Ski Touring Programs
More Mountaineering
Featured Trips
Berner Oberland
April 27-May 4, 2012
Bernise Alps, Switzerland
Mount Logan
May 13th-June 4th 2012
St-Elias - Yukon
Receive Mountain News & Events
Sign up here for seasonal newsletters and information on upcoming guided trips & courses.
Ski Touring
Discover the rewards of backcountry skiing by earning your turns in untracked powder!
Ski touring is the sport of mountain ascents in the exhilarating pursuit of powder skiing descents. Backcountry ski touring offers physical challenge, exclusive powder, remote wilderness and an endless panorama of views. Join us for the ultimate backcountry adventure and ski “off piste” far from crowds.
Professional Ski Guides
Summit Mountain Guides offers a professional ski touring guiding service with fully certified ski and mountain guides (ACMG/IFMGA). Skiing with a certified guide provides you with the highest industry expertise and safety standards. At SMG our experienced guides take pleasure in helping you achieve your mountain adventure and goals. We specialize in designing trips to suits your needs and experience. By leaving all the logistics to the experts, you will maximize your skiing!
Ski Touring Adventure
Every winter, Summit Mountain Guides offers various ski touring programs in Nelson BC, Western Canada and in the European Alps. We offer single or multi-day guided and instructional ski touring programs in the Selkirk’s, Monashee’s and Purcell mountains as well as the Coast Mountains, the Canadian Rockies and the European Alps.
Whether you are interested in taking an Avalanche course, Day ski touring, a Ski Traverse or Ski Mountaineering, we have a program that suits your needs. Browse our guided and instructional programs below and contact us for specific or custom trips.
We look forward to guiding your adventure…
Guided Programs
Mount Waddington
Mount Waddington, 4019m above see level, is the highest peak in the Coast mountain range of British Columbia. While the main summit is technical and only accessible in summer by advanced mountaineers, the North West summit (4000m high) provides one of the most interesting and aesthetic ski mountaineering challenge in the coast mountains. It is a Canadian Classic!
While Waddington is the main goal on this trip, the area offers many other interesting peak ascents/descents including; Mount Munday, Jester, Cavalier & Finality Mountains. Join us and discover the massive scale of the Waddington Icecap area while ski-mountaineering on some of the largest glaciers & peaks in British Columbia. This 9 day trip is offered by Summit Mountain Guides from mid April to late May.
Mount Logan
Mount Logan, 5960m above see level, is located in the remote St. Elias Range of North Western Canada in the Yukon Territory. It is the crown jewel of Kluane National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Logan is the highest peak in Canada, and though second in North America only to Mount McKinley, is a more spectacular mountain without the crowds. This 20day ski mountaineering expedition is serious and rewarding, it is best done in late May and early June.
The Ski Mountaineering route of choice up Mount Logan is the famous King’s trench. This route features generally straightforward ski touring terrain on large broken glaciers and involves winter camping at high altitude. The ascent gradually climbs 3500m over 23kms, from base camp to summit, and offers a fantastic panorama on some of the biggest glaciers in the world.
Valhalla Traverse
The Valhalla traverse is the ultimate West Kootenay traverse. This committing, 7 day, tent based ski traverse is a challenging trip with big ascents and descents over rugged and remote alpine terrain in the famous Selkirk mountain.
Our itinerary will take you through the heart of Valhalla Provincial Park from the majestic Mulvey Basin along the height of land all the way to Shannon creek near Hills, BC. It is available in March or April when the days are longer, warmer and the snowpack is more stable.
Bonnington Traverse
A West Kootenay classic! This hut-to -hut tour is a good introduction to ski traverses. It offers fantastic tree skiing, open bowls and sharp ridges along with a reliable snowpack. Along the way, there are plenty of good views from the many ski peaks in the 7000’ (2300m) range.
This 3 to 4 day tours is available from December to April. It is very accessible from either Nelson, Castlegar or Rossland. Due to the slightly lower elevation of this trip and the abundance of good tree skiing along the way, it remains a good option in variable weather & conditions.
Kokanee Glacier Traverse
This little known gem is our local favorite! It is an interesting 5 day trip and a good introduction to tent based ski-traverses. The highlight includes: fantastic steep ascents and descent, complex but intriguing alpine terrain and beautiful scenery while traveling through the famous Kokanee Glacier Park.
The itinerary of this exciting trip starts with a heli drop near the Kokanee Provincial park boundary. From there we will travel through Kokanee Provincial Park via the Kokanee & Woodbury Glaciers, the Silver Spray Basin and the Cariboo Ridge all the way to Kalso BC. Like the Valhalla traverse this trip is best done in March and April.
Wapta Ice Fields Traverse
An outstanding ski traverse in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, a must do! This multi-day hut-to-hut ski traverse follows the spine of the Wapta & Wapituk icefields in Banff National Park just west of Lake Louise.
There is plenty of impressive ski touring terrain on this trip; vast glaciers, high alpine vistas and many ski-able summits. We will have the luxury of going to a comfortable new hut every night. While the traditional way of skiing this traverse is from Peyto hut to Sherbrooke lake (North to South), there are many possible variations available. For optimal conditions, this tour is best done between February and April.
Haute Route
The original multi day ski traverse between Chamonix and Zermatt. Experience the merging of mountain beauty and culture, this popular tour offers fantastic ski ascents and descents on high elevation glaciated terrain while staying in cozy mountain huts.
This classic tour is a great introduction to ski touring in the Alps. The Haute Route is a 9 day program with 7 days of ski touring, best done in April & May.
Nelson Classics
Located in the snowy Selkirk Mountain of South-Eastern British Columbia, Nelson is a vibrant alternative community. Its geographical location gives quick access to three outstanding mountain ranges; the Purcells, the Monashees and of course the Selkirks.
Explore outstanding runs and powder near Whitewater Resort or other road accessible terrain like Kootnenay Pass where there is access to excellent tree skiing. For a more physical challenge tour up Mount Brennan or London Ridge near Retallack.
Roger’s Pass
Located in the heart of the Selkirk Mountains, along highway # 1 between Golden and Revelstoke, Rogers pass is the classic road side ski touring destination in western Canada. It boasts an incredible variety of tours ranging from high-glaciated ascents to fantastic alpine descents along with outstanding tree skiing.
Roger’s Pass offers a deep and reliable snow pack along with relatively easy access. This world-class venue must be experience by everyone who enjoys backcountry skiing. Summit Mountain Guides offers various Day & multi-Day guided programs from mid-December to late April.
Lake Louise Ski Tours
Located in the heart of Banff National Park, the town of Lake Louise is surrounded by the stunning Canadian Rockies. Famous for its well-preserved natural beauty, this area also offers some fantastic alpine and glaciated ski touring with possible ski mountaineering ascents.
Due to the cold temperatures and a long winter season, It is best to visit this area from mid Winter to late Spring. Whether you are interested in ski touring or ski mountaineering, Summit Mountain Guides offers day and multi-day programs in this area from February to mid May.
Heli-Access Ski Touring
Get the most out of your ski holiday in the Kootenays by flying directly into the backcountry. Start your day with an exciting run down a remote peak, followed by many more untracked powder descents with fantastic views. Enjoy being far from crowds while ski touring an exclusive mountain area for the day. Discover the legendary powder, diverse terrain and consistently deep snow found in the mountains of the Nelson area.
Throughout the winter months, Summit Mountain Guides offers Heli Drop ski touring programs in the Selkirk’s, Purcell’s and Monashee mountains of south-eastern British Columbia. Our regular programs are based out of beautiful Nelson and Kaslo BC and include countless venues for you to explore. By leaving all the logistics and safety to our expert team, you will maximize your skiing holiday. Programs are geared towards moderate to advanced ski tourers.
Berner Oberland
This area of the Bernise Alps is located just south of Grindelwald, Switzerland, home of the famous Eiger north face. Bernise Alps offers the most extensive glaciations in the Alps along with consistently deeper snow pack.
The peaks here are high, iconic and aesthetic for ski touring and ski mountaineering. This trip is ideal for intermediate to advanced ski touring experience. Our 8 day programs with 6 days ski touring are available from mid-April to mid-May.
Monte Rosa Ski Peaks
Located near Zermatt, the Monte Rosa massif contains several challenging ski-mountaineering summits including the highest peak in Switzerland, Dufour Spitz 4634m.
This area offers great skiing on big relief with high broken glaciers and peak ascents requiring basic mountaineering skills. This trip is ideal for intermediate to advance ski mountaineers. This 9 day program with 7 days of ski touring is available from mid-April to mid-May.
Powder Creek Lodge
This well built and luxurious backcountry lodge is located at the headwaters of Powder creek in the wild and rugged Purcell Mountains east of Kaslo BC. It offers fantastic alpine terrain and tree skiing ideal for all experience level.
Valhalla Lodge
Nestled in the Valhalla range of the Southern Selkirk’s this cozy lodge offers outstanding powder skiing in alpine bowls along with classic BC tree skiing.
This back country program is family friendly and fully catered. The terrain is exciting and diverse for intermediate to advanced ski tourers.
Glacier Creek Traverse
An advanced tent based ski traverse at the headwaters of the well named Glacier creek in the Purcell Mountains. This 7 day trip links together the Horseshoe Glacier, Jumbo Pass, the Starbird Glacier and the Macbeth Icefield in one continuous high-level circuit.
This trip is a real Canadian adventure featuring many fine ski touring summits, a large icefield crossing and several broken glaciers. Many long and fantastic descents and peak bagging opportunities await the most experience ski tourers. For optimal conditions this traverse is best skied in late April and early May.
