Introduction to Backcountry Skiing Course

Name: Introduction to Backcountry Skiing Course
Brand: Wasatch Mountain Guides
Price: 250 USD
Availability: InStock

From $250

Utah

1-4 People per Guide

Full-Day

In the introductory one-day guided backcountry skiing and splitboarding course, learn and practice essential avalanche skills, beacon rescue, safe route selection, efficient skinning, downhill technique, plus more.

Quick facts: The Introduction to Backcountry Skiing course from WMG is a full-day, beginner-friendly course in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, taught at a 1–4 student-per-guide ratio by professional mountain guides. It covers uphill skinning technique, gear and transitions, basic terrain and avalanche awareness, and safe backcountry travel, designed to shorten the learning curve for skiers moving from resort to backcountry. We can provide a backpack with beacon, shovel, and probe. Ski/splitboard rentals referrals upon request. Unsure about which course to do? Read which avalanche or backcountry course you need here.

Intro Backcountry Course by Certified Guides

If you’ve never explored the backcountry of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah before, our introductory couse is the gateway for a new world of adventure!

This introductory 1-day tour includes instruction and tips on technique for learning needed backcountry skiing/splitboarding skills. See curriculum below under Course Details.

The skiing features gentle rolling terrain suitable for people of all abilities, and with any luck, some of Utah’s famous powder. The runs on this exciting day will vary from lower angle tree skiing on low-visibility days, to easy summits. You will get our top pick of panoramic views and fabulous descents – but with the very shortest approach. These ski trips are suitable for those who have never toured before, and depending on conditions, take place in either Little or Big Cottonwood Canyons. This course is also ran in the Southern Wasatch mountains. An average day will include time for lunch, and approximately 1,500 – 2,500 vertical feet of climbing over the course of six hours.

For a more detailed summary about a day backcountry touring with Wasatch Mountain Guides, read our summary. Much of the material in this article will be covered in this course.

You’ll love this course if you:

Want to learn to ski tour and get away from the resort crowds
Have some off piste experience, but yearn to dig into backcountry powder skiing
Have bought or rented touring gear and are not yet sure how to use it
Want to know whether backcountry skiing is for you before committing to an avalanche course

Dates:

We offer this course daily. This is a private course (groups welcome!) and you’ll get the most attention possible for the day.

Course Details:

Difficulty: No backcountry experience necessary; intermediate to advanced downhill ski ability and good fitness required
Meeting Time: Generally 8am
Meeting Location: Big or Little Cottonwood Park and Ride Lot, Alta or Brighton, depending on objective. We may also meet in the Provo area mountains.
Curriculum:
- The pre-trip plan
- The basics of backcountry touring equipment
- How to pack your backpack for efficient rescue use
- Demoing and practice of a beacon search and rescue
- Efficient uphill travel, including kickturns
- How to avoid avalanche terrain
- The skiing (safe zones and escape plans)
- How to debrief after a tour

Max Client to Guide Ratio:

4:1
We can book groups larger than four and will add an additional guide to the group, keeping max client to guide ratio 4:1.

Season is generally December through April, conditions dependent.

We provide a backpack with avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe if you need one.

You bring an alpine touring, telemark, or splitboard setup with skins and boots. If you do not own one yet, tell us when you book and we will point you to a shop. We keep rental referrals for exactly this reason, and plenty of students take this course on rented gear before buying anything.

Also bring layers you can move in, lunch, water, sunglasses and sunscreen. A full equipment list goes out on booking.

FAQs

Take a day with a guide before you take a day alone. You need three things: a touring setup with skins, avalanche rescue gear you know how to use, and someone who can show you how terrain and snowpack actually work. This course covers all three in one day, and you do not need to own gear or have any prior backcountry experience to take it. Most people who try to piece it together from videos spend a season being inefficient and slightly unsafe; one guided day short-cuts most of that.

You are the person this course is built for. If you ski comfortably at an intermediate to advanced level on a resort, you have the downhill skills. What you do not have yet is skinning technique, transitions, terrain reading, and beacon use. That is one day of instruction, not a season of it.

How to put skins on and take them off without losing time or getting cold. How to kick turn. How to pack your bag so your shovel and probe come out fast. What avalanche terrain looks like and how to avoid it. How to read the Utah Avalanche Center forecast before you leave the house. How to pick a safe skin track and a safe descent. All of it is on the curriculum for this course.

Start with the forecast, not the map. Read the Utah Avalanche Center advisory, note the problem and the aspects and elevations it affects, then choose terrain that avoids it. Pick an objective that fits the slowest person in the party, agree on a turnaround time, and tell someone where you are going. We teach the full pre-trip planning process on this course, and we cover debriefing afterward, which most people skip and which is where the learning happens.

Layers you can adjust while moving, because you will be hot going up and cold standing still. A light breathable base and mid layer for the climb, a shell and a warm puffy in the pack for transitions and the descent. Avoid cotton entirely. Bring gloves you can work with and a spare warm pair. We send a full equipment list when you book.

No. We can provide the backpack, beacon, shovel, and probe, and we will refer you to a shop for a ski or splitboard rental setup. Plenty of students take this course on rented gear specifically to find out what they like before spending money on it.

Reasonably fit. Expect 1,500 to 2,500 vertical feet of climbing over about six hours, at a pace set by the group, with time for lunch. If you can hike uphill for a couple of hours without stopping, you are fine.

Introduction to Backcountry Skiing (this course) — before any avalanche course, if you are new to touring. We also have a more in-depth 2-day version of this course called, Backcountry Essentials.

Avalanche Level 1 — terrain, snowpack, and decision-making. Our Level 1 also runs in the Provo area.

Avalanche Rescue — a full day on rescue alone. No prerequisites, recommended annually, required for Pro 1.

Avalanche Level 2 — the next step in the recreational track.

Backcountry Ski Mentorship — for applying all of it across a season with a guide. Also available as a women’s program.

What Clients Say

He was an incredible teacher and guide whose approachable demeanor made everyone in my course feel comfortable asking questions.

Completed my Hybrid Level 1 Avalanche course with Erik from WMG last month. He was an incredible teacher and guide whose approachable demeanor made everyone in my course feel comfortable asking questions.

Will F.

We did the Backcountry Essentials course with these guys and it was awesome!

We're new to touring and this course was exactly what we were looking for. All the basics to feel confident and safe getting out on our own. Erik, our guide/instructor, was awesome at teaching, pushing us, and tailoring the 2 days to our interests and abilities.

Greg C.

Our guide Erik was a great teacher.

Made me way more comfortable with being prepared and making safe decisions in Avy terrain. Our small group size made it very manageable to learn and move around the larger groups. Highly recommend.

Wade P.

Erik was fantastic. I’ve hired a lot of guides over the years and Erik is one of the best.

He did a great job “reading” the client, providing just the right amount of fun and challenge, while teaching me about the mountains and keeping us safe.

Jeff E.