Mountain and Ski Guide Services | Sawback Alpine Adventures

Featured trips

Svalbard Ski & Sail May 2019

Svalbard Ski & Sail - May 19-29, 2019 - Backcountry skiing in the amazing Svalbard archipelago using a lovely double masted gaff rigged schooner for access to the countless glaciated peaks that roll into the sea along the west coast of Spitsbergen. May 22-29, 2019 with optional 3-day pre-sail ski touring out of Longyearbyen May 19-22.
Trip Details

Bow Yoho Traverse April 1-7, 2019

The Wapta Icefield is an incredible destination for ski mountaineering. Really, it has it all: an excellent hut system, perfect terrain for traverses, and easy access to excellent ski mountaineering objectives. The best time of the year is late March to late April when the snowpack is settled and you can still count on dry powder runs; this trip is right in that perfect window.
Trip Details

Selkirk Lodge Jan 5-12, 2019

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.
Trip Details

Burnie Glacier Chalet March 22-29, 2019

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.
Trip Details

Ski Touring Teslin's at Burnie Glacier Chalet

Burnie Glacier Chalet March 8-15, 2019

Sunrise Lodge Feb 9-16, 2019

Sunrise Lodge is located at the headwaters of Wisted creek and offers stunning views of Rockies to the west and Purcells to the south. Sunrise is the southern gateway to the amazing Esplanade range, including Meadow, Vista and Sentry Lodges. Consensus among those who’ve spent time at all four Esplanade Range Huts though is that Sunrise is the best: best terrain, best for storm skiing, and best snowpack of the bunch!
Trip Details

More About Us

Sawback was founded by Tom Wolfe, who is an ACMG Mountain Guide and member of the International Federation of Mountain Guides (IFMGA). We started Sawback in 1995, running mountain hiking trips for groups. Since then we have expanded programming to offer just about any mountaineering adventure you could imagine.

How can I book a trip?

Email or phone me to enquire about a trip you’d like to do. I will offer suggestions and personally help you organize the best possible trip for your group.

Are you a guide’s service?

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 I can’t join you in your mountain adventure I will refer you to another independent mountain guide who will.

International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations

Canadian Avalanche Association – Professional Member

Avalanche Canada Avalanche Skills Training Provider

Guides and Partners

Tom Wolfe

Owner / Lead Guide Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA

Tom began Sawback in 1995. He spends his winters ski guiding across Western Canada and beyond. Summers are a split between alpine guiding and helping run Churchill River Canoe Outfitters in Saskatchewan.

Conrad Janzen

Mountain Guide IFMGA/ACMG

Conrad works mainly as a Public Safety Specialist with Banff National Park and mixes in ski and alpine guiding into his schedule.

Rob Coppolillo

Mountain Guide AMGA/IFMGA

Rob and I partner to bring his US guests across the border to experience the amazing powder skiing Canada has to offer. Rob runs Vetta Mountain Guides out of Boulder , CO and is the author of The Mountain Guide Manual.

Jörg Wilz

Mountain Guide VDBS/IFMGA

Jörg runs OnTop Mountaineering out of Canmore, AB. Originally from Heidelberg, Germany Jörg settled in Canada many years ago attracted by the incredible heli-skiing. He still heli-skis winters in western Canada and operates his guiding business world-wide.

Eric Groeneveld

Hiking Guide ACMG

Eric grew up in the Bow Valley and has his ACMG Assistant Hiking Guide certification. He is currently pursuing his Ski Guide certification and has been coaching high performance cross country ski athletes since 2007.

Thomas Grandi

Ski Guide ACMG

Thomas keeps busy ski guiding and running Canmore’s Paintbox Lodge, Giv’er Grandi Ski Club at Norquay, and his newest venture Talus Lodge with his wife Sara.