Bugaboos to Rogers Pass Ski Traverse

Day 1: We will meet at 9 am at the Yamnuska classroom to check personal gear and issue group gear for the trip. After we complete our final preparation for the trip we will shuttle vehicles to Rogers Pass; the endpoint of the trip. The night will be spent in Golden.

Day 2: We will make our way to the Bugaboos via helicopter and begin the trip. Depending on timings and conditions we will either spend the night amongst the Bugaboo Spires or start the traverse when we land.

Days 3-11: We will traverse over the many glaciers, Icefields, and summits that weave north first through the Purcell mountains and then into the Selkirk Mountains and Glacier National Park. Long, sometimes technical, ascents lead to north-facing descents and scenic campsites deep in the wilderness. Food caches will be placed in advance by Yamnuska in strategic spots to help decrease pack weights as we travel from day to day. We typically arrange this in advance with helicopter companies and mark the GPS coordinates. We finish the trip by descending the Illecillewaet glacier in Glacier National Park. In total, the trip covers 120 km of wilderness and gains nearly 10,000 meters.

NOTE: This is a challenging program in complex terrain and as with any trip into the mountains neither weather nor avalanche conditions can be guaranteed. Poor weather or avalanche conditions may require a change to the itinerary. This trip may be completed in fewer days or it may take 1-2 days more depending on the conditions.  Please note that the cost of this trip will remain the same regardless of the number of days taken to complete it.

Instructors and Group Size

Your guides are certified by the internationally recognized Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. There will be a maximum of 4 participants per guide. There will be a maximum of 8 guests, a minimum of 4.

Program Logistics

We will meet the group at 9:00 AM on the first day here at our classroom in Canmore (Map).  Please come prepared with all of your personal gear and clothing, but leave enough room in your pack for some additional group gear and food as well.

Transportation

To keep prices down participants are responsible for their own transport on the program. This requires a shuttle between Golden and Rogers Pass as well as to and from Canmore. It is possible to have Yamnuska organize this at an additional charge.

If renting a vehicle, we recommend requesting one equipped for winter driving conditions, including winter tires.

Park Passes

Please note that guests are responsible for purchasing their own park passes where required.

National Park passes are available both online at https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission and in-person at National park gates and some information centres.

Accommodation and Meals

During the trip we will be camping in 2-4 person, 4-season tents and cooking on camp stoves; basic dishes will be required.

Yamnuska will provide all breakfast and lunches, including snacks, appetizers, and beverages (from Day 2 onwards), but guests will need to provide their own freeze-dried dinners.

Meals are prepared by our in-house chef from fresh, nutritious ingredients and then dehydrated to make them suitable for backcountry travel. For guests with dietary restrictions, we are able to modify the program food pack to meet your individual needs.  As food pricing and preparation for these diets is more costly, there is a surcharge.  Our kitchen staff will assess your restrictions to inform you if the diet can be accommodated and what surcharge would apply. Vegetarian meals will not be surcharged.

Accommodation in Canmore and Golden is not included.

Weather and Conditions Note

This is a challenging program in complex terrain and as with any trip into the mountains, neither weather nor avalanche conditions can be guaranteed. Poor visibility or avalanche conditions may require a change to the itinerary. Regardless expect the trip to be a great adventure in a beautiful area. In the unlikely event that we require a helicopter to assist with a non-emergency relocation due to poor avalanche or weather conditions, there will be an additional charge.

A trip like the Bugaboos to Rogers Pass is going to be extremely demanding.

Making smart gear choices, and having a systematic way of packing your bag not only at the start of the trip but each morning, will not only increase efficiency during the days but conserve your much-needed energy for the task at hand. Some of the suggestions may seem excessive but trust us when we say that every ounce we can shave off our packs, and the more compact we can get them will increase the likely hood of a successful trip.

Weight: Avoid bringing doubles and triples of items on the premise that “I might need those” or “I’ll bring them just in case”. That will increase the weight of your bag exponentially.

Bulk: For a trip like this make use of 1 key piece of gear as much as possible. Anything that is soft and compressible should live in a compression stuff sack.

Items like clothing, sleeping bags, a down jacket, socks, even small items like your toothbrush and toothpaste, or a repair and blister kit are best carried in one of these. A backpack that is compact that sits close to the body, takes far less energy to carry than one that is tall and bulky of equal weight.

Lastly, limit yourself to the items shown on this list – if there’s anything you would like to bring but don’t see listed here, we’re happy to chat about it, and discuss the merits of bringing it along.

Equipment:

• Alpine Touring Skis/Splitboard
• Alpine Touring Boots/Splitboard Boots
• Poles
• Climbing Skins
• Ski Crampons
• Boot Crampons – Aluminum, lightweight versions are best.
• Pack – 60 to 65L
• Sunglasses – Dark Lenses with good side coverage are best
• Ski Goggles
• Thermos Flask – 0.5L capacity
• Water Bottle – 1 L capacity
• Sunblock and Lip balm with UV protection – No container bigger than roughly 1 fl. oz. for application to arms and body.
• Personal toiletries including hand sanitizer
• Small Pocket Knife
• Headlamp with fresh batteries
• Small Blister Kit – Compeed or Band-Aid make a medicated blister pad that once applied will stick to your feet longer than just about anything. They come in different sizes and shapes, just make sure you get the larger ones to deal with any potentially big blisters. This combined with a roll of Leukotape or Hypafix (breathable medical adhesive) tape will suffice. Do not bring moleskin.
• Small repair kit for bindings, skis, or splitboard (this may include straps, nuts, bolts, and small leatherman)
• Camera/Phone and extra battery pack
• Avalanche Transceiver – digital transceiver with a triple antenna with fresh batteries
• Collapsible Avalanche Probe
• Avalanche Shovel – Metal blade shovel designed for companion rescue

Additional gear info:

• Skis/splitboard:  There are two viable backcountry systems, Alpine Touring and Splitboard.
• Alpine Touring:  Essentially downhill skis with a special touring binding which allows the heel to lift when going uphill and then locks down to become an alpine binding for the downhill.
• Splitboard: If you are a rider and proficient on a snowboard, the backcountry touring version is called a splitboard. This is a snowboard that can be split to make two ski-type platforms for touring on the uphill ascent. The bindings have two positions and can be switched depending on whether you are climbing or descending. Split boards also use climbing skins for the ascent. For the downhill, the board is reassembled or joined to be in snowboard (ride) mode. If you are new to this system, you will need to practice the transitions of switching the board from touring to riding and back again. Your enjoyment will be vastly greater if you are efficient and practiced with this transition. For splitboarders, regular snowboard boots will work. A splitboard specific boot will give you more comfort when in touring mode and offer extra support to make sidehilling and traversing terrain easier to manage.
• Boots:  Backcountry boots are different from regular alpine ski boots. In the backcountry, boots need to have an uphill mode that allows a free range of motion in the upper part of the boot. You should not use your regular ski boots for touring and walking uphill.
• Climbing skins:  The glue on the base of the skin should be in good condition and the skins need to be properly fitted. Try the skins on your skis/splitboard to make sure they are the right length and width before you arrive.
• Ski poles:  Backcountry poles need powder baskets on the tips.
• Avalanche Transceiver:  A three antennae transceiver is required.
• Probe:  A minimum of 320 cm in length.
• Shovel:  A metal blade shovel is required.

Glacier gear: The key with the glacier travel kit is minimizing weight and bulk

• Harness – Ski Randonee harness is strongly suggested to cut back on both weight and bulk.
• 2 Lightweight Locking Carabineers
• 1 Lightweight Pear Shape Locking Munter Carabiner
• 2 Lightweight Non-Locking Carabineers
• 2 x 6mm x 5 m Cordelette/Accessory Cord – minimum breaking strength 10KN
• 1 x 120cm Sewn Sling (double length sling)
• 1 x 19cm Ice Screw
• Aluminum Ice Axe – The shorter and lighter the better.

Repair Kit:

• Patch Kit for inflatable sleeping pads
• Binding Parts specific to your particular bindings.

Clothing:

If you prefer to substitute synthetic base layers for wool that’s fine.

• Merino Wool Underwear (top and bottom)
• Insulated Pants – These are key to having a comfortable time in camp at the end of the day. Down or Synthetic insulation is preferred, no fleece please as it’s too bulky.
• Mid-Weight baselayer (synthetic or wool)
• Soft Shell Jacket
• Soft Shell Pants
• Insulated Jacket (either down or synthetic insulation (ie: Primaloft))
• Waterproof/Breathable Jacket with hood (ie: Gore-Tex)
• Waterproof Pants (ie: Gore-Tex)
• Socks  – ski socks (wool or synthetic) – 3 pairs
• Underwear 3 pairs
• 1 Wool or Fleece Toque
• 1 pr. Light Gloves (for the way up)
• 1 pr. Heavier Gloves (for the way down)
• Sun Hat – Ball Cap style or with a full brim

Overnight Items:

• Winter Sleeping Bag (-15 to -20C down filled – the higher the fill count the better)
• Sleeping Mat
• Bowl – Mug – Fork/Knife/Spoon
• Toiletries – Toothbrush, toothpaste – Try to limit this to these 2 items. Most grocery stores have very convenient travel-size toothpaste tubes.
• Ibuprofen, Anti-Histamines if required
• Insulated Booties – Also strongly suggested for the end of the day – they allow you to remove your boot liners to aid drying for the following day.

Yamnuska will provide the following:

• Tents
• Stove, fuel, and repair kit
• Dirty Dish Kit
• Pot Set + pot grabber
• Maps and Navigation Tools
• Emergency communications devices – Radio, Satellite Phone, and SPOT device
• First Aid Kit
• Ropes for glacier travel

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. We require an 18.75% deposit on booking.

It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident while here. Obtain extra coverage if necessary. There is no charge for a rescue so long as you have a valid National Park Entry Pass which you can obtain on entry to Banff National Park.

We ask that you familiarize yourself with our detailed booking instructions and conditions.

Risk is an inherent part of all mountain activities. We strive to manage and reduce it however, it is impossible to totally eliminate. Learn more about our safety and risk management approach here.  Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the program. Please view our sample waiver copy.

The Simpson Group offers a wide range of travel insurance options including Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Travel Medical, and Personal Effect Loss for both Canadian and International Travelers. Other providers offer similar services and we encourage you to select an appropriate level of coverage. We highly recommend purchasing this insurance to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. The two basic types of insurance that most travellers need to consider are Medical and Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance.

Insurance Risk 
One of the ways to mitigate risk is by purchasing appropriate insurance. Simpson Group Insurance Services who are travel & health risk specialists, work with technical and high-risk insurance solutions both in medical and non-medical spheres.  We highly recommend that you review your insurance needs to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident during your trip. Simpson Group have a team standing by to answer any of your questions.

Emergency Medical Evacuation
While there is typically no charge for search & rescue in the National and Provincial Parks for active pass holders, costs such as air & ground ambulance after the rescue are not covered by your park pass. The chance of a large bill associated with this risk is a real possibility.

For Canadians
A common myth is that healthcare across provinces is fully covered. There are many things which do not carry interprovincial agreements. Ambulance services, medical evacuation, and some services which one province charges more than another you’d be responsible to pay the difference.

For Internationals
A common myth is that healthcare in Canada is free. Although it is less expensive than US healthcare, charges for non-residents can still be very high. Proper medical health insurance is essential if you were to get injured. Most coverages exclude rock climbing, mountaineering, ice climbing, backcountry skiing and the like. Simpson Group can make sure all those risks are well covered.

Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
We recognize that our guests’ schedules may change for many reasons, business, family, flight delays, injuries, and other unplanned events.  For these eventualities, Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance is a great way to protect your investment. We can assure you that circumstances do arise that prevent guests from participating in trips or courses and trip cancellation & interruption insurance is a relatively easy way to manage your level of risk of unforeseen events.

For all your travel insurance requirements we recommend Simpson Group Insurance Services.  For more information and to purchase a plan, visit Simpson Group’s website.