Backcountry Ski Course

GALLERY

DETAILS

Learn how to safely enjoy blissful backcountry skiing. This Backcountry Ski Course will give you a primer on everything you need to have a great day of touring, including the best gear to bring and how to use it, safety and risk considerations for weather, terrain, avalanches and more, and an introduction to FACETS and ALPTRUTH. We’ll spend one day in the classroom getting to know one another and covering backcountry foundations and your choice of one or two days in the backcountry practicing essential skills and enjoying prime powder!

Skills Covered During Backcountry Skiing Course:

Gear selection and use
Avalanche awareness, scenarios, and hazards
NWAC and Weather Service use
ALPTRUTH
FACETS
Planning for a successful touring day
Avalanche beacon checks and use
Companion rescue demonstration and practice
Setting skin tracks
Moving through avalanche terrain
Safely skiing downhill in a group
And more!

Duration

One classroom day and one OR two day-trip field days.

Passport

Not Required

Minimum Age

13 years old

Activity

Backcountry skiing skills, safety, and methods

Accommodation

None

PRICE BASIS

PRICE INCLUDES

Classroom instruction
Guide service for day trips
Field instruction
Permits
Discounted rentals

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

Transportation
Lunches/snacks
Gratuities for guides

ITINERARY

Day 1: CLASSROOM DAY

Meet the instructors and fellow students
Gear - What’s needed for a day of touring
Overview of potential avalanche scenarios and hazards
Introduction to NWAC and other weather services
Introduction to ALPTRUTH
Introduction to FACETS
Planning for a good ski day
Outline of Field Day (Course Day 2)

Day 2: FIELD DAY 1 — Snoqualmie Pass or Mt. Baker area

Introduction to gear use (skis, skins, tour mode, ski mode, etc.)
Introduction to beacon checks
Companion rescue demonstration and practice
Skiing!
Debrief and return to vehicles

Day 3: FIELD DAY 2 (OPTIONAL) — Snoqualmie Pass or Mt. Baker area

Ski touring!
Learn how to set an appropriate skin track
Intro to moving safely through avalanche terrain
Learn methods for skiing downhill in a group
Debrief and return to vehicles

FAQs

What is the best way to get to the field day location(s)?

Final location will depend on snow conditions and directions will be provided closer to the course date. We can either meet at a Park & Ride in the Seattle area or meet at the trailhead at a designated time.

What equipment is required?

A complete packing list will be provided at the classroom session.

You will be required to have the following, most of which we can rent to you for additional fees:

Ski jacket & pants
Wool or synthetic (no cotton) clothing layers
Ski boots
Skis

General FAQ's

Testimonials

Sandeep is possibly the best person (Miyar and guides) in the business to take you on the mountains. Anyone who has trained with him to summit Rainier over the years can tell you how much he cares about his peeps. Talk to him and he can always find a way to make it happen. I have been trying to climb Rainier for few years with personal constraints (need to be always available, can return anytime, 24*7 sat phone access etc) and many times I had to return mid climb from big ones like Baker and Rainier. It was really easy to talk to the guides about this situation. I never once felt unsafe on the mountains. This is a big deal given how much we learnt when it comes to snow skills and glacier training. Be safe and go with Miyar!
Vivek Garg
What an awesome experience to go on climbing Mt. Rainier with Miyar Adventures. Sandeep and his team of guides ( Kirk, Alexis, Joe, Ben, Chris, Jasmin ) did an awesome job to lead the multiple rope teams trough snow skill preparations and guiding through safely on glacier journey. The amount of efforts put into multi-month preparation, pre-trip meetings, accessibility to gears for rent and attention to details with food/weight/personal gears were all instrumental in almost all of us (in a group of 24) able to summit Mt. Rainier and have wonderful memories. We knew we were in best company and safe hands with prior experience with Miyar Adventures led climb to Mt. Baker and few other preparation trips. And guides calibrated their approach from novice climbers to experienced climbers to push enough to have an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend to go with Miyar Adventures on amazing trips they have lined up around the Puget Sound Area and internationally.
Harshit Shah
If you are interested in doing any climbing or hiking but need a guide , I highly recommend Miyar Adventures...Sandeep is a wonderful person and you will actually learn (and practice ) climbing and crevasse rescue techniques in addition to the trip/climb ...it is definitely beyond a just a "get you to the summit" experience. He genuinely cares and brings in other excellent guides for bigger groups. My husband and I recently successfully made it to the summit of Mount Baker with Sandeep, two other guides and a group of friends and we had a fantastic experience. He and the guides he works with are very knowledgeable so I had confidence in their abilities to lead us but they are also very friendly and fun so that overall trip was enjoyable. I will definitely climb with Miyar Adventures again!
Monica Henry