Pemberton Ski-Mountaineering Camps

Cut your teeth and Sharpen your tools

ABout the trip

basecamp on glaciers and challenge yourself with guided ski mountaineering objectives. Learn and develop your skill base with professional ACMG ski guides at a low ratio. Made to be affordable for the Budding Ski Mountaineer. 5 days accessed by helicopters in May:spring offers great opportunities for summits, couloirs, corn slopes and north creamy pow.

$1400 - Heli-ACcess - 5 days

this trip is for

This is for those who have ski toured for some seasons and have developed skills past an AST 1, have also maybe even taken an AST 2 or past Duffey Fest and are looking for more mentorship in developing ski mountaineering experience and skills. Previous glacier travel experience an asset but not required.

this trip includes

Trip includes: heli-flight basecamp tent set-up, and guiding, waste management, ropes

The trip does not include: food, personal gear, and transportation to the flight location

There will likely be opportunities to pair up with food buddies for cooking. 

Basecamp Gear Includes: dome tents, stoves and fuel (3 total)

#camplife

Each of the three evenings will offer opportunities for story telling in the glow of our makeshift 'lodge'. Such telling of stories is a great way of passing on experience, developing bonds and learning. In this way you maximize the learning opportunities from a multi day trip. It's also a great way to develop winter camping experience. 

Food

You'll need to provide your own food. We'll help you coordinate with food buddies to share cooking duties and cooking equipment.

Fitness

Please come with good fitness. Ability to walk a slow or steady pace all day and comfortably exist in the mountains for multiple days. Expect minimum 800m of elevation per day and to ski black diamond runs or harder in variable conditions.

LEARNING

Topics will range but will follow a theme each day. 

The learning experienced is designed to meet group needs, questions and to flow organically. Topics will likely include use of ski and boot crampons, ice axe use, crevasse rescue, roped travel, reading the mountains (developing your mountain sense), human factors, whiteout navigation, etc. The guides will aim to provide further leading opportunities and coach you in more complicated areas of backcountry travel.

We'll hope to shred the gnar while we're at it. 

Itinerary

Day 1

We'll meet at Pemberton's Mount Currie Coffee company in the am meet and greet and then shuttle to the helicopter staging area. 

After reaching our camp location we'll run through some avalanche basics before heading out for an afternoon ski. The hike in camp will involve coaching on the approach as we gain the anniversary glacier.

In the evening we'll have stoves firing, tea brewing and hot cups of food. Informal discussion, story telling will surround the steam and glow of our makeshift backcountry 'lodge'.

Day 2

An early-ish wake-up will ensue with breakfast and a full day in the mountains with an ACMG guide. This is where we'll range a little further, maybe bag a peak and delve into a spectrum of informal topics. The learning topics will be aimed to pass on knowledge in a mentorship fashion and also addressing what the group wants to learn. The evening will be spent reflecting and here we might jump into the questions of risk and decision making.

Day 3-4

Will look like a repeat of Day 2 with more opportunities for objectives and learning.

Day 5

After some morning session and skiing we'll pack up camp for a PM fly out. Timing for flying out will ultimately depend on weather.

Gear List:

• Personal ski touring equipment (skins, touring skis & bindings)

• Avalanche equipment (transceiver, shovel, probe)

• Overnight camping equipment- if not renting: tent, winter sleeping bag & pad

• Cooking equipment (pot)

• Warm clothing - anticipate winter conditions

  • Base layer top x1-2

  • Base layer bottom x1

  • mid layer top

  • Shell jacket

  • Warm down jacket

  • Warm gloves

  • Light small glove x2

  • socks x2

  • warm hat and less warm hat

  • buff (optional)

  • goggles (optional)

  • down/hut booties (recommended)

  • helmet

• ski and boot crampons

• ice axe

• harness

• 2 locking carabiners

• 1 triple action locking carabiner

• 3 non locking carabiners

• 2x 5m long prussiks (6mm)

• 2x 2m long prussiks (5mm)

• pulley (optional)

• Overnight pack 45-60L (hike in) or Day pack (fly in)

• small foam pad (recommended for sitting & sleeping)

• Miscellaneous

  • tootbrush

  • spoon & eating container

  • headlamp

  • personal blister/first aid kit

  • sunglasses (dark for glaciers)

  • Relevant map (area will be announced in logistics e-mail)

Sign up now 

Price does not include tax and is in Canadian Dollars. Full payment or deposit (20%) must be made to book your spot.