Discover the rewards of backcountry touring by earning your turns in untracked powder!
Ski touring or backcountry touring is the sport of mountain ascents in the pursuit of exhilarating powder 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/ride “off piste” far from crowds.
Every winter, Summit Mountain Guides offers various ski touring programs in Nelson BC, Western Canada, Japan 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…
Professional Ski Guiding
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…
Browse our ski touring trips and courses
Ski Touring Courses
Intro to Backcountry Skiing
Get started the safe way! This one or two day introductory course focuses on safe backcountry touring practices. Participants will learn a great deal about trip preparation, gear use, touring skills, powder skiing skills along with basic avalanche awareness skills required for a safe and enjoyable ski tour.
Ski Mountaineering 101
An introduction to ski mountaineering covering the skills to plan & execute big mountain objectives. Learn a safe progressive approach to get after big peaks, glaciers, steeps, couloirs & high summits! This 3 day course will take your backcountry skiing skills to the next level.
Ski Touring Trips
- All
- Ski Touring
- Lodge Based Ski Weeks
- Ski Traverses and Basecamps
- Ski the European Alps
- Ski Mountaineering
- Daily Guided Ski Touring
Andermatt Freeride
Andermatt Freeride is a ski touring program in the heart of the Swiss Alps. The town of Andermatt is a mecca for deep powder ski touring in the Alps and deservedly the birth place of freeriding. This area offers a variety of classic European ski tours accessible by lifts, trains or vehicle.
Backcountry Basecamps
This remote, tent based, backcountry trip is ideal for those looking at ski touring in seldom visited terrain far from the crowds. It is an exciting heli access program similar to a ski traverse however, here you will enjoy skiing with a light day pack while touring from a well located camp site.
Bernese Oberland
This area of the Bernese 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 snowpack.
Burnie Glacier Chalet, March 2025
Discover a remote ski touring paradise from the comfort of a modern mountain lodge. Located at 1100m in the Howson Range near Smithers, the Burnie Glacier Chalet an ideal base for exploring this rugged part of BC’s Coast Mountains.
Cathedral Glacier Basecamp
This remote, tent based, 10day ski mountaineering trip is ideal for those looking at attempting high elevation ski peaks far from the crowds. It is an exciting heli access program similar to a ski traverse however, the focus here is on peak bagging while skiing with a lighter day pack from a well located basecamp
Chamonix Freeride
Sample some of the best steep skiing around Chamonix with an experienced guide. This Spring ski mountaineering program is a progressive steep skiing course. It is intended for advanced downhill skiers/riders wishing to experience steep skiing without going extreme.
Custom Backcountry Touring
Organizing custom backcountry skiing trips is one of our specialty. Western Canada is blessed with hundreds of quality touring destinations. We have many years of experience organizing and carrying out successful touring trips in remote locations of Canada and around the world.
Custom Ski Mountaineering
Tell about your dream ski peaks! We have the expertise and experience to co-create a custom ski mountaineering trip to suit your needs and interest. We regularly create such custom programs in Western Canada, the Alps, Patagonia, the Arctic, and beyond. Trip length may vary greatly depending on venue and access from 3-21days.
Custom Ski Traverses
Let us know about your dream ski traverse! We have the expertise and experience to co-create a custom ski traverse to suit your needs and interest. We regularly create such custom programs in Western Canada, the Arctic and beyond.
Haute Route, Chamonix-Zermatt
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.
Heli-Access Ski Touring
Get the most out of your ski touring holiday by flying directly into the backcountry. Start your day with an exciting run down a remote peak, followed by many more untracked powder ascents and descents with fantastic views. Enjoy being far from crowds while ski touring an exclusive mountain area for the day.
Japan Powder Safaris, Jan 2024
Japan is known for its deep low-density powder and perfectly spaced birch forests. The amazing hot-spring network & incredible food also contribute to the uniqueness of this cultural ski experience. Join us and explore this mythical ski paradise as we return to Hokkaido in January 2023.
Jumbo Glacier Traverse
An advanced tent based ski traverse at the headwaters of the well-named Jumbo & Glacier creeks in the Purcell Mountains. This 7 day trip links together the Horseshoe Glacier, Jumbo Pass, the Starbird Glacier and the Macbeth Icefield in a high-level circuit.
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.
Kootenay Powder Package
Looking to explore beyond the ski area boundaries? This unique ski & snowboarding program will give you a chance to enjoy one day warming up at Whitewater Ski Resort or Red Mountain Ski Resort and a second-day backcountry touring. Learn to earn your powder turns by skinning up and touring down on beginner to advanced routes.
