Canada · British Columbia · freeride touring
A week of Whistler backcountry skiing, in British Columbia: your guide takes you beyond the pistes of Whistler Blackcomb into the backcountry of Garibaldi Provincial Park, for five days of freeride touring and a spare day in the powder of Canada’s Coast Mountains.
PriceOn requestdepending on your dates and your group, excluding flights
Whistler backcountry skiingprice on request
From 15 December · dates on request
You’ll enjoy
Our ski trip to Canada starts in Whistler, about two hours’ drive north of Vancouver. A minibus takes you there from the airport, then you ski for five days off-piste and on skins, with a spare day for the weather, in a group of six with your guide, between the Whistler Blackcomb ski area and the backcountry of Garibaldi Park.
8 days / 7 nights · from 15 December, dates on request
On requestdepending on your dates and your group, excluding flights
Depending on your off-piste level and what you are hoping for, we can build a tailor-made trip to Whistler with you, on your dates.
Tell us what you have in mind, and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
Whistler Blackcomb brings two mountains together in a single ski area, the largest in North America. A gondola links them from one summit to the other, and its span has earned a place in Guinness World Records. The village hosted the alpine skiing events of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Beyond the pistes lies the backcountry, in Garibaldi Provincial Park, at the heart of what is known as the Sea to Sky region. That is where we take you freeride touring, on routes chosen for the beauty of their lines and the quality of the snow.
The lifts take you up high, then you put your skins on to reach wilder slopes, with climbs of up to 800 m of vertical, at a moderate pace held over several hours.
This trip is for intermediate ski tourers and experienced freeriders who are at ease in deep snow.
Cliffs, bluffs, sharp summits and open glades set the scene for your powder runs. Among the trees and on the big slopes alike, each day is shaped by the snow and the group’s level.
On the second day, a warm-up on an intermediate route lets you find your bearings before the days of freeriding and ski touring.
After skiing
You spend seven nights in a 3-star hotel in Whistler, in a double room; a single room is extra. The 2010 Olympic village is full of restaurants and shops, where you can pick up any ski touring kit you are missing.
Dinners are yours to choose, at your own expense; at lunchtime, a picnic is included on freeride touring days.
Set our trips side by side, or let us suggest three to suit what you have in mind.
Each morning, your guide reads the backcountry avalanche forecast and checks that the weather and the avalanche danger suit the planned outing. Your guide also checks your kit: skis, skins, avalanche airbag pack, transceiver and how well you handle it, shovel, probe and mobile phone.
The avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe are provided.
The Whistler backcountry opens from 15 December, and we go during the ski season, on your dates, on request.
The programme follows the snow, the weather, and the group’s level and wishes; your guide has the final word.
The programme
Meet at the hotel in Whistler in the afternoon. A kit check, any last-minute gear or food shopping, then packs made ready for the next day. Night at the hotel.
Meet at breakfast, at 8 am. The morning is a warm-up of freeride touring and freeriding, on an intermediate route.
Freeriding and ski touring, depending on the group’s level and wishes.
A free day, or a spare day if the weather has cost the group a day of skiing.
Journey home.
The programme may change with the snow, the weather, and the group’s level and wishes; the guide who skis with you decides each day’s route.
Payment: a 30% deposit on booking, then the balance no later than two months before departure, by bank transfer or card. Full details are in our terms and conditions.
Powder, frosted forests and seas of cloud in British Columbia.
Beyond the pistes of Whistler Blackcomb, your guide takes you into the backcountry of Garibaldi Provincial Park, through open glades heavy with powder and wide views of the coast. Five days of freeride touring, and a spare day kept for the powder of Canada’s Coast Mountains. It suits off-piste skiers who love deep snow, and the atmosphere of the 2010 Olympic village when the day is done.
Boris Malesset, ski instructor since 1996, off-piste professional since 2001, based in Val d'Isère since 2005, holder of the French BEES, the Swiss Level 3 ski instructor patent and the Austrian Schiführer diploma
“Incredible skiing and really well organized ski trips. If you’re looking for the WOW factor Powderwego is definitely the right choice.”
“I have been skiing for 50 years around the Globe and never have I encountered such a professional, friendly and personalized ski guiding Company.”
In Whistler, a PowderWeGo professional is with your group of six skiers from the first meeting at the hotel to the last day on skis. Each morning, your guide reads the avalanche forecast and checks everyone’s kit before choosing the route according to the day’s snow.
For another week of freeride touring in North America, take a look at Jackson Hole backcountry skiing, below the Tetons in Wyoming.
Our ski trip to Whistler, in Canada, is priced on request, according to your dates, for a group of six skiers with one guide, excluding flights. The price covers eight days, five of them guided ski days, seven nights in a 3-star hotel, ski area and backcountry passes, picnics on freeride touring days, airport transfers and safety kit. Flights, dinners and insurance are at your own expense.
We go skiing in Whistler from 15 December, when the backcountry opens, and through the ski season. Dates are set with you, on request.
This trip calls for off-piste skiing level 3/5 and fitness level 2/5: being at ease in deep snow, having done some ski touring before, and keeping up a moderate effort for several hours, with climbs of up to 800 m. To check where you stand: your off-piste skiing level and your fitness level.
The Whistler trip lasts eight days and seven nights, with six guided ski days. It includes the hotel, guiding by a PowderWeGo professional, lift and backcountry passes, and safety kit: avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe.
Whistler is about two hours’ drive north of Vancouver and its international airport. The flight to Vancouver is at your own expense; the minibus transfer from the airport to Whistler is included.
PowderWeGo, founded by Boris Malesset and based in Val d’Isère, designs this trip to Whistler and guides it on the ground, with a PowderWeGo professional alongside your group. Bookings go through Aéreau Voyages, which organises and sells the trip.
Send us your dates and the number of skiers from this page; we reply to messages within 24 hours, and you can also message Boris on WhatsApp. A 30% deposit is payable on booking, and the balance no later than two months before departure.
Useful before you go: Avalanche Canada, avalanche forecasts · BC Parks, Garibaldi Provincial Park · Whistler Blackcomb, on Wikipedia.
Tell us when you’re coming and how many of you there are, and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
Or email us at infoskitravels@powderwego.com
You can also write to us from our Contact page.
