Mt Columbia Ski Expedition

Itinerary

Day 1 (Evening): We will meet at our classroom in Canmore at 6:30 pm.  After introductions, we will discuss trip objectives, review avalanche bulletins, and perform an equipment check. It is ideal to sort logistics and other details the night before so that when we meet tomorrow we can leave immediately for the trailhead. 

Day 2: We meet at 6am and then drive the 3 hours to the Columbia Icefields where we will then begin the journey up the Athabasca glacier.  We will use this day to travel to and establish a base camp in the vicinity of the Trench.  The Trench is a deep draw in the Columbia Icefields situated between the towering Mt Bryce, Mt Columbia, and the North and South Twins. This impressive campsite will put us in a position to summit Mt Columbia the following day. 

Day 3: Summit day! With an alpine start, we will approach the East Face of Mt Columbia. The face will involve steep snow climbing of up to 40 degrees with the use of an ice axe and potentially crampons.  Reaching the summit and the highest point in Alberta we will be rewarded with stunning views stretching through the Rockies, Selkirk’s, and Purcell’s. 

Day 4: With an early start and light packs Snowdome is a potential ski ascent in the area before we begin our descent beneath the icefall of Snowdome and continue to the toe of the Athabasca glacier. We will return to Canmore for the course close.  

Weather and Mountain Conditions Disclaimer:

Mountain weather and conditions are inherently unpredictable and can change rapidly at any time of year. These factors play a major role in shaping our decisions before and during your program. As such, the itinerary and intended objective—including Mount Columbia—may change based on evolving conditions, group safety, or guide discretion.

While we aim to reach Mount Columbia, we cannot guarantee a summit attempt or success. In the event that conditions do not permit a reasonable approach, Mount Andromeda or another suitable objective may be pursued as an excellent alternative. We do not offer refunds due to weather or condition-related changes, but our guides will work diligently to provide the most rewarding and fulfilling experience possible under the circumstances.

Instructors & Group Size

Your guides are certified by the internationally recognized Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and also licensed by Parks Canada. There will be a maximum of 4 participants per guide. There will be a maximum of 8 guests, and a minimum of 3.

Program Logistics

We will meet the group at 6:30 pm 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 additional group gear and food as well.

Transportation

Participants are responsible for their own transport to Canmore which is a 1 hour (100km) drive west of Calgary. If renting a vehicle, we recommend requesting one equipped for winter driving conditions, including winter tires.

We rely on guests’ personal vehicles to reach program locations.

Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore.

Park Passes

Please note that program venues may be within National Parks and/or Kananaskis Country. For programs where transportation is not provided by Yamnuska/Canadian Rockies Hiking by Yamnuska, guests will be required to purchase their own pass.

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.

Kananaskis Country conservation passes are available online at https://www.alberta.ca/kananaskis-conservation-pass.aspx

Accommodation and Meals

During the trip we will be camping in 2-3 person, 4-season tents and cooking on camp stoves; basic dishes will be required.

All meals, snacks, and drinks are supplied from lunch on the second day to lunch on the last. 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 is not included. A variety of accommodation options exist in both Canmore and Banff. We recommend that you book your own pre and post-trip accommodations well in advance as all levels of accommodations in the Bow Valley fill quickly.

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.

Equipment and Clothing

You will need to bring your own clothing, skis, poles, climbing skins, avalanche gear, backpack, sleeping bag and sleeping pad. We have many of these items available to rent and can pre-arrange them for you. We supply group items (ropes, harnesses, crevasse rescue gear, tents, stoves, etc).

You will be able to leave excess gear in Canmore while on the trip.

The equipment and clothing you bring will have a big impact on the quality of your experience. Please be sure to bring all the items listed. If unsure about anything please don’t hesitate to call and ask us!

Skis

Participants must be on Alpine Touring Skis.  Alpine Touring skis are essentially downhill skis with a special touring binding that allows the heel to lift when going uphill or across the flats and then locks down to become a regular downhill safety binding. Skis, boots, and poles can be rented in Calgary and Canmore prior to the trip.

If you are a very experienced splitboarder you can bring this type of equipment. We recommend a splitboard with a hard boot system.

Equipment List

You need to bring:

• Skis. We recommend a short (160 – 185cm) wide ski designed for powder. Please see the note under rental information if you are renting ski equipment.
• Climbing skins ‘Stick-on type’
• Ski Poles
• Ski Boots
• Climbing harness (lightweight if possible) loaners available
• Ski Crampons – must fit your skis
• Crampons –  loaners available (please advise us in advance if you need to borrow these from us)
• Ice Axe loaners are available
• Locking biners (2), non-locking biners (2) loaners available
• Prusik cord (1) loaners available
• 120cm sewn sling (1) loaners available
• Avalanche Transceiver – digital transceiver with a triple antenna – rentals available (please advise us in advance if you need to rent this from us)
• Collapsible Avalanche Probe rentals are available
• Avalanche Shovel (lightweight snow shovel designed for companion rescue) rentals are available
• Backpack (at least 65L, large enough for a sleeping bag, spare clothes, and your share of group food & equipment) rentals are available
• Sunglasses and ski goggles
• Water bottle (at least 1-litre capacity), and a Thermos for Hot Drinks is optional
• Sunblock and lip cream
• Multi tool
• Sleeping Bag must be warm as we will be winter camping. We recommend a bag with a -20C rating or lower that is down-filled. Make sure you bring a stuff sac that will reduce your bag to its minimum size (i.e. one with compression straps) so you don’t use up all the room in your pack.
• Sleeping pad, full length, and inflatable
• Headlamp with fresh batteries
• Small Blister and a small personal First-Aid Kit
• Small repair kit for bindings, skis, or splitboard (this may include straps, nuts, bolts, and small leatherman)
• Camera
• Personal toiletries including hand sanitizer
• Ear Plugs (optional but recommended)
• Insulated Booties

Rental Gear Information

Additional gear info:

• 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.
• 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 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 240 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.

Clothing List

We suggest layers of light, easily carried clothing that allows for fast and easy adjustment to best suit fast-changing temperature conditions. Cotton clothing is not appropriate as it causes rapid heat loss when wet. Feel free to call us if you have any questions about what to bring.

• Long underwear top and bottoms (lightweight synthetic or wool)
• Extra warm shirt (synthetic or wool)
• Medium weight fleece sweater
• Softshell or fleece jacket
• Softshell pants
• Insulated jacket (down preferred)
• Insulated pants (fleece or other synthetic)
• Waterproof jacket with hood (Gore-Tex or equivalent)
• Waterproof pants (Gore-Tex or equivalent, with side zippers)
• Socks  – ski socks (wool or synthetic) – 2 to 3 pairs
• Wool or fleece hat
• Waterproof ski mountaineering gloves or mitts
• Lightweight ski gloves
• Neck tube or balaclava
• Sun hat

Rental Information

Skis, Boots, Boards, Skins & Poles can be rented from:

• Canmore: Gear Up – 1302 Bow Valley Trail (403 678-1636)
• Lake Louise: Wilson Mountain Sports  – (1-866-929-3636)

*Please note that your ‘DIN’ or ‘Release Value’ settings on your ski bindings are critical to your safety while skiing.  Our expectation is that everyone arrives on programs with their ski binding’s release value correctly set. We have noted that some ski rental shops will not set release values on touring bindings. We advise you to rent from a shop that will set release values on your ski touring bindings unless you are proficient and comfortable setting your own DIN/release value. Failure to have Release Values correctly set could result in a serious injury.

Yamnuska has avalanche equipment, sleeping mats, and backpacks for rent.

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. We require a 35% 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.