– Seiland is a ski touring paradise accessible only by a 3-hour boat trip from Alta. For six days we will enjoy the arctic hospitality of this family-operated lodge and ski the slopes above the nearby fjords, accessed each morning by motorboat.
Perfectly situated in the middle of the Canada’s best mountain ranges for ski touring. Take advantage of the many excellent accommodation opportunities and enjoy day trips into the Selkirks, Pucells and Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Vista lodge is located in the middle of a beautiful alpine meadow at the edge of Vista Lake near the source of Schlicting Creek. Vista has five drainages to ski offering a myriad of terrain choices. Vista is also the portal to the big alpine zones off Cherub Glacier to the west. Strategically located at the center of the Esplanade Range, Vista is equally famous for its amazing spring skiing.
These ski towns are perfectly situated in the middle of the Canada’s best mountain ranges for ski touring. Take advantage of the many excellent accommodation opportunities and enjoy day trips into the Selkirks, Pucells and Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Every ski guide I know started with these kinds of trips. Ski traverses and ski camps are where our hearts lie. Even though they are hard work and involve at least a bit of suffering, being in these remote, wild places has an irresistible lure.
“Rows of glaciers on either side of the valley are lined up one beside the other at varying degrees of steepness, all perfect for skiing. The peaks are towering and rugged. I’ve been to most of the best backcountry ski lodges in the world … Nirvana tops them all for terrain.”
North of Rogers Pass is a chain of high glaciated peaks that forms the Northern Selkirks Traverse. We begin the trip near Sorcerer Lodge at Ventego Lake at the base of the south face of Mt. Iconoclast. Over the course of 7 days we work our way northward, exiting either via Stitt Creek or over the Adamants and fly out from Fairy Meadow.
The Bugs to Rogers traverse is arguably the most coveted ski traverse in Western Canada. It starts with the spectacular Bugaboos and continues across the beautiful northern section of the Purcells, finishing with a high line through the Selkirk Mountains to Rogers Pass.
The Rockies are known for the great glaciated hut-to-hut traverses: the Wapta Traverse and the Yoho Traverse (or the “Bow-Yoho” Traverse as it’s also known). Deep in the Kootenays is a completely different kind of trip, the Bonnington Traverse. This is a 3-day (with heli-drop) or 4-day traverse that links alpine and sub-alpine ridges from Ymir all the way to Porto Rico, just a few minutes drive south of Nelson
Now booking for the 2023 seasons. Selkirk Lodge provides exceptional access to an endless variety of tree skiing and big glacier runs providing excellent backcountry skiing and snowboarding options. Sitting at 2,165 metres (7,100 ft) on a small sub-alpine knoll, Selkirk Lodge enjoys grand views of high summits, nearby ice fields and the deep wild valleys of the Albert Range of B.C.’s Selkirk Mountains.
Join us on a guided backcountry splitboarding/skiing tour in the Canadian Rockies. An ideal way to get out and see/experience more committing terrain under the guidance and leadership of our fully certified ACMG ski/board guides.
We will spend the week sailing and skiing along the coastal mountains of the Lyngen Alps, on board the s/v Noorderlicht. Our goal: explore the rugged coastline of Northern Norway, with the fjords and glaciated peaks that makes this region so famous.
In November/December 2021 we are partnering with Ski Antarctica to provide an unforgettable trip of a lifetime to Antarctica by sailboat.
Lee Lau and his friends booked a week with us at Burnie Glacier Chalet at the end of March. We had exceptional spring conditions and enjoyed some incredible tours up in the high glaciers.
Japan has formed a legendary reputation for deep powder skiing in January and February. The saying “Don’t Leave Powder to Find Powder” is common in western Canada – why leave Canada when we have the best skiing in the world? Well, Japan is a strong contender, and when you add the incredible cultural experience to the mix it rises to the top of any serious skier’s bucket list.
Here’s a selection of photos from this year’s January trip. We were actually able to complete the seldom-done Polemic Pass circuit, which might have been the earliest it’s ever been done successfully. We also made it to the top of Middle Solitaire, Loft Peak and Solitaire Ski peak and skied off the back side of Tom George. So even in January there’s much to be done with the right group and the right conditions — but the same can be said about any other month of the year!
Our Ski and Sail trips to Svalbard this spring will enjoy around the clock sunlight in the Land of the…
Vallhalla Mountain Lodge was built in 1987 before most other backcountry lodges in the Koots were imagined. Best terrain, epic snow fall and perfect temperatures = heaven!
This is the Classic Wapta traverse. An excellent hut system, perfect terrain for traverses, and easy access to excellent ski mountaineering objectives. By March and April the snowpack is settled and the travelling is easy, but with great low-density powder skiing still.
Backcountry ski touring and sailing along the west coast of Spitsbergen in the Greenland sea, 1000 km north of Norway, in the remote arctic Svalbard archipelago. Svalbard is a wild and remote place, yet a land perfectly suited for ski touring and easy to access, with direct flights from Oslo. The only way to visit this region is by sailing yacht, and the Noorderlicht is the most comfortable and ideal boat for the task.
The most exotic guided ski touring trip possible: backcountry ski touring and sailing along the west coast of Spitsbergen in the Greenland sea, a thousand kilometers north of Norway, in the Svalbard archipelago of over 60 (mostly unpopulated) islands. It is a wild and remote place, and at a latitude of greater than 78º, high in the Arctic, it is level with Canada’s Ellesmere Island, or the northernmost end of Greenland. Yet it easy to access — with three-times daily flights from Oslo — and offers the supreme comfort of a luxury sailing yacht.
The s/v Rembrandt van Rijn is the most spacious and luxurious of the vessels we use for our Ski and…
Fully booked. Sitting at 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) on a small sub-alpine knoll, Mount Carlyle Lodge enjoys grand views of high summits, nearby ice fields and the deep wild valleys of B.C.’s Kokanee Range. In the winter, Carlyle provides exceptional access to an endless variety of awesome backcountry skiing and snowboarding options.
Burnie Glacier Chalet is located near Smithers in northern British Columbia. It has spectacular, rugged alpine terrain with beautiful ski runs that range in nature from gentle glacier runs that can be done in most conditions to steep tree runs for high hazard days, to incredible ski mountaineering trips high into the alpine.
Book Now – limited space! The most exotic guided ski touring trip possible: backcountry ski touring and sailing along the west coast of Spitsbergen in the Greenland sea, 1000 km north of Norway, in the Svalbard archipelago of over 60 (mostly unpopulated) islands. It is a wild and remote place, and at a latitude of greater than 78º, high in the Arctic, it is level with Canada’s Ellesmere Island, or the northernmost end of Greenland. Yet it easy to access — with three-times daily flights from Oslo — and offers the supreme comfort of a luxury sailing yacht.
I know what you’re thinking — Tom, it’s summer… the Wapta traverse? Well it was a lot more pleasant than my experience 6 months ago leaving Bow Hut in the dark at 8:00 am with -35°C temps and clouds and wind. And the snow was pretty good too — from Sunday to Tuesday it was great spring ski touring conditions.