Updated: 2012 program dates

Bourne Glacier to Bews Creek

Northern Monashee Ski-Traverse

When we guided the Northern Monashee Ski-Traverse north-west of Revelstoke BC for its first time in 1993 we felt that this traverse might be the true Haute Route of Canada, large glaciers, incredible ski-peaks and absolutely outstanding skiing. Exactly the same terrain as found on the famous west Alp's Haute Route.... the only difference is that we have not been able to find a single other person except our skiing friends on the Northern Monashee Ski Traverse. We had a total of 11 guests when we guided the first ever ski-traverse of these beautiful mountains NW of Revelstoke BC, in late May 1993. The trip was an absolute success. We knew that this would become a classic SME Ski-Traverse that we needed keep offering to our enthusiastic skiing guests.

Since 1993 Selkirk Mountain Experience has guided the Northern Monashee Ski-Traverse on a regular basis. In the meantime we also have explored and guided many other new ski-traverses in the Monashee Mountains and in the Selkirk Mountains.

These mountain ranges are the home of Selkirk Mountain Experience. We strongly feel that we like to share the amazing experience of such unique ski - traverses with our skiing guests from around the world.

Of course the big challenge of ski-traverses in such remote alpine areas is the endless pain of carrying an overloaded back-pack which without any doubt seriously hinders walking and skiing.

It is our prime goal to avoid the challenges of carrying heavy packs... We want our guests to be able to fully enjoy the beautiful mountains, their incredible terrain and all the superb skiing on long glaciated runs with lighter packs. This is why Selkirk Mountain Experience has a helicopter drop-off for each camp with all needed food, fuel and the entire kitchen. Of-course this style of a ski-traverse allows us to enjoy much better food, home baked tortes and beer at each camp. How much better can it get !!! This keeps our packs much lighter as we only have to carry our personal items such as a medium weight sleeping bag, part of the lightweight tent (two guests per tent) and your lunch for the day.

For this programs Selkirk Mountain Experience has two guides who are thoroughly familiar with this ski-traverse and all the logistics of guiding a Selkirk Mountain Experience ski-traverse.

Lead Guide of this ski-traverse is Ruedi and the second guide will be Dan Madell, a senior SME guide who has guided for several years at Durrand Glacier, the Alaskan St.Elias - Wrangle Range and also in many parts of the European Alps.

SME puts enormous value on efficient and, at all times, reliable radio-communication with the outside world and our office in Revelstoke, while skiing with guests in such remote ski-traverses. For this the guides carry two-way radio communication, which operates via our radio repeater, located on the summit of Tumbledown Mountain (elev. 2755 meters) in the Northern Selkirks.

Join us on this Classic Ski-Traverse.

Ruedi Beglinger
I.F.M.G.A certified Guide

2012 Dates and Prices

Date: Sunday May 20 to Saturday May 26, 2012
Number of Guests: maximum 10
Cost: Cdn $ 2,300.00 plus applicable taxes.

Included in the price, from the time we meet until the end of the program:

• Taxi to helicopter staging area
• Helicopter service to set-up all camps and end of tour camp collection
• Helicopter flight from helicopter staging area to the start of the ski traverse
• Helicopter flight from the end of the ski-traverse back to the helicopter staging area
• Taxi back to Revelstoke
• Tents, kitchen
• All breakfast, lunches, afternoon snacks, dinners during the traverse
• Fully certified mountain guide service
• CD with professional quality photos (12.1 mega-pixel jpg. images) from the tour

Included in the price, from the time we meet until the end of the program:

• Helicopter rescue insurance. This insurance can be purchased through SME for Cdn $56.00 plus applicable taxes.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you purchase the following insurances. If you have difficulties in finding these insurances, we ask that you contact our office.

• General health / hospital insurance
• Life insurance
• Trip cancellation insurance
• Mountain helicopter rescue and evacuation insurance (available through SME for Cdn $56.00 plus applicable taxes)

Guide

Ruedi Beglinger will be your guide on this ski-trip. He has extensive experience in guiding mountaineering and skiing expeditions in Canada, Alaska, the entire Alps and other parts of the world. Ruedi has been certified by the Swiss (SBV) and the International Guide Association (IFMGA) in 1977. He is an active and professional member of the Canadian Mountain Guide Association (ACMG), the Swiss Mountain Guide Association (SBV) and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA).

Program

Ability level:

This program takes place in steep and very rugged high-alpine terrain, which has many crevassed glaciers, glacial seracs and other natural skiing challenges. Some of the ski-ascents and ski-descents lead through exposed and technically difficult terrain where safe and efficient ski-techniques and ski-discipline are required.

For this program each guest has to be an accomplished alpine skier who can ski, efficiently and safely, steep mountain slopes (as found on Black Diamond downhill ski runs in major ski-areas of North America) and in all kinds of snow conditions with a heavy pack of about 25 lbs. Whatever snow-conditions this tour has to offer, we ask that all guests can safely and efficiently ski a perfect fall-line under good control and link a minimum of 30 short-radius turns. Further it is important that every guest can safely control their skis in difficult terrain and can execute efficient and safe kick-turns in steeper terrain as found in "black diamond runs", side-slip on skis and execute efficient plow-turns.

It is important that everybody on the tour enjoys good health and has no difficulties to acclimatize to higher elevations.

Every guest has to be physically in good shape. We recommend that everybody is doing active out-door endurance sport (ski-touring, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, biking, long distance jogging etc.) on a regular basis and during the entire year. It is important that you can comfortably ski-climb with a pack of about 25 lbs. for an entire day of 8 hours and that you can cover daily ski-climbs of up to 1400 vertical meters (4600 vertical feet).

It is important that you are able to follow instructions given by the guide.

Further we ask that you have skied with Selkirk Mountain Experience in previous programs, either at Canada's Durrand Glacier or on any other program in Canada, Alaska or the European Alps. This will give you the valuable opportunity to get to know your guide, how Selkirk Mountain Experience runs their programs in achieving the set goals and in reaching a high level of safety.

If you have any questions regarding "Ability Level", please do not hesitate to contact Selkirk Mountain Experience.

Booking Conditions

Please check the booking conditions on the Reservations & Cancellations page before you book a trip.

Waiver of liability

All guests who ski with Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. are asked to sign the form RELEASE OF LIABILITY, WAIVER OF CLAIMS, ASSUMPTION OF RISKS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT. We ask you to read and sign it and send it together with your registration back to our office. If you have any questions please feel free to phone our office at 250 837 2381 or email us.

Detailed Program

Please call or e-mail our office to receive a hard-copy of the detailed program which includes all needed information for your ski-trip with us. For this we do need your mailing address. Unfortunately we are not able to e-mail the exact detailed program.

Selkirk Mountain Experience
PO Box 2998
Revelstoke BC
V0E 2S0
(001) 250-837-2381

info@selkirkexperience.com

View the Northern Selkirk Ski Traverse Canada photo gallery >