- Intermediate
- Ages 18+
Traveling in a winter environment has inherent risk. Snow conditions dramatically change throughout the winter, affecting snow stability. Learn to recognize avalanche terrain and more.
Quick Details
Summit and Ski Cascade Peaks
The cascade volcanoes provide the perfect opportunity to combine mountaineering with backcountry skiing. This guided trip will take you through fun mountaineering terrain, through big glaciers or up steep snowy faces. Then, take you down those same faces on skis or snowboards, providing you the most fun and adventurous way to descend these mountains. In our opinion, this is the best way to explore the mountains in the Pacific Northwest!
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These trips take 1-3 days, depending on the specific objective.
All trips start with mandatory online pre-trip meeting, before heading to the mountain. If the objective requires an overnight stay on the mountain, then plan on heading to basecamp on day 1, then going for the summit on day 2 and skiing back to camp, then descending to the car.
All participants are required to attend a pre-trip meeting with their guide to check equipment, conditions and to establish a specific time and location to meet up on the morning of the climb. Pre-trip meetings are typically completed online from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, 2 days before a course (Thursday evening for Saturday course), and your guide will send out an invitation for this.On the day of a climb, participants are responsible for getting to the meet up location ready and on time. We appreciate environmental considerations and ride sharing. Please let us know if you would like to coordinate a carpool with other participants. -
18+ for adult courses, 16+ with a parent or guardian.
Custom courses can be set up for younger groups.
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- Backcountry Skiing and Splitboarding Beginner Course or equivalant
- AIARE 1 and AIARE Rescue are recommended
- Mountaineering Beginner Course or Glacier Travel Skills Course
- Advanced skiing or snowboarding ability (ability to ski or ride various snow conditions on black diamond runs)
- Physical ability to hike for 4-5 hours, ascending about 2000′, with a 30lb pack
- For snowboards; a splitboard with the ability to go into “tour mode”
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- Snow and Glacier Camping
- Ski mountaineering skills, including using the special equipment needed
- Mountaineering Knots and Hitches
- Rope Management and Glacier Rigging
- Rope Team Travel
- Navigation, Map and Compass Usage
- Gear Packing and Equipment Choices
- Self-Arrest and Ice-Axe Technique, Crampon Usage
- Building Snow Anchors
- Technical Rock Scrambling
- Steep Snow Climbing Techniques
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- Professional instruction from full-time mountaineering instructors at a maximum of a 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio
- All group climbing gear
- All group camping and kitchen equipment
- Dinners and breakfasts while in the field
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- Personal clothing, climbing, skiing/splitboarding, and camping gear
- Lunches, snacks, water carrying capacity
- Transportation to and from the trailhead
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You will receive a full packing list following registration, but please feel free to contact us with any gear or equipment specific questions you have. A brief list of what you will need to provide for yourself:
- Personal ski/splitboard gear: skis/splitboard, boots, poles, skins
- Personal avalanche safety equipment: beacon, shovel, probe
- Personal climbing gear: Multi-day pack, helmet, harness, mountaineering boots, glacier rig, ice tools, and crampons
- Personal camping gear: Sleeping bag and sleeping pad
- Weather-appropriate clothing
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Transportation and times will be coordinated by email when the pre-trip announcement is sent to all registrants. Time to trailheads will vary depending on the trip location and objective.
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Consider joining us for any of our Mountaineering Courses.
“The date I want isn’t listed.” Please visit our Custom Courses page and contact us to book a private or custom course that fits your needs.
“I don’t see any dates.” Several of our courses run infrequently. We invite you to opt for a waitlist on our courses that do not have visible dates on the course calendar. When enough people sign up for that course, we will select a course date and invite you all to register then.