-
Skiing at this Selkirks lodge will be the best ski trip you’ve ever been on! For ski touring in Canada, there’s no better spot than Sunrise Lodge — the best pow, amazing location and a cozy hut for relaxing evenings make for a perfect combination. Your guides will take you to the best locations, where you can ski fresh tracks all the time. Don’t miss out on this luxury backcountry ski adventure, offering a sauna, gourmet food and, best of all, champagne powder skiing!
-
On Saturday morning, you’ll meet with your guides at 7am and head to the staging area. Then, it’s a helicopter ride to the Sunrise Lodge, where you’ll get situated and have a safety briefing before heading out for a day of ski touring in the 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 smooth ski tour days on the slopes minutes from the Sunrise Lodge.
You will spend the next six days touring the surrounding 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 near the Sunrise Lodge with your backcountry guides or revisit favorite runs from previous outings. Depending on the group, you will ski between 3,600 and 5,000 ft (1,100 and 1,500 m) per day. At 11am, 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 5pm, 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.
If you crave more hut-skiing adventures in British Columbia, discover our hand-curated backcountry huts in the region.
-
-
-
Included:
-
- An experienced, certified ski guide with extensive knowledge of the area
- 7 full days of backcountry ski touring
- Helicopter transfers to and from the lodge
- Accomodation with a sauna
- All meals prepared by a professional chef
In case of special dietary needs, please contact us and we can make arrangements (additional fee applies).
Not included:
-
- Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
- Trip insurance
- Transportation to and from Golden and the staging area
- 5% GST
-
-
In order to enjoy this Sunrise Lodge guided backcountry adventure, you need to have an excellent level of fitness as this is a full week of ski touring. Your guide will choose the appropriate pace and terrain for your group, but you will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions and be able to skin uphill for a few hours at time carrying a loaded daypack.
For the Relaxed Pace: You should be capable and happy to ski up to 1100 m/day, give or take. On average, ski runs will be of intermediate difficulty. This is hard to translate into ski resorts, but generally this means that you are comfortable on black diamond runs, even if it means taking your time, and in a variety of conditions (icy, deep powder, breakable crust).
For the Classic Pace: You should be happy with days in the 1300-1500m range. On average, ski runs will be of intermediate difficulty (as in the Relaxed Pace) 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.
-
This Sunrise Lodge ski trip is suited for intermediate to advanced skiers. If you’ve never backcountry skied before, we recommend checking out the beginner options in Golden you can choose from.
-
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.
-
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
- Alpine touring skis, telemark skis or splitboard with skins (can be rented)
- Touring boots and poles (can be rented)
- Avalanche safety equipment (can be rented):
- Digital, 3-antenna avalanche transceiver or beacon
- Lightweight snow shovel
- Avalanche probe
- Ski crampons
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
- Helmet
- Head lamp with good batteries
- Sunglasses or ski goggles
- Gloves and hat
- Long underwear top (synthetic or wool)
- Light fleece or wool sweater
- Lightweight wind jacket (nylon or ‘Schoeller’)
- Waterproof – breathable shell jacket
- Warm insulated jacket (down or synthetic)
- Pair of wool or synthetic socks and liner socks
- Pair wool or synthetic underwear
- Long underwear bottoms (synthetic or wool)
- Multipurpose stretch nylon or ‘Schoeller’ type pants
- Waterproof breathable shell pants (full zip is best)
- Handkerchief
- Down or synthetic camp booties — optional
- Repair kit and Leatherman for your equipment (can be shared between several people)
- Insulated water bottle and 1.5-2L of water
- Thermos with a warm beverage — optional
- Food you can eat on-the-go
- First-aid kit
- Sunscreen
- Daypack large enough to carry all items listed (around a 30-40L backpack)
- Camera — optional
- Duffle bag for flying into the lodge
- Shoes or sandals
- Winter boots for travel to the outhouse
- Hut clothing
- 1-2 towels and swimsuit for sauna
- Personal medications and toiletries
- Chargers for electronic devices (normal AC power is available via micro-hydro)
-
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
-
- Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel and probe will be made available to you by your guides for free
- Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots and poles can be rented from Higher Ground Sports.
- Splitboards can also be rented from Higher Ground Sports.
Ski rental location is in Golden, 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:
-
- This tour can accommodate up to 12 skiers.
- Cost is per person and it doesn’t decrease as the group grows.
- If joining alone, you’ll be placed with peers that share a similar level of experience.
Min. age requirement:
-
- Everybody over the age of 18 is welcome to book this backcountry skiing adventure.
- Minors may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis.
If you plan to ski with anyone under the age of 18, please contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
-
-
To get to Golden, most people fly into Calgary International Airport which is a 3 hour drive away. You can rent a car or take a shuttle service connecting Calgary Airport to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Shuttles are operated by BanffShuttle and RiderExpress.
Kicking Horse River Lodge is a great place to stay the Friday night before the trip. They can handle a group with room rates that start from around $40/night. Clients guided with Sawback get a discount, but you must phone them directly. It’s a nice timber frame building on the Kicking Horse River. We meet here Friday night and breakfast is here Saturday morning so it is convenient. If you choose to stay here please book early. It fills quickly.
The meeting place for your trip is at the Golden Alpine Holidays office. Your meeting time will be Saturday morning at 7:00 am Mountain Standard Time (MST). Flights to GAH lodges take place at the helicopter Staging Facility, 30 minutes away from Golden. You’ll head to your tours from the lodge. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ski ability of the group.
-
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!
-