2024 SKI MOUNTAINEERING courses and progression with IFGMA Guide Evan Stevens and Professional Ski mountaineer Eric carter

What's this about?

In 2022, we offered a pair of two day small-group, intensive ski mountaineering skills clinics. The goal wasn't just another crevasse rescue course prettied up by calling it "ski-mountaineering" but a useful look into how professionals use strategy, specialized techniques, and equipment to move through complex terrain in the high mountains. These aren’t esoteric skills that are going to be learned once and never used but actual things you can do to make every day in the backcountry more successful.

This season, we're back again, with some pre season training and prep, 2 classic ski courses mid winter and a final/flexible smash and grab spring ski trip - think fly in camp to classic lines.

This is not your typical clinic. We want to show you our approach to accessing and moving smoothly through complex mountain terrain. This will be a combination of skill development and objective oriented travel. 

We will start the course with a Zoom call to complete our trip planning. We'll review how we go about planning and preparing for the weekend ski opportunities. 

Our first field day will be primarily skills based. This will most likely be held off of Whistler-Blackcomb. The focus of the day is technical skills required to arrive at a ski line or ridge and assess how best to move through that terrain with a variety of solutions. 

Our second day will be objective based where participants will be expected to put to practice the skills we use and over the course of a single-day traverse, approach a handful of lines and make good decisions throughout!

What you get:

• Online Weather and Navigation courses to do at your leisure available on sign up

• Pre trip engagement for making sure you are prepared.

• Connection with great people for making future missions happen

• Rad ski lines in new zones!

Being able to quickly move through complex terrain while ski mountaineering often comes down to ability to use the rope efficiently with a variety of transitions. Arriving at a ridge crest, you may need to build a quick ski belay to scout the cornice, then establish a fixed anchor to rappel over the edge and into the line. The rope is stowed quickly while skiing the first pitch, then pulled back out for another rappel mid-line after building an anchor using a horn and piton. All of this is done with limited equipment on the harness and with a solid understanding of a few knots and other tools.

This half-day session will review all of these rope skills that get a little fuzzy in the summertime.

You're standing at the top of the line you've been dreaming about all season. It's boot-top pow condition and sluffs are running hard but you're confident it's ready to go. As you're pulling down your goggles, the last thing you want to be thinking about is "when did my partner do that AST course? 10 years ago? When's the last time they even practiced with their beacon? Last year doing one drill at the resort beacon park?". 

Our ski crew is tight because we know we can depend on each other if the worst happens. One way we know this is by practicing together, every season. For this refresher course, we'll run you through the same review and drills we do every season. Bring your ski partner or your whole crew and you won't have a second thought if they'll be able to dig you out - because you'll have seen it.

We'll start with a review of equipment and rescue protocols. Then we'll review basic beacon and rescue skills. After that, the remainder of the day will be done running search and rescue drills as small teams and critiqued by our staff.

*** Currently sold out! See below to add your name to the waitlist ***

We are opportunistic ski mountaineers. We want to ski the best snow in the best mountains on any given day. April tends to provide the most interesting conditions for going big in the mountains in our area. Our goal with this camp is to chase those big lines and visit somewhere rad. We’ll almost certainly fly, or sled, into a camp somewhere deep in the South Coast Mountains. We want a tight crew of motivated skiers to join us. Preference will go to those who have participated in our 2-day Ski Mountaineering Clinics previously, or can send a sufficient resume.

We’re still nailing down precise days for this one but it’s worth booking off your first week of April for!

Costs are to-be-determined based primarily on transportation requirements but a $100 fully refundable deposit holds your spot on the team. 

-4:1 ratio for this one

-Advanced skiers only

-First week of April 2024

We currently have a full trip but if anyone drops out, we’ll add people in. Add your info below to get on the waitlist!