Ski Guide training
If you landed on this page via an internet search then please contact me for information on ski guiding and training courses in the Canadian Rockies, Wapta Traverse, Rogers Pass, or Japan. The information below is for previously booked courses.
If you have already signed up for one of the ski guide training courses please read the following information carefully. It should answer all your questions but if not you can contact me.
If you get nothing else from this information package, please do the following:
Read the guiding waiver carefully ahead of time. You don’t need to sign the waiver now, you will do that once you arrive for the trip.
What the course payment includes
Your course payment included:
Instruction
Guide transport, food, and accommodation for Rockies based courses
All taxes
Your payment did not include:
Your transport, food, or accommodation
Tickets for yourself or the instructor if lift access is used
If the students request training days in Rogers Pass, additional charges will apply for guide transport, food, and accommodation.
Your instructor
I’ve been working as a ski patroller, avalanche forecaster and guide since the mid 80’s. In the summer I guide mountaineering and rock climbing. I’ve been a fully certified ACMG/IFMGA mountain guide since 1996. I have taught professional level avalanche courses since the early 90s, and worked on the ACMG guide training programme in all disciplines from 1998-2014. You can find out more about me here.
course location
Courses are based in the Rockies. Venues may include:
Highway 93N
Field
Lake Louise
Highway 93S
Kananaskis
Students usually stay in Field, Lake Louise, Banff, or Canmore. The morning guide meeting location is usually Lake Louise unless we are skiing in Kananaskis, in which case we will meet in Banff or Canmore.
Rogers Pass is used as a back-up venue if weather or conditions in the Rockies are not conducive for learning. Sometimes this may be a day trip, or sometimes we will stay in Golden between trips. Additional charges may apply if we use Rogers Pass because conditions are unsuitable in the Rockies.
Objectives
Some common objectives are:
Crystal Ridge (ridge to the east of Bow Lake)
Mt Hector (often only partway up the glacier, there are opportunities to do loops on the descent)
Little Crowfoot
Observation Pk
Chickadee Valley
Vermilion Pk
Mt Field
Cathedral Mtn
Lake Louise ski area backcountry
French-Robertson traverse
Expect to head out on some of the classic tours if Rogers Pass is used.
equipment
Please use the same gear list included in the TAP courses.
Guidebooks and paper maps are recommended for route planning and for backing up digital systems in the field.
What to expect
Pre-course preparation will include student assignments in the following:
Weather synopsis
Conditions synopsis
Emergency response plan
Equipment and logistics plan
Participants will present these topics before the course via email. This enables us to get going on a field day quickly on day 1.
Mornings start with an instructor-led guide meeting, using an Infoex workflow. Students will be expected to come into the meeting prepared to participate as peers with the instructor. Generally, the instructor will direct the flow of the meeting, but the students will generate most of the content for the workflow.
Once in the field, I don’t recommend trying to mimic an “exam” experience, where we tackle big objectives and the instructor doesn’t say anything until the end of the day. I prefer shorter trips, as this enables us to stop and have discussions wherever we choose. I feel that being able to look at the terrain we are discussing, and perhaps turning around and re-approaching a situation in a different way, promotes the fastest learning. I have found that instant feedback as we move through the terrain is the most beneficial. It may sometimes feel like the “flow” is disrupted, but the idea is to give students the tools that will create better flow in the future.
Doing partial trips may work well. Often we can move through the cruxes some of the bigger trips are known for, and still have time to talk about them, if we don’t concern ourselves with the upper part of the route.
Attempting a longer objective, where we try to efficiently incorporate earlier feedback with minimal instruction in the field, can sometimes work at the end of the course.
The decision as to who leads the different portions of the day will be up to the students. The instructor will give an idea of when the leads will change.
The student taking the first lead of the day should be prepared to give a brief, yet thorough, client briefing (three minutes or less). The briefing should include:
Weather, conditions, and hazards update
An idea of timing of the day
Gear check
What gear and clothing systems are needed to start the day
Post-trip instructor/student debriefs are often limited, as we have already discussed most situations during the day. Although guide meeting topics will be discussed, the students will do their own end of day record keeping, as will the instructor (this is due to time limitations).
Important times and places
two weeks prior to course start
Pre-course tasks assigned.
Within one week of course start
Pre-course assignments presented to the group via email.
Final discussion of course location (Rockies or Rogers Pass).
Day 1 objective identified.
Meeting time and place for day 1 set. This is normally either Banff or Lake Louise, depending on the objective and where students are staying.
Risk and safety
It is important to understand that no matter how well prepared we are there is still an element of risk to backcountry skiing. One of the additional risks pertinent to this trip is the course environment. This can introduce unusual stresses which may affect decision making processes.
One of the ways to lower that risk is to realize that making errors is part of the learning process. In fact, you want to make errors on this course. By understanding that a mistake is a mistake you understand how not to make more of them in the future. A key skill for guides is to recognize errors, including the errors of others, analyze them in a non-judgmental way, learn from them, and share those learnings with peers and the public.
You will need to sign a waiver that will make you well aware of these risks. You will sign it when you arrive. Please have a look at the waiver before the trip so you understand what the risks are and what you will be signing when you get here.
Mountain Rescue
In nearly thirty years of guiding I have only had three evacuations from the field for minor injuries or illness.
We will be skiing mostly in national parks or Alberta provincial parks where mountain rescue is free. For national parks you need to have purchased the proper vehicle permits for rescue to be free. Please purchase these permits before the trip, they are available at the park information centres.
It is unlikely, but we may also ski on British Columbia crown lands, where you may be charged for a mountain rescue. If a rescue is required it could cost many thousands of dollars. If you wish to purchase mountain rescue insurance make sure to research options carefully to make sure they are appropriate for your situation. Here are some companies that provide this service:
American Alpine Club Global Rescue package. For the cost of a membership in the AAC (US$80) you get US$7,500 mountain rescue insurance. This would probably cover all or most of the cost for many incidents.
Global Rescue. US$500,000 coverage. You need to be more than 100 miles from your home for this to kick in so it is not appropriate for clients on Canadian trips who live in proximity to Alberta or British Columbia.
Tugo. This may be less expensive than the Global Rescue $500,000 package and may be appropriate for trips in Canada. You will need the optional adventure sport coverage.
Questions?
If you have any questions let me know! Email me.