Pro Guiding Service
Domestic & International Trips & Courses with Professionally Trained Mountain Guides
Trip

Advanced Ski Touring Course

Overview

This four-day course will build on your previous backcountry skiing experience.  You will ski a lot of vert in the Snoqualmie backcountry while learning in depth tour planning, route finding, gear management, terrain management, decision making, uphill and downhill movement skills, and much more from our professional ski guides. You will meet 2 consecutive weekends in February.

$895 Per Person
4 Days
Difficulty
Ratio:
4:1, 8:2

Trip Information

$895
Price based on 3-4 skiers. Please contact us directly for private trips. 425-888-6397 x2 | info@proguiding.com

This four-day course will build on your previous backcountry ski touring experience.  Snoqualmie Pass's rugged backcountry terrain, less than one hour from Seattle, offers the perfect training ground for this intensive course. Prior ski touring experience required, avalanche education is highly recommended.

 

This course is offered consecutive weekends in February:

February 18/19 AND February 25/26

Please note you will see the starting date ONLY (February 18) when you sign up.

Duration: 4
Ratio: 4:1, 8:2
Difficulty Level:
Click here to learn more about difficulty ratings.

Overall Difficulty Level: Moderate to difficult

Skills Required: Advanced skiing ability and prior ski touring experience

Fitness Level: Moderately Strenuous


Private Trips Available

Pro Guiding Service proudly offers the most diverse ski touring and ski mountaineering programs of any guiding service in the Northwest.
Learn MoreView Dates & Availability

Itinerary

Day 1:  We will meet at the uppermost parking lot of the Alpental ski area unless otherwise communicated. We will do a tour of 4000 to 5000 feet of vertical (maybe the Chair Peak circumnavigation, Kaleetan Peak etc.). We will use the tour to review some of the principal skills taught in the Ski Touring course.  Please refer to the curriculum of the 3-Day Ski Touring course for further details.

Day 2: If conditions allow we will try to ski the Slot Couloir along with a side tour to the North Slopes of Snoqualmie Mountain. The size of this tour will dictate the main topic of the day. Transition efficiency. Terrain evaluation and decision making on the go are standard topics that will be an ongoing theme through the four days.

Day 3: Everything learned up to now will be applied in another tour.  In addition we will work with our compasses and topographic maps, GPS and apply prepared tour plans.

Day 4: We will conduct another tour and apply everything we learned so far. Course participants will be in charge. In addition we will conduct a multiple burial transceiver search and bring "digging" and snow stability assessments into a relevant context.

Each day will include a debrief after the tour. The course program might change depending on weather, conditions, group strength, etc. The course curriculum is extensive and you can expect full days.

Private Trips

Pro Guiding Service proudly offers the most diverse ski touring and ski mountaineering programs of any guiding service in the Northwest. Smaller, more intimate custom itineraries or instructional tours are available for any of our destinations. Tell us what you want to do, and we can create a customized plan for you.
View Private Trips

Pricing

$895
per person
Price based on 3-4 skiers. Please contact us directly for private trips. 425-888-6397 x2 | info@proguiding.com
View Dates & Availability
Payment Policy
If booking a domestic trip that is over 30 days away or an international trip that is over 60 days away, you can book your trip by paying a 20% deposit.  View Full Policy
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel for any reason 30 or more days before domestic trips or 60 or more days before international and Alaska trips, we will refund everything you have paid minus half of your deposit. No refunds will be provided if you cancel your trip for ANY REASON (this includes but is not limited to illness including CoVid-19, injury, or work-related issues) within 30 days of the start of domestic trips or 60 days of international and Alaska based trips.  View Full Policy

Equipment List

Clothing
Base Layer
  • Lightweight or midweight top (avoid cotton)
  • Lightweight or midweight long underwear bottoms, may omit depending on the warmth of your pants
  • Warm ski socks
Mid Layer
  • Fleece or wool or similar warmth layer
  • Wind shirt or soft shell jacket - wind & water resistant, breathable
Outerwear
  • Waterproof/breathable jacket with hood
  • Ski/snowboard pants - either softshell or waterproof/breathable pants depending on weather)
  • Down or synthetic puffy-type jacket
  • Warm hat - should cover ears
  • Sun hat - baseball type or visor
  • Lightweight gloves
  • Ski gloves or mittens
  • A 3rd pair of gloves - recommended for temps above freezing in case your gloves get wet (lightweight or midweight)
Personal Gear
  • Day pack – large enough to fit everything inside (around 30 liters) - dedicated shovel pocket preferred
  • Water bottles - enough for a full day - wide mouth best to prevent freezing shut, hydration systems are okay if the temps are going to be above freezing
  • Lunch and snacks - enough for a full day
  • Sunglasses - adequate for snow travel
  • Goggles
  • Sunscreen - SPF 25+, waterproof
  • Lip Balm - SPF 15+
  • Headlamp - lightweight LED recommended
  • Face mask/covering - for when close contact is unavoidable
Technical Gear

Snow Travel Gear

  • Snow travel equipment - alpine touring or telemark skis or splitboard
  • Boots - touring ski boots or snowboard boots
  • Poles - adjustable poles are ideal so you can adjust the length when going uphill/downhill
  • Climbing skins
  • Ski brakes or removable ski leashes
  • Ski or splitboard crampons - ensure they are compatible with your bindings and ski/board width

Safety Gear

  • Avalanche Beacon
  • Shovel - compact, lightweight, metal blade preferred
  • Probe - dedicated probe only (240cm or longer strongly recommended)

 

Optional Items
  • Basic snow study kit - dial stem thermometer(s), crystal card, magnifying loupe, ruler
  • Notebook and writing utensil
  • Thermos - with a hot drink
  • Compass - adjustable declination a must
  • Altimeter watch
  • Maps - contact guiding office for appropriate quadrangles
  • Map case - large Ziploc bags work well
  • Camera
  • Hand sanitizer
Equipment Sales & Rental

Gearing Up Adventurers Since 1999 

Be prepared for every adventure by visiting our sister business—Pro Ski and Mountain Service. Order online or visit us in store in North Bend, Washington. Check out our discounts on rentals and purchases when you book a trip or course with us.
10% Off purchases and 20% Off rentals for Pro Guiding Service guests
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FAQs

I am an intermediate skier, but I would love to get into backcountry skiing. Can I take this course?

You should be at least a very solid intermediate skier (preferably advanced skier) with many days spent on backcountry skis moving through a variety of terrain. We would recommend taking our 3-Day Ski Touring Course if you have not spent time ski touring before.

What is the general character of this course? 

The course is movement based. Ski Touring principles are being explained and taught on the go and put into practical application instantly.

What about the AIARE Avalanche courses you offer...do you prefer one over the other?

Although AIARE Avalanche courses and Ski Touring courses have some overlap, we recommend taking both. The designs of these two courses are very complementary.

 

Should I tip my guide?

Although tipping is not a requirement it is considered standard practice in the guiding industry and is appreciated by our guides. We generally recommend roughly 10%-15% of your course or trip cost or a flat amount that you are comfortable with.

Why Book With Us? 

Certified Professional Guides & All Access
All of our guides have the highest quality training and certification in the industry, and you can be sure that we have the permits, licenses and insurance in every location we operate.
Safe, Well-Planned Tour Design
Every tour has a carefully thought-out guide-to-customer ratio. You always get a safe, high-quality trip or learning environment with us.
Pioneers In The Industry
You will travel and learn from experts. We've pioneered several alpine climbing routes, ski descents, and traverses and we've written books on skills and routes in the industry. 
Read Our story
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