Most mountain ranges have a classic ski traverse. For the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, it is unquestionably the Spearhead Traverse. This traverse crosses 13 glaciers and stays above 2000m of almost the entirety of the tour.

The Spearhead was first skied in 1964 over a period of 9 days, long before the ski areas of Whistler or Blackcomb existed. Nowadays, it is commonly done in a long day by extremely fit parties. The best way though is to take a few days and enjoy the scenery and some of the fine skiing the area has to offer. We will take advantage of the lifts of Blackcomb at the start of the trip and finish with a high speed swoosh down the pistes of Whistler in time for lunch and a beer in the Whistler village on the final day.

This tour is different from European outings in that we will camp along the way. This is the classic North American style of ski mountaineering. The first two nights will be spent in tents and the final night in a primitive hut. To make the skiing most enjoyable, your guides will be incredibly diligent in keeping pack weights to a minimum. We will do this with lightweight equipment and grouping up on tents and stoves.

With reasonable sized packs, there are many ski opportunities along the way on the traverse. Many of the best ski runs will be in the afternoon after we have dropped our loads at camp.

Our exact itinerary will depend on the conditions at the time, though will likely closely resemble the following:

Day 1 ~ Meet in Whistler village. Go through a gear check, buy backcountry passes and ride the lifts to the top of Blackcomb mountain. From here we will climb over East col, ski down and make camp on the Decker glacier.

Day 2 ~ With an early start we will cross the Decker, Trorey, Tremor and Platform glaciers. This is a big day and incredibly scenic. We will make camp at Platform-Ripsaw col and if time and energy allow, there is some great skiing available near camp.

Day 3 ~ Another big day crossing the Ripsaw, MacBeth, Iago and Overlord glaciers. After climbing to Fissile pass we will ski down to the Russell lake hut for our final night.

Day 4 ~The final day back to Whistler is fairly short, so we enjoy some skiing near our camp before packing up and heading down. We will be in the village by early afternoon.

Skills Required

To maximize your enjoyment on a tour of this nature, the most important skills to have are skiing skills. While most of the terrain is fairly moderate by resort standards, on any traverse of this size, its not uncommon to encounter a wide range of snow conditions. It is important for skiers to be able to comfortably ski black runs at a ski area in any conditions. Further you must be able to perform survival turns (hop turns, stem christie etc.) down steeper terrain and in very difficult snow conditions. Skiers should have some touring experience and be adept at using skins, performing kick turns and skiing with a pack.

Previous Mountaineering experience is not required though will prove beneficial. We will cover skills such as the use of ski crampons, avalanche transceivers, boot crampons, and ice axes as well as traveling as a rope team. We have factored time into the tour to cover these skills thus insuring a high degree of safety and comfort for all members of the team.

This tour will also demand a high degree of fitness. Obviously you don't need to be an Olympic athlete, as hundreds of people complete the tour every year, though the more fit you arrive, the more you will enjoy the tour. Not to mention having energy to ski an extra run after arriving at camp for the day.  

If you have any doubts or concerns about your abilities or skiing skills, please don't hesitate to call and address them. We will gladly offer training advice or we can arrange for some pre trip training to insure your skills are up to speed before embarking on this trip.

 

Spearhead Traverse Guiding Fees

A spectacular Spearhead sunset.

• 4-8 Skiers with 2 Guides - $650 Per person (based on a 4:1 ratio)

• April 8-11th , 2010

• Guiding fees
• Lift rides
• Avalanche safety equipment
• All technical group gear

• Travel to and from Whistler
• Meals in Town
• Food during trip
• Personal ski equipment