Mountain Skills & Guided Adventures…

Summer arrived early this year with warm weather and dry conditions seizing various parts of Western Canada. Like most of you, we have moved onto summer activities by now, Yahoo! We have been rock climbing locally and abroad for over a month already, we will be sharing some photos of these adventures with you soon. We wanted to share one last ski post before fully embracing summer. These photos are from our European ski programs last April. We spent two weeks in the West Alps taking different groups on classic tours such as the Haute Route between Chamonix and Zermatt and on a unique Monte Rosa Ski Peaks program. Ski conditions were reportedly quite lean in the Alps last winter. However, as you can see in these photos, we enjoyed some good turns and had a blast while soaking in the rich mountain culture of the Alps. Thanks to esteemed colleague and friend Stefano @granparadisoguide for his support and our amazing guests for keeping the stoke high and building fond memories. Enjoy these fun ski photos and let us know if you would like to join a trip next winter. We will be going back to Japan, select backcountry lodges, a few remote basecamps, “the Yukon”, and Norway. Get in touch for details and stay tuned for our seasonal newsletter coming soon. Have a fantastic summer!
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Orchestrating multiple ski trips in various domestic mountain ranges is fun and stimulating. As you can see in our recent posts, March 2023 was action packed! On the tails of our Terrace basecamp, we quickly transitioned from the BC Northwest Coast to the Canadian Rockies. On the menu next was the classic Wapta ski traverse. The Wapta terrain is heavily glaciated, contains numerous alpine ski peaks, and is supported by a network of rustic mountain huts. One of the best and most accessible hut-to-hut ski traverses in Canada, a must do! Enjoy these photos and thanks to our awesome Penticton crew for such a successful trip!
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Remote backcountry basecamps are one of our favorites! It also happens to be one of our specialties! The exclusivity, the remoteness, the bonding that comes with camping in the wilderness with friends, all contribute to making this style of ski touring very memorable. These photos are from our March 2023 basecamp near Terrace BC. This area of the Northwest Coast of British Columbia boasts all the elements required for a successful basecamp; ski peaks, good tree skiing, glacier skiing, etc. As in all successful adventures, our fun and adventurous group not only had a blast but made this experience memorable.
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As our Canadian Winter winds down, we finally get a chance to reflect on the amazing trips we have had the pleasure to experience. We will be posting some of the winter’s highlights over the next few weeks starting with this one. As you can see in these photos, our Burnie Glacier Chalet ski week last February was one for the books. This area of the BC Coast Mountains never ceases to amaze with its deep rugged valleys, imposing summits, stunning glaciation, and of course amazing ski touring! Enjoy these few snaps and let us know if you would like to join our next trip there, we are planning a return in March 2025. Thanks to our amazing group, chef, guides and of course our host!
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We recently returned from the land of the rising sun! What a treat it was to revisit this snow paradise after a 3-year hiatus. Japan was one of the last countries to open post Covid and somehow this meant that there were far fewer people compare to our previous trips there. Perhaps the lesser-known places we chose to explore this time added to that feeling. Snow amounts and quality were beyond expectation this year; there was a 3m+ snowpack and the area received upwards of 200cm new snow during our 2-week visit. Heaps of snow and fewer people topped off the blissful Japow routine; ski, onsen, east, sleep, repeat! Let us know if you want to join next Winter, we are already seeing some interest.⁠
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Merry Christmas everyone!! Wishing you and your loved ones a fantastic holiday season! May you stay healthy, loved, and active in the outdoors. Western Canada and BC has been experiencing some very cold temperatures and heaps of snow lately, particularly in the Nelson region. As you can see in these recent images, Winter 2023 has been good to us so far. We look forward to crossing paths with you on a powdery slope or mountain side in the new year. Enjoy the holiday season and all the best!⁠
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Fall has been amazing in Western Canada this year. August has decided to stick around well into October. It is now August 71st 🤣 Okay, perhaps a bit of an exaggeration but wow, it's been an amazingly beautiful Fall!! Of course, we have noticed that daylight hours are getting shorter, as well as the longer shadows created by the Sun’s proximity to the horizon. We have also been blessed with stunning Fall colors as you can see in these images. All the signs are there however, it’s hard to believe that Winter is right around the corner when temperatures are averaging 10C above seasonal values with continued clear skies and sunshine. Perhaps it will be a shorter and more abrupt transition into Winter this year, we are keeping our fingers crossed for this! We hope that you are enjoying the last days of Summers too! ⁠
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Immersion in pristine wilderness can bring a lot of inner peace and appreciation for nature. Sometimes this is all that is needed on a mountain expedition. The goal of reaching the summit or climbing that one route can get in the way of our potential connection with nature. In our eyes, returning home safely is more important than reaching the summit. Similarly, living to tell the tales of an adventure regardless of the outcome keeps us dreaming about returning or planning the next one. Last August we were blessed with an opportunity to return to the Cirque of the unclimbable with a small group of capable climbers. That corner of the Northwest Territory boasts remarkable wilderness along with world class alpine rock climbing. We had high hopes of climbing the fabled Lotus Flower Tower however, the weather and the conditions dictated otherwise. The group was totally okay with this, they seemed so connected to the land and appreciative after their experience. This realization was more inspirational to me than the previous time I was there, even after a so called "successful" expedition. Feeling lucky to be able to share such experiences with guests that are appreciative regardless of the outcome. Namaste 🙏⁠
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What is your favorite alpine rock venue? This is ours!! The Bugaboos have the perfect blend of quality alpine rock routes, pristine glaciated backdrops, and relatively easy access. Summer 2022 is winding down and we are reminiscing about some exciting trips with adventurous guests. We feel very lucky to have the ability to share this little piece of paradise with our guests. Some of the climbing highlights this past summer include; an ascent of the famous Beckey-Chouinard on South Howser Tower (TD+ 5.10), the West ridge of Pigeon Spire (PD 5.4), and the Kain route on Bugaboo Spire (AD 5.6). We still have a few select alpine rock trips on the calendar before summer really end. Wishing you all a great rest of the season!⁠
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Without a doubt, the Mont Blanc Massif is the world greatest alpine center. What makes this area so great is the combination of some very key factors; easy access, innumerable climbing objectives and consistently good climbing conditions. Having lift access allows people from all ages to ⁠enjoy the alpine. Climbing objectives span more than a lifetime of opportunities and range from world class alpine rock to quality mix climbing objectives. The variety of climbing objectives means that there is always something in conditions for people to enjoy regardless of the season. This summer was particularly hot in the Alps as they were affected by a long-lasting heat dome which melted a lot of the winter snow and affected all of the mixed climbing and glacier routes. This meant that Alpine rock objectives were the thing to do. These photos show a collection of the routes that we got to climb this summer. Feel free to comment if you recognize which routes we were on. It was a real treat being back here this last July, our first time since Covid. As always, it was super inspiring to see so many people enjoying the high mountains together. ⁠
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