Rogers Pass; Backcountry Skiing in one of the world’s premier touring areas

Rogers Pass in Canada’s Glacier National Park is one of the world’s premier backcountry ski touring destinations. The Trans-Canada Highway climbs straight into the heart of British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains, where enormous alpine faces, steep forests, and long descents rise directly above the road. You can step out of the vehicle, put on your skins, and start climbing toward terrain that feels remarkably big and remote.

The scale right off the road is hard to overstate. Tours can climb thousands of feet from the highway to open bowls, high passes, and glaciated peaks, then finish with a long descent back toward the valley. There are sheltered trees for storm days and ambitious alpine lines for clear ones. This is full-value ski touring, but for skiers up to that challenge, Rogers Pass is incredible.

The snowfall is legendary. Rogers Pass averages roughly 10 metres (33 feet) of snow at treeline each winter, building a deep snowpack and a long touring season. Storms arrive often, and the range of terrain gives us options as conditions change.

From our base in Golden, we choose each day’s tour around the snow, weather, avalanche conditions, and goals of the group. A storm may point us toward sheltered skiing; a clear window may give us the chance to pursue a peak and one of the pass’s long, memorable descents.

Base in Golden, British Columbia

We base our Rogers Pass ski trips in Golden, about an hour east of the pass. Golden gives us a comfortable place to return each evening and access to other touring areas such as Banff, Field, or Kicking Horse, if conditions or closures change our plans.

Parks Canada may close areas of Rogers Pass for highway avalanche control. We plan every day around current conditions, the group’s experience, and winter access requirements. Guests should be comfortable skiing variable backcountry snow and prepared for full days of human-powered touring.

4-day Minimum

1:1 $650

2:1 $375 per person

3:1 $250 per person

4:1 $200 per person