Earn
Your
Turns
Who says it’s all about
the down when there
are views like this?
Featured Trips
Mountaineering and Adventuring, for over 25 years.
We offer all types of mountaineering adventures. In the winter season we specialize in high end ski touring trips to BC’s finest Backcountry lodges as well as exotic international destinations like Svalbard, Greenland, Antarctica and Europe. For the 2021 season we have added some local trips as well as some exotic Wild Skiing trips. Here is a selection from our upcoming season.
Kootenay Hut to Hut Skiing
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
Explore Northern Norway’s fjords and glaciers
The first week will be spent skiing along the coastal mountains of the Lyngen Alps, staying in quaint mountain huts and hotels in small towns. On day 6 we will board the Rembrandt van Rijn and continue along the rugged coastline of Northern Norway, exploring the fjords and glaciated peaks that makes this region so famous.
Ski the Land of the Rising Sun, now booking February 2022
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.
Intermediate level decision making in avalanche terrain
This course expands on the AST 1 program with more advanced weather and snow evaluation and, a lot more time in the mountains with our professional guides observing and moving in and around avalanche terrain.
More About Us
Sawback was founded by Tom Wolfe in 1995, running mountain hiking trips for groups. Since then we have expanded programming to offer just about any mountaineering adventure you could imagine. Tom is a trained and internationally certified Mountain Guide and a member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) and the International Federation of Mountain Guides (IFMGA).
We work with a variety of other certified guides. See our Guides and Partners Page for some photos and brief bios.
For existing trips, simply use our Book Now link to fire off a quick booking request. We will follow up quickly with you to confirm the booking with you.
If you are looking for a custom trip – e.g. a day of ski touring or ice climbing or a multi-day trip that we don’t offer – email or phone us or use our contact form. We will offer suggestions and personally help you organize the best possible trip for you .
Sawback is primarily a small one-man operation. While there are guides who work with large operations in Western Canada there is also a small, co-operative community of independent guides who pass work they can’t do on to others who can. If Tom can’t join you in your mountain adventure we will refer you to another independent mountain guide who will.
Sawback’s guides are members of the following associations: