Intro to Ski Mountaineering
Dates Price Meeting Time & Place Location Curriculum Agenda Guides & Group Size Difficulty and Prerequisites Transportation Accommodation & Meals Gear & Clothing Insurance Booking Information
"A summit on a crisp spring day, linking turns in powder back to the glacier below, new skills and knowledge that will give you the confidence to return on your own ski mountaineering adventures!" These are some of the ingredients that make this one of the most enjoyable and valuable programs we offer. Join us this spring for a week of fun and education on the spectacular Wapta Icefields!
Ski mountaineering skills training featuring: glacier travel, crevasse rescue, route finding, navigation, ski mountaineering equipment, trip planning, avalanche awareness. For Alpine and Telemark skitourers.
2010 Dates
March 21 - 26, April 11 - 16
Price
$1345 CDN includes accommodation, National Park Fees, 'out-trip' meals, instruction and use of specialized equipment and group gear. GST is extra. Cancellation Insurance can be purchased for an additional $71.
Optional pre and post trip accommodation packages are available from $60 per person per night for shared room lodging ($120 for single occupancy). Purchase with booking. Subject to availability.
Gratuities not included
Meeting Time and Place
The course begins at the Yamnuska office at 8.00am on the first day. The Yamnuska office is located at 200, 50 Lincoln Park, Canmore. See this map for location.
Location
The course is based out of Bow Hut on the Wapta Icefields just north of Lake Louise (90km from Canmore). This area of vast Icefields and glaciated peaks is perfect for instruction with a really good hut system.
Curriculum
There is considerable flexibility built into the delivery of this course, no course is exactly the same. Snow and weather conditions will dictate the order of presentation to some degree. Key topics will be constantly revisited during the program.
Topics include:
-
Avalanche awareness emphasizing hazard recognition, route finding & emergency procedures.
-
Winter medical issues & emergency response.
-
Trip planning.
-
Equipment for ski mountaineering.
-
Glacier travel & crevasse rescue.
-
Snow Shelters.
-
Mountain weather.
-
Navigation & route planning.
-
Decision making process.
-
Ski techniques for powder & crud.
-
Track setting.
-
Ski tours! There are lots of great day climbs and tours in addition to possible overnight trips between huts. You just happen to be learning these skills in a terrific ski mountaineering area. You will find yourself in the lead, solving route finding problems and using new skills to face the challenges of successful tours and the rewards of great ski descents!
Course Agenda
Note: From Day 2 the course agenda and the amount of time spent on each subject will depend upon conditions in the program area, the weather, group and individual abilities and learning speeds.
Day 1: We
meet at the Yamnuska Office in Canmore at 8:00am for
introductions, a review of course goals and itinerary and
equipment check. Then we drive an hour and a half north to Bow
Lake, our start point. After an avalanche safety session, we
commence the climb to Bow Hut, which is located at 7700 ft. on
a shoulder adjacent to the snout of the Bow Glacier; this will
take us between 3 and 5 hours. We cross frozen Bow Lake then
ski up the canyon which leads to the amphitheater below Mounts
Olive and St. Nicholas. After a final steep section we reach
the welcome warmth of this spacious cabin. En route we get a
real taste of route finding in avalanche terrain. We ski 6km and climb 2000ft.
Day 2 - 5: Bow Hut is our base for the week. Its proximity to the glacier and to several peaks makes it easy for us to get out on to suitable instruction terrain every day. It's a perfect area for instruction. We may do a tour to one of the other huts in the region where we can spend a night or two. Peaks often climbed on the course include Olive (10,200 ft.), Gordon (10,000 ft.) & Rhonda (10,000 ft.).
Day 6: Final day. We ski back down to Bow Lake and return to Canmore in the late afternoon.
Guides & Group Size
Your instructors are certified by the internationally recognized Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and licensed by Parks Canada. There will be a maximum of 7 participants per instructor, a minimum of 4 and maximum of 12 on the course.
Difficulty & Prerequisites
You need to be at least a strong intermediate downhill skier (on either Telemark or 'alpine' gear) able to maintain control in all conditions. You should be making parallel turns on hardpack. It is not necessary to be a total expert and part of the course will focus on tips for maintaining control and tackling more difficult slopes. You must be comfortable taking a few spills and be able to pick yourself up and 'carry on'. You will need to be in good physical condition. No prior ski mountaineering experience needed.
Minimum age for participation is 18 years unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and approved by Yamnuska.
Transportation
Participants are responsible for their own transport to Canmore which is a 1hour (100km) drive west from Calgary.
Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore. Greyhound Bus Lines (1 800 661 8747) serves Canmore from points east and west along the Trans-Canada Highway. Call 609 0300, 609 1490 or 609 8897 for taxis in Canmore.
To reach Bow Lake participants can car pool or we will arrange a minibus at no extra cost to you.
You should plan to arrive in Canmore the day before the course (see "accommodation" below")
Accommodation & Meals
During the course we stay in alpine huts operated by the
Alpine Club of Canada. Sleeping areas are communal and facilities basic. We
cook on propane stoves and melt snow to get water for
drinking, cooking and washing.
All
meals, snacks and drinks are supplied from lunch on Day 1 to
lunch on Day 6. Mountain meals are made from lightweight
ingredients. Please
let us know, well in advance, if you have any dietary
restrictions.
Accommodation in Canmore is not included. For your convenience we can arrange bed and breakfast hotel rooms at $120 per night. These will be at the recommended Westridge Country Inn. Double or single occupancy, the cost is the same. For those wishing to defray this cost we will try to pair them with other participants. This accommodation can be booked with the trip online or by calling us. Subject to availability.
You can also make your own arrangements. Check our links page for a range of recommended Canmore accommodations. In addition the Alpine Club of Canada Clubhouse (403 678-3200) is a good hostel here in Canmore with good facilities and reasonable prices.
Equipment & Clothing
You will need to bring your own clothing, skis, poles, climbing skins, backpack and sleeping bag. We have many of these items available to rent and if not can pre-arrange them for you. We supply avalanche beacons and other group safety items (ropes, harnesses, crevasse rescue gear etc).
You will be able to leave excess gear in Canmore whilst on the course.
The equipment and clothing you bring will have a big impact upon the quality of your experience. Please be sure to bring all items listed. If unsure about anything please don't hesitate to call and ask us!
Skis
There are two ski systems you can use: System 1: Alpine Touring skis are essentially 'downhill skis' with a special touring binding which allows the heel to lift whilst going uphill or across the flats and then 'locks down' to become a regular downhill safety binding. We recommend this system to anyone with a background of downhill skiing who is not already an advanced telemark skier. System 2: Telemark skis. These should only be used for this program if you are at least an advanced-intermediate telemark skier with some backcountry experience. This system is more difficult and less forgiving than the other.
Which should you use? If you are a downhill skier then you should use Alpine Touring gear. Only if you are already an advanced Telemark skier should you bring Telemark gear.
Both types of gear can be rented in Calgary and Canmore prior to the trip
Snow Boards can be used on this program though due to the number of flat areas you are better off on skis. If 'boarding' you need to be an advanced boarder and you need to be on a split board. Don't bring a board if you've never boarded in the backcountry before. Remember in the backcountry there do tend to be lots of 'flats'.
Equipment List
You need to bring:
-
Skis / Split Board We recommend a short (160 - 185cm) wide ski designed for powder.
-
Climbing skins 'Stick-on type'
-
Ski Poles
-
Ski Boots
-
Ski Crampons (optional)
-
Backpack (at least 75L, large enough for sleeping bag, spare clothes, and your share of group food & equipment).
We have rentals! -
Sleeping Mat ('Thermarest' or Ensolite) in case you spend a night in a snow shelter (optional) . We have rentals!
-
Compass, we recommend Silva 'Ranger' model.
-
Sunglasses and ski goggles
-
Water bottle (at least 1 liter capacity) a Thermos for Hot Drinks is optional
-
Sun block and lip cream.
-
Pocket knife
-
Sleeping Bag, must be warm as some huts are unheated. We recommend at least a '3-season' bag. Expect hut temperatures to below freezing overnight. Make sure you bring a stuff sac that will reduce your bag to its minimum size (i.e. one with compression straps) so you don't use up all the room in your pack. We have rentals!
-
Small Flashlight or Headlamp with fresh batteries.
-
Small Blister & 1ST-Aid Kit ('moleskin', plasters & Tylenol is enough).
-
Camera & spare film
-
Personal Toilet Items (keep to a bare minimum).
-
Ear Plugs for dorm sleeping (optional).
-
Insulated Booties or Hut Slippers
Optional Equipment
Yamnuska supplies but feel free to bring anyway:
-
Avalanche Beacon
-
Collapsible Avalanche Probe
-
Shovel (lightweight snow shovel).
-
Harness, crevasse rescue gear.
Clothing List
We suggest layers of light, easily carried clothing that allow for fast and easy adjustment to best suit fast changing temperature conditions. We discourage cotton clothing as it causes rapid heat loss when wet. Feel free to call us if you have any questions about what to bring.
-
Polypro underwear (top & bottom)
-
Warm pants (pref. insulated or fleece)
-
Warm shirt (not cotton)
-
Medium weight fleece sweater.
-
Fleece Jacket
-
Light insulated jacket or vest
-
Waterproof jacket with hood (Gore-Tex or nylon)
-
Waterproof pants (Gore-Tex or nylon, with side zippers)
-
Socks (wool outer & polypro liner), several sets.
-
Wool or fleece hat that covers your ears.
-
Waterproof ski mountaineering gloves or mitts.
-
Gaiters, only needed if your ski pants are not elasticized at the ankle.
-
Neck tube
-
Sunhat
Rental Information
Skis, Boots, Skins & poles can be rented from:
-
Canmore: Gear Up - (403 678-1636)
-
Banff: Mountain Magic - 224 Bear St. (Tel: 403 762-2591)
-
Calgary: Mountain Equipment Coop. - 830-10 Ave. S.W. Calgary (Tel: 403 363-0122)
Yamnuska has sleeping bags, sleeping mats and backpacks for rent. Rental Gear
Insurance
There is no charge for rescue so long as you have a valid National Park Entry Pass (included in cost). It is wise, though to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident whilst here. Obtain extra coverage if necessary.
Booking Information
Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. We require $495 CDN deposit at the time of booking. Final payment is due eight weeks before the start of the program. To avoid unnecessary cancellation penalties we suggest you take our cancellation insurance for an extra non-refundable $71, this must accompany your deposit.
For detailed booking instructions
and conditions,
click
here.
Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the program.
Please view our sample waiver
copy.
PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO
CONTACT
US IF
YOU NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM!
