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Guided Ski Touring Week
Guided Ski Touring Weeks Include:
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7 nights Comfortable lodging at Icefall Lodge
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Access to all lodge ammenties including sauna
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Access to two sattelite huts - Mons Hut and Lyell Hut
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IFMGA and ACMG certified local guides
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Gourmet meals prepared by lodge chef
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Helicopter transport to and from lodge from the helicopter staging area outside of Golden, BC
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Access to over 200 square kilometers
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Access to over 20 peaks, 30 glaciers, and 100 runs
This is the ultimate ski touring holiday. Deep powder, comfortable lodge, local guide, cook, and gourmet meals; all you have to do is show up and ski. You will be sharing the lodge with a small group of friends in a remote wilderness setting. Having a guide will ensure that you get the best ski week possible. Their familiarity with the area will allow you to comfortably travel to some of the farther corners of Icefall's huge area.
Although you could get excellent skiing and untracked snow without venturing more than a few kilometers from the lodge, there is so much more to see in Icefall’s vast area. The guides at Icefall enjoy skiing long runs, doing loop tours, getting to summits and showing you as many different areas as possible. Icefall boasts the longest ski runs in Canada and some of the longest runs anywhere. Having a guide with intimate knowledge of the terrain will make sure you get the best line possible.
There are over 30 separate glaciers at Icefall. These offer some superb alpine skiing as well as scenic crevasses, seracs and icefalls. Your guide will be able to take you up close to these incredible features.
Ability
To ski tour with a guide at Icefall Lodge you must be an advanced skier. Previous backcountry experience is helpful, but everybody has a first time. At a ski hill you should be comfortable skiing black diamond runs, although if you can ski powder better than piste this may not be a problem.
Either telemark or randonee gear is fine. If you are on telemark equipment you should have stiff boots and modern powder skis. If you are on randonee, the boots are stiff and it is still good to have modern powder skis. Your boots should be broken in and not giving you blisters. Snowboarders should be using a split board setup and should be experienced with their equipment.
Groups
There will normally be 2 guides and a practicum at the lodge for a full group. The group will be split up to go on different tours each day. These groups are not rigid and you can switch back and forth between groups or choose an easier or bigger day depending on how you feel.
Sometimes both groups will start out in the same direction and split up part way into the day. There is often one group that stays closer to the lodge allowing the option to return early if you want an easier day. Every effort will be made to make sure that you are with a group that matches your ability.
Hut to Hut Traverse
Icefall Lodge has not one but two satellite huts. These are situated on the Lyell and Mons Glaciers. They are both one day travel from Icefall Lodge. They exponentially increase the amount of terrain that can be accessed from Icefall Lodge. If the weather and conditions permit, guests will be given the option of traversing to one or both of the huts.
Guides
Larry Dolecki is the owner and head guide at Icefall Lodge. He is an internationally certified Mountain Guide, ACMG and IFMGA.
Ski guides at Icefall are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides ACMG and/or the International Federation of Mountain Guides IFMGA. They are familiar with the complex terrain at Icefall and will get you the best skiing for your uphill effort.
In addition to snowpack analysis and avalanche safety, they are experts with glacier travel and crevasse rescue. Safety is the primary concern of your guides and their knowledge of the terrain and conditions will help you get the best ski week possible.
Helicopter Drop
Expand your options by using a helicopter drop off or pick up during the week. You can finish a 7000 foot run in a remote valley far from the lodge and get a ride back up to the lodge instead of skinning at the end of the day. Enquire for details.
