Guided Backcountry Skiing in the Southern Wasatch

• Difficulty: while backcountry experience is not strictly necessary, you will enjoy this type of tour with a little touring experience under your belt, knowledge of the equipment being key as well as fitness level; intermediate to advanced downhill ski ability and good fitness required

  • If you are a backcountry touring beginner, consider our Introduction to Backcountry Skiing Course, which we also run in the Southern Wasatch
• Meeting Time: Generally 8am
• Meeting Location: Big Springs Trailhead, Rock Canyon Trailhead, Aspen Grove Trailhead, Slate Canyon Trailhead, Kyhv Peak Road
• General Zones:
  • Cascade Mountain (including the Grr Couloir, Crow’s Foot Couloir, Upper Pole Couloir)
  • Provo Peak
  • Shingle Mill
  • Freedom Peak
  • Smaller peaks up Rock Canyon, Slide Canyon, and Slate Canyon
  • Spanish Fork Peak
  • Loafer Mountain
  • Santaquin Peak
  • Powerhouse Mountain

Specific tours vary per conditions and clients’ focuses, but we always aim to go to where the best snow can be found. Each day involves approximately 2,500 to 5,000 feet of climbing and skiing over the course of roughly seven hours. If you’re interested in a detailed summary of what a day backcountry skiing with Wasatch Mountain Guides is like, read here.

Overnight Option:

Many of these zones are best enjoyed by an overnight winter camping experience. We hike up one day early, set up camp near Freedom and Provo Peak or on Cascade Mountain, get in a quick run, camp, and wake up the next morning with a big ascent and thousands of vertical feet of untouched powder. For such an adventure, email us and we’ll send you booking details for a custom overnight adventure in the Southern Wasatch mountains.

If you want to learn winter camping as well as do it, our Avalanche Level 1 Course with Winter Camping builds both skills at once.

What We Provide:

• IFMGA or AMGA certified guides
• Avalanche beacon, shovel, probe and pack (if needed)
• All repair, rescue and first aid equipment

What You Need

• Review the equipment list provided at checkout
• Lunch, water and snacks
• Alpine touring, telemark, or splitboard setup with skins

Our permit area is located in the UNITA-WASATCH-CACHE NATIONAL FOREST. We are not permitted to guide in the Mount Timpanogos Wilderness and Lone Peak Wilderness areas. All guiding on Mount Timpanogos is outside marked Wilderness. Guided tours are contingent on permit status.

Depending on conditions, typically January-April/May.

Cascade Mountain and Provo Peak are the headline objectives, with Cascade’s couloirs — the Grr, Crow’s Foot, and Upper Pole — the most sought-after lines. Further south, Spanish Fork Peak, Loafer, and Santaquin see even fewer people. Where we go on the day depends on the avalanche forecast and where the best snow is.

From Aspen Grove we can tour the local’s zone and aim to ski UFO Bowls.

Much. That is the main reason to ski here. You avoid the canyon traffic in both directions and you are far less likely to be sharing a skin track or a line.

It helps, because these are big days: 2,500 to 5,000 vertical feet over about seven hours. If you have never toured, start with our Introduction to Backcountry Skiing course, which we also run here.

Yes. Splitboarders are welcome on every tour.

Only outside the marked Wilderness boundary. Our permit does not allow guiding inside the Mount Timpanogos or Lone Peak Wilderness areas, and we will not. 

Yes. Our Avalanche Level 1 Course, Provo Area runs in these mountains.

We climb in the afternoon, camp near Freedom and Provo Peak or on Cascade, ski a quick run before dark, and start the next morning already high on the mountain. Email us for a custom quote.