Backcountry Skiing on the Wapta Traverse

What you get in this adventure: 

• • Experienced, certified ski guides with extensive knowledge of the area
  • 3, 4, or 7-day Wapta Traverse
  • Permits
  • Food during the tour
  • Huts and fees
  • And for the 7-day Wapta Traverse, you also get:
    • Hotel stay and restaurant meals in Field at the start of the trip
    • Shuttle service (to bring guest vehicles back to Field for the end of the trip)
    • Porter service
    • Group equipment

What’s not included:

• • Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
  • Transportation to the starting point
  • Accommodations before and after the tour
  • Vehicles for the shuttle (bring your own or carpool)
  • ACC membership (the price of the 7-day trip is member price only, you can get membership for $51/year)
  • Guide gratuities — optional
  • Travel and medical insurance — recommended

To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for 5-7 hours a day for 3-6 full days, covering 6-10 miles (10-15km) or more of terrain every day. Hut elevations are approximately 7,200ft (2,200m), with 2,300ft (700m) vertical, and you will be doing your hut-to-hut traverse carrying up to 45lbs (20kg) of equipment. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.

To participate in this tour, you need to have previous powder skiing and ski mountaineering experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain for 5-7 hours every day. 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. 

If you’ve never backcountry skied before, we suggest joining a guide for a day of Intro to Backcountry Skiing.

You need to bring all of the following personal equipment. Please don’t bring extra equipment. If you have any questions at all about gear please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ski crampons are a must for spring ski touring, and they can make a big difference even on a powder skiing week at times. If you have any difficulty obtaining these please let me know. We have some spares and can likely set you up with a pair. If you have telemark bindings, G3 crampons have an attachment system that works well for most tele bindings.

Clothing:

• • Wool or synthetic socks and liner socks
  • Long underwear top (synthetic or wool)
  • Light fleece or wool sweater
  • Wind shell (nylon or ‘Schoeller’ type jacket)
  • Waterproof breathable jacket
  • Warm insulated jacket (down or synthetic)
  • Long underwear bottoms (synthetic or wool)
  • Multipurpose stretch nylon or ‘Schoeller’ type pants
  • Waterproof breathable pants
  • Warm hat (wool or synthetic)
  • Brimmed cap for sun protection
  • Face warmer (scarf, neck tube or balaclava) — optional
  • Light gloves (wool, synthetic or leather)
  • Insulated gloves or mitts with waterproof outer shell
  • Spare gloves or mitts
  • Handkerchief for blocking the sun — optional

Snow safety equipment:

• • Avalanche beacon with good batteries (and spares)
  • Shovel
  • Probe (2.4 m or longer preferred)

Snow touring equipment:

• • Skis or split board
  • Ski crampons — must (they’re specific to your binding type, if you can’t find one to fit your binding, G3 crampons have an attachment system that works for many bindings)
  • Ski strap
  • Ski or snowboard boots
  • Poles
  • Climbing skins
  • Skin wax (or a candle)
  • Binding repair kit to fix your personal travel setup
  • Ski helmet
  • Ski scraper

Personal equipment:

• • Pack (30-40 liters will work fine)
  • Sunglasses (both orange and dark lenses help a lot for travel in all conditions)
  • Goggles (orange lenses)
  • Sunscreen and lip cream (SPF 30+)
  • Head lamp with good batteries
  • Insulated water bottle or thermos (1-2 L)
  • Lunch bag or container
  • Personal blister kit (i.e. Leukotape-P and Compeed/Second Skin blister pads)
  • Tincture of Benzoin or a medical product by 3M called Cavilon (these products help the
  • Leukotape stick for the whole week if necessary)
  • Pocket knife — optional
  • Camera — optional
  • Binoculars — optional
  • Prussik cord – 5m x 6mm — optional, for contributing to emergency toboggan construction

Personal belongings

• • Duffle bag for your clothes
  • Shoes
  • Comfortable clothing for travel
  • Personal medications and toiletries
  • Ear plugs
  • Reading material — optional
  • Chargers and adapters for electronic devices
  • Cash to pay for your beer tab, souvenirs, and gratuities

All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. In Lake Louise, Canmore, or Banff, you can rent: 

• • Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel, and probe
  • Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots, and poles
  • Splitboards

If you plan on using alternate touring systems such as telemark skis, frame-style AT bindings, or splitboards, please contact us in advance.

Ski rental locations are in Canmore, Lake Louise, and Banff, 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:

• • For the 3 and 4-day Wapta Traverse, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 6:1. It takes a minimum of 3 people for the tour to operate. The maximum is set at 12 people.
  • For the 7-day Wapta Traverse, the max guest-to-guide ratio is 6:1. 
  • The price of the 7-day Wapta Traverse trip is member price only, you can get ACC membership for $51/year.

Ski touring in the Wapta Traverse can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:

• • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  • 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. 

If your group has ski tourers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

To get to the Wapta Traverse, most people fly into Calgary International Airport 2,5 hours away.

If you’re joining the 3 or 4-day Wapta Traverse, the starting point is Lake Louise on Day 1 of the tour—make sure to fly in at least a day prior to the start of the tour, as you’ll start the traverse on Day 1. You’ll meet your guide at the Alpine Center in the morning.

If you’re joining the 7-day Wapta Traverse, the starting point is Field on Day 1 of the tour. You’ll meet your guide sometime in the afternoon at the Truffle Pigs Bistro & Lodge in Field, BC, have dinner, a briefing, and you’ll start the traverse on Day 2.

You can rent a car or take a bus straight to Field or Lake Louise from Calgary Airport.

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!