is backcountry skiing hard?

It depends on the trip, but it’s always more physical than a resort day. Purcell Mountain Lodge sits at the gentle end, because guides offer everything from mellow meadows to steeper bowls. Chamonix demands advanced off-piste skills, although lifts do the climbing.

At the other end, the Haute Route and Svalbard demand over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) of climbing, day after day. Can you hike 1,000 m (3,300 ft) uphill with a daypack and still feel good the next morning? Then you’re in range for most of the touring trips here.

Backcountry Skiing Adventures

Top Sellers (5) | Japan's Deep Snow (7) | Norway, Svalbard & Lapland (12) | Iceland & Greenland (9) | European Alps (16) | British Columbia & the Rockies (27) | US West (22) | Georgia, Balkans & Central Asia (11) | Chile & Patagonia (7)

Explore similar adventures

Do you need a guide for backcountry skiing?

For these ski touring trips, yes, and every trip on this list comes with one. Guides hold certifications such as IFMGA/UIAGM or ACMG, they read the snowpack, and they choose the terrain each morning. On the more advanced trips, you’re also expected to know how to use a transceiver, shovel, and probe.

Beginners should start with Purcell Mountain Lodge or the Lyngen first-timers itinerary. Both are built for people who are new to the backcountry.

What gear do you need for backcountry skiing?

For most backcountry skiing tours, you need touring skis or a splitboard, skins, touring boots, and poles. You also need an avalanche kit with a 3-antenna transceiver, a shovel, and a probe of 2.4 m (7.9 ft) or longer. Ski crampons are often mandatory. Glacier routes like the Haute Route and Svalbard add a harness, locking carabiners, and sometimes a light ice axe.

You don’t have to own it all. Most trips point you to rental shops, and Chamonix includes a quiver of skis. Helicopter trips like Purcell have their own rule: soft bags only, up to 35 lb (13.5 kg).

What is a ski traverse?

A ski traverse is a route that takes you from one place to another over several days. You usually sleep in a different hut each night. The Wapta icefields and the Haute Route are the 2 classics on this list. You carry what you need in a pack and ski a new section each day.

At the end, you finish somewhere different from where you began. Because of that, traverses suit skiers who like momentum and don’t mind simple beds.

When is the best time for backcountry skiing?

It depends on where you’re headed, because winter moves around the planet.

Japan runs from January to March, with January and February as peak season, and Chamonix runs the same months. Wapta follows from February to April, and the Haute Route runs in April. Purcell Mountain Lodge, meanwhile, opens from December to March.

Lyngen runs from late March to early May, and Svalbard follows from April into June. Chile closes the loop from August to October, while the northern hemisphere waits for snow. Plan around the destination, not your own calendar.

The Best Places for Backcountry Skiing Are Waiting

The best places for backcountry skiing all ask the same question first: when can you go? January belongs to Japan. April belongs to the Alps and the Arctic. August belongs to a Chilean volcano.

So pick your month, then pick a backcountry skiing adventure that makes your legs a little nervous. That’s usually the right one.