Embark on a thrilling 6-day backcountry ski tour in the heart of British Columbia's wilderness. Led by experienced, ACMG-certified guides, this adventure promises 4 days of ski mountaineering and ski touring. From Golden, you’ll take a helicopter ride to a carefully chosen basecamp. Group tents, cooking equipment, hearty breakfasts and dinners, and comprehensive safety gear are also included in the package. Savor the ultimate spring skiing experience in the heart of BC’s backcountry.
Upon your arrival in Golden, meet your guide and fellow skiers over dinner. You’ll go through an extensive gear check to ensure you have all the right equipment. Get to know your group and discuss your objectives for and goals for the day ahead. After dinner, return to your accommodation to get enough rest for what awaits tomorrow.
Meals: Dinner
Meet your guide and fellow BC ski mountaineers at the helidrom. Board the helicopter and fly to the predetermined carefully chosen location of your basecamp. Upon your arrival, set up a camp, followed by breakfast. Spend the rest of the day warming up with an avalanche safety briefing and the first rides. In the evening, gather round for dinner to get to know each other better before getting some well-deserved rest.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Start each morning with breakfast, followed by a briefing. Each day, your guides will select an appropriate ski touring or ski mountaineering objective based on your fitness and skill level and based on your goals and weather conditions. After touring all day, you’ll return to the heated tent in the late afternoon for dinner, repeating the process every day with different locations.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
After breakfast, it’s time to break down your camp and fly back to Golden. Upon your return in town, get the last chance to celebrate your achievements and reminisce about the days behind you with fellow adventurers. Say goodbye to your backcountry guides, fellow skiers, and to British Columbia—or continue touring on your own.
Meals: Breakfast
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for up to 8 hours a day for 5 consecutive days, covering difficult glaciated terrain. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should be able to navigate backcountry terrain with not too much difficulty, which involves skinning, crampon and ice axe use, basic climbing skills (rope usage), and steep descents. To participate, we recommend engaging in various cardiovascular and strength training activities multiple times a week prior to the trip.
To participate in this tour, you need to have strong previous backcountry skiing and/or ski mountaineering experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain for 5 full days. All participants should be able to navigate backcountry terrain with not too much difficulty, which involves skinning, crampon and ice axe use, basic climbing skills (rope usage), and steep descents. Your guide will take care of the planning, oversee your technique, and teach you how to better manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training necessary to keep you safe.
Even though the basecamp location and routes will be adjusted to the skill level of your group, advanced skills and strong experience are a prerequisite.
If you’re a backcountry skier who lacks ski mountaineering knowledge, you may consider joining this ski mountaineering course in the Coast Mountains, BC.
On the other hand, if you just want to shred some powder in Golden, you may like this guided backcountry skiing day tour in Golden customizable for all levels or this 5-day backcountry skiing camp based in Golden or Revelstoke, for intermediate backcountry skiers.
For technical backcountry ski touring and ski mountaineering gear, you will need to bring:
For clothing, you’ll need to bring:
For camping, you’ll need to bring:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Ski rental locations are in Golden 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.
If you’re interested in buying gear, SkiUphill is your one-stop shop. Just tell them what trip you’re doing and they’ll set you up.
Group sizes and prices:
Heli-accessed ski mountaineering basecamp in British Columbia can be arranged for private 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 Golden, most people fly into Calgary International Airport, rent a car, and drive three hours to Golden. However, you can take a shuttle service connecting Calgary Airport with Golden and the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Shuttles are operated by BanffShuttle and RiderExpress.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet in the morning on Day 1, whether that’s at the guide shop or some other predetermined location. From there, you’ll fly to an agreed-upon backcountry location for your basecamp.
It is mandatory for all participants to be covered with internationally-recognized medical and rescue insurance. That way, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.
We also strongly recommend that all participants cover their bases with travel insurance that will cover canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.
We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to.
If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!