Backcountry Skiing: Day Trips
Please click your section below:
Pat Sheehan Traverse
A long day trip that traverses several glaciers overlooking the Columbia Icefields.
This traverse starts at the big bend just south of the Icefields Centre along the Icefields Parkway. The drive from Jasper townsite is just over an hour. From the parking lot a short section of trail goes up through the woods gaining open slopes in ‘Hidden Valley’. From here we will contour onto the first glacier going up and over 2 high passes before descending to Castleguard Meadows and skiing out the Saskatchewan Glacier back to the big bend parking area. This trip can take 8-11 hours depending on snow conditions.
Cost
See Pricing & Booking.
What to bring
Ski Touring Equipment List
Rental equipment is available at Gravity Gear in Jasper.
CLOTHING: Be prepared for cold and windy conditions. The following list is a minimum amount of clothing.
- long underwear (top and bottom)
- insulation layer (e.g. fleece/wool shirt)
- wind layer or fleece jacket
- goretex pants and jacket
- gloves and/or mitts
- toque
TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT:
- touring/telemark skis, boots and bindings
- Snowboarders; a split board works well, but snow shoes are not permitted, as they are not practical in the terrain we will be using.
- ski poles (collapsable poles are best for snowboarders)
- climbing skins that fit your skis or splitboard
- *avalanche beacon / shovel / probe
THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO FORGET!:
- water (1 litre minimum)
- lunch (plan for several shorter breaks)
- sunscreen
- sunglasses and ski goggles
- blister kit (“Compeed” brand of blister bandage works really well)
HANDY ITEMS: (optional)
- camera
- down jacket
- thermos
Mike Wynn Circuit
A long day trip that travels through high passes East of the Icefields Parkway and across from the Columbia Icefields. The trailhead for the The Mike Wynn Circuit is just over an hours drive from Jasper townsite. The route goes up through the woods just north of the Weeping Wall along the Icefields Parkway for about an hour. We soon break into open meadows with grand views. It’s a steady climb to the first high pass. From here we descend a small glacier to a broad valley that takes us to Nigel pass and from there back to the highway. The trip can take 8-12 hours depending on conditions.
Cost
See Pricing & Booking.
What to bring
Ski Touring Equipment List
Rental equipment is available at Gravity Gear in Jasper.
CLOTHING: Be prepared for cold and windy conditions. The following list is a minimum amount of clothing.
- long underwear (top and bottom)
- insulation layer (e.g. fleece/wool shirt)
- wind layer or fleece jacket
- goretex pants and jacket
- gloves and/or mitts
- toque
TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT:
- touring/telemark skis, boots and bindings
- Snowboarders; a split board works well, but snow shoes are not permitted, as they are not practical in the terrain we will be using.
- ski poles (collapsable poles are best for snowboarders)
- climbing skins that fit your skis or splitboard
- *avalanche beacon / shovel / probe
THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO FORGET!:
- water (1 litre minimum)
- lunch (plan for several shorter breaks)
- sunscreen
- sunglasses and ski goggles
- blister kit (“Compeed” brand of blister bandage works really well)
HANDY ITEMS: (optional)
- camera
- down jacket
- thermos
A2
A classic winter summit. This alpine skiing/mountaineering trip combines great skiing and fun scrambling to a spectacular summit.
An hours drive from Jasper takes us to the parking lot where we quickly ski out of the trees and into a narrow valley on the boundary of Banff and Jasper National Parks. This trip has it all in a very compact way. We quickly gain the Boundary glacier with stunning views of bare ice all around. From the Boundary glacier we gain a high call and switch into climbing mode where we spend roughly 45 minutes climbing to the exposed summit of A2. There are several options for great ski lines along the way. This trip can take anywhere from 7-9 hours depending on conditions.
Cost
See Pricing & Booking.
What to bring
Ski Touring Equipment List
Rental equipment is available at Gravity Gear in Jasper.
CLOTHING: Be prepared for cold and windy conditions. The following list is a minimum amount of clothing.
- long underwear (top and bottom)
- insulation layer (e.g. fleece/wool shirt)
- wind layer or fleece jacket
- goretex pants and jacket
- gloves and/or mitts
- toque
TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT:
- touring/telemark skis, boots and bindings
- Snowboarders; a split board works well, but snow shoes are not permitted, as they are not practical in the terrain we will be using.
- ski poles (collapsable poles are best for snowboarders)
- climbing skins that fit your skis or splitboard
- *avalanche beacon / shovel / probe
THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO FORGET!:
- water (1 litre minimum)
- lunch (plan for several shorter breaks)
- sunscreen
- sunglasses and ski goggles
- blister kit (“Compeed” brand of blister bandage works really well)
HANDY ITEMS: (optional)
- camera
- down jacket
- thermos