Ski Mountaineering Skills


		Guided Trips to the Sierra Nevada & Worldwide!

Nearing the summit of The Thumb, Palisades, Eastern Sierra

Ski Mountaineering Skills Course

This is our top-shelf course that teaches the skills you will need to access some of the rowdiest ski terrain on Earth. We go to the optimal training ground, the High Sierra, for 4 days across high passes, technical ridges, sweeping mountainsides, and lofty summits, learning the tricks of the trade as we go and accessing the goods along the way. This course integrates AIARE Avalanche Training and Ski Touring skills with Alpine climbing skills to allow you to ski the high and wild reaches of the Sierra and is great preparation for terrain found in rugged glaciated ranges in places like the Alps and Alaska.

We run this program in the Palisades, aka Ski Mountaineering Mecca. Topics include advanced ski touring skills, ice axe and crampon use, ski crampon use, technical rope use, snow anchors, glacier travel and crevasse rescue basics, avalanche hazard management, terrain option planning, and more. This is a balanced itinerary that facilitates learning in an enjoyable experiential format. You will be amazed at what is possible on skis!

NEW!
This course will never be cancelled due to lack of participation. That means that if you are the only sign up, you get the guide and the low price all to yourself!

Trip Itinerary | Prerequisites | Additional Information

TRIP ITINERARY: Ski Mountaineering Skills Course
Pre-Trip	It is recommended that you arrive in the Eastern Sierra a day or two early to acclimatize and get your ski touring legs under you. Meet your guide for an equipment check on the evening prior to the trip in Big Pine. We will review maps and each group member will create a four-day tour that evening in a field book, ready to go by the next morning.
DAY 1	From Glacier Lodge, ski a local ski peak on our way to camp in the South Fork of Big Pine Creek.
DAY 2	Day tour from our camp up to Scimitar Pass. Glacier travel and crevasse rescue training in the afternoon.
DAY 3	Loop Tour up Mt. Sill, down the Palisade Glacier and back up over Contact Pass to camp.
DAY 4	Tour either to Southfork Pass or a nearby ski summit on our way out to the trail head at Glacier Lodge.

Prerequisites:

AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Course, or equivalent
AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course (recommended)
Expert downhill skiing skills
Ability to control speed and execute fall-line turns in control and comfort in difficult snow conditions (deep powder, heavy and/or moist snow, breakable crust, firm or icy, etc.)
Ability to execute hop turns on 45 degree+, firm slopes, coming to a complete and immediate stop at the finish of each turn
Ability to sideslip forward and backward, with edge control, on steep (50+ degree), firm slopes
Experience ski touring in the backcountry using ski touring equipment (boots, bindings, skins, ski crampons, transceiver, shovel, probe, etc.
Mountaineering experience using ice axe, boot crampons, rope, harness, helmet
Ability to make uphill facing kick-turns in an uphill track on a slope
Excellent fitness, capable of touring up to 4000 vertical feet in a day.

Additional Information

Trip Cost Inclusions:

AMGA Trained/Certified Ski Guide
Group Camping Equipment (stoves, tents, fuel, etc.)
Breakfasts and Dinners
Group Climbing Equipment (ropes, anchors, slings, hardware, etc)

Trip Cost Exclusions:

Personal ski and camping gear
Personal climbing gear
Transportation to/within Eastern Sierra
Lodging in town before and/or after the program
Personal snacks and drinks