Intro To Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding Course
Learn Ski Mountaineering In Ouray, Colorado
Skyward Mountaineering's Introduction to Ski Alpinism Course is a three day ski mountaineering course for advanced skiers and splitboarders who want to combine efficient backcountry skiing with technical alpine climbing skills. Based in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, the course teaches the techniques needed to move efficiently through technical ski terrain.
You'll learn how to use crampons and an ice axe, climb steep snow and moderate alpine rock, build snow and rock anchors, rappel with skis, and manage steep ski descents. The course culminates in a ski mountaineering ascent and descent on a Colorado 13er or 14er.
The goal is to give experienced backcountry skiers and snowboarders the technical foundation needed to progress from conventional backcountry touring into more complex ski mountaineering objectives.
Schedule: 3 full days (8 hours each) of instruction and skiing. Course dates are for open enrollment, with custom dates available for private instruction.
Group Size: Maximum of 4 skiers per instructor.
Prerequisites: Previous backcountry skiing/snowboarding experience required. Skiers must be proficient descending black diamond terrain in the resort.
Course Description: Introductory ski mountaineering course for advanced backcountry skiers and snowboarders.
Pricing: $1,035 per skier.
Location: The Intro To Ski Alpinism course is based in Ouray, Colorado.
Elevation: 7,792 ft / 2,375
Develop Modern ski mountaineering Techniques
This course focuses on the skills that bridge the gap between backcountry skiing and technical ski mountaineering.
Steep Skiing: Improve your skiing technique on steep terrain and learn how to adapt your skiing to variable snow conditions.
Crampon and Ice Axe Technique: Learn how to efficiently climb steep snow using crampons and an ice axe. You'll practice transitioning between skis and mountaineering equipment as terrain changes.
Efficient Uphill Travel: Develop efficient skinning techniques for steep tracks, bootpacking in couloirs, and learn how to conserve energy during long approaches in the mountains.
Route Finding: Learn to evaluate terrain and identify efficient climbing and skiing lines while navigating complex alpine terrain.
Snow and Rock Anchors: Learn the fundamentals of building anchors in the mountains, used for belaying steep pitches, rappelling cliff bands, and protecting technical terrain.
Belayed Skiing: Practice using a rope to protect exposed ski terrain and learn how belayed skiing fits into a larger ski mountaineering system.
Rappelling: Learn techniques for rappelling technical terrain while managing your skis.
Rope Management: Learn how ropes can be integrated into ski mountaineering objectives, including climbing, belaying, and rappelling.
Plan Your Ski Mountaineering Course In The San Juans
What Is the Difference Between Backcountry Skiing and Ski Mountaineering?
Backcountry skiing is also known as “off-piste” from the French terminology of piste meaning off the trail. Backcountry ski touring involves skinning uphill in simple and challenging winter terrain and riding down, either lapping one area or touring multiple slopes within a zone. Hazards are often limited to snow conditions, avalanche conditions, and natural obstacles like trees. Ski Mountaineering adds another layer to backcountry skiing with steeper terrain that often requires climbing systems, such as technical climbing movement and equipment such as crampons and an ice axe, jump turns in a narrow couloir, belayed skiing in exposed terrain, glacier travel, and rappels to navigate cliff bands.
This course teaches the technical skills needed to make those transitions safely and efficiently. It's designed for experienced backcountry skiers and splitboarders who want to move beyond traditional touring and climb and descend more complex alpine objectives.
Intro To Ski Alpinism Course Itinerary
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Begin in Ouray with an overview of ski mountaineering equipment and efficient packing for technical objectives. We'll discuss how to balance the equipment required for climbing and skiing with the need to travel efficiently in high alpine terrain.
From there, we'll head to Red Mountain Pass, where you'll practice efficient uphill skinning on steep terrain and refine your movement on the ascent. We'll also work on steep skiing technique and strategies for managing challenging snow conditions.
The goal is to establish an efficient foundation before adding technical climbing systems on the following days.
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Day two introduces the technical climbing systems that separate ski mountaineering from conventional backcountry skiing.
You'll transition between skis and mountaineering equipment while climbing steep snow, ice, and rock with crampons and ice axes. We'll practice building snow and rock anchors, rappelling with skis, belayed ski descents, and using a rope to protect exposed terrain.
You'll also learn how to manage transitions efficiently so that technical climbing systems become part of your overall ski mountaineering strategy rather than an obstacle to efficient movement.
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The final day puts the skills together on a true ski mountaineering objective in the San Juan Mountains. Conditions permitting, you'll climb to the summit of a local Colorado 13er or 14er using the techniques developed during the first two days.
Depending on the objective and conditions, the day may involve skinning, booting, cramponing, exposed climbing, route finding, rope systems, and technical skiing. The course culminates with a ski descent of steep alpine terrain.
The specific objective will be selected based on current snow and weather conditions, avalanche hazard, route conditions, and the ability of the group.
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After a rest day, consider adding one or two private ski mountaineering days with a Skyward guide. Additional days provide an opportunity to apply the technical systems from the course to specific objectives in the San Juan Mountains.
Private follow up days can be tailored to your goals and may focus on steep ski descents, couloir skiing, technical ascents, or applying belaying and rappel systems to more complex terrain.
For this particular course, additional days of guided application can be especially valuable because ski mountaineering skills develop through repetition and experience.
Why Learn Ski Mountaineering In The San Juan Mountains
Ouray is an exceptional base for ski mountaineering in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. The region provides access to steep ski terrain, high elevation peaks, couloirs, open glades, and complex alpine objectives within a relatively compact area.
Red Mountain Pass provides convenient access to a wide variety of terrain for developing backcountry skiing and technical ski mountaineering systems, while the surrounding peaks of the San Juans offer increasingly technical objectives for applying those skills.
Progress Your Ski Mountaineering Skills
Ski mountaineering frequently involves travel through avalanche terrain, so a strong understanding of avalanche hazards is an important part of preparing for these objectives.
This course focuses on ski mountaineering skills rather than replacing formal avalanche education. If you are new to avalanche education, we recommend completing an AIARE Level 1 course before pursuing technical ski mountaineering objectives.
Skyward also offers AIARE courses for skiers and splitboarders who want to build their avalanche knowledge and decision making skills.