Placeholder photo November – May · groups of up to 6
Sean has guided northern BC for close to 25 years — Cariboos and Rockies near Valemount and McBride, the McGregor Ranges and Pine Pass, the Howsons near Smithers, the North Coast Mountains of Terrace, and the Boundary Ranges of Stewart and Bell 2.
The “classic” Smithers backcountry
A lot of hype has been generated about this area. We have a good thing here — but it’s not the hidden utopia people imagine. What it is: genuinely good ski touring, from quick roadside tours suitable for beginners with basic fitness, to character-building 20–30 km, 1,500 m days that reward the effort.
The snowpack is intermountain and transitional — technically North Coast, but with many places closer to the Rockies than to a deep maritime snowpack. The Bulkley Valley isn’t known for tree skiing, but the alpine terrain is spectacular and extensive. Snowmobile or helicopter access can open up far more terrain, at additional cost.
If you have a sense of adventure and are open to skiing a new area in variable mountain snow — you will have fun.
Placeholder photo 
Placeholder photo Day trips
Daily tours in the Smithers area or throughout the northwest. Your guide sets a comfortable pace along a well-set track, chooses terrain suited to the group, and runs professional safety systems with comprehensive terrain and snowpack evaluation — plus an eye for fresh powder and great skiing.
Lodge & cabin trips
A few days at a remote backcountry lodge is a unique experience — life gets simple. Sean regularly runs trips at colleagues’ fine backcountry lodges across northern BC, or can join a trip your group has already booked, taking the guesswork out of routefinding, tracksetting and snowpack evaluation.
Local favourite — most winters
The east side of the Bulkley Valley is “our version of the Rockies.” An easy day approach reaches the cabin; local objectives include the Cronin, Hyland and Galleon summits, the Reiseter and Cronin glaciers, and Silver King Basin. Best mid-March to late April.
Placeholder photo 
Placeholder photo Spring basecamps
A helicopter-access tent camp in one of Sean’s favourite zones for reliable spring snow. Ski with a light pack on daily objectives — peaks and summits, glacier skiing, couloirs and alpine bowls, with instruction in glacier travel along the way — returning to camp each afternoon.
Late spring bonus: with budget for a flight — or legs for the approach — high-elevation day trips and overnighters can run into May, conditions depending.
A season at a glance
Based on the 2025–26 calendar. New dates are announced in the fall — the popular trips and the first AST 1 courses sell out, so July-you should book for February-you.
Late Nov
AST 1 — classroom + field sessions, Smithers
filled early last winter
Dec – Jan
AST 1 online-format field sessions
multiple dates
Late Feb
AST 2 — 1 classroom + 3 field days, Smithers
March
Guided ski touring — Dezaiko Lodge
sold out last season
April
Guided ski touring — Burnie Glacier Chalet
sold out last season
Nov – May
Day trips & private courses on demand
subject to schedule