THE SUMMIT
Ski Mountaineer CAMP
April 15-18th 2021

This is The Ski Mountaineering Camp You Have Been Dreaming Of

Big Lines, Remote Range, and Certified Guides

The Summit Ski Mountaineering Camp will take your technical backcountry skills to the next level. No we aren’t in some yurt or hut skiing lines that get skied regularly. No we aren’t able to see city lights from the summit of our peaks. This is the Uintas, where remote big lines rarely (if ever) get skied and the summits offer a sea of peaks as far as the eye can see.

These 4 days and 3 nights are all about you becoming the ski mountaineer you desire to be. Our team is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and support and mentor you through the process. From assessing a spring-time snowpack to steep travel techniques and rope work our team of certified and experienced guides are there to walk you through the skills necessary for bagging big lines with confidence.

The Uintas are known for their striated cliff bands, remote couloirs, big faces and expansive networks of drainages that open up beyond each new pass. The Summit Ski Mountaineering camp is about taking you further and giving you the skills to excel in remote, rugged, and committing terrain.

From the moment we get to the trailhead you know this is the real deal as we load up your snowmobile which you will drive deep into the heart of the range under the guidance and leadership of our guide team. There we come across our fully styled out basecamp equipped with mountaineering tents, kitchen tent with heater, solar power and our personal chef who will be preparing all of our meals.

All you have to do is show up with your personal gear ready to learn and have fun and we’ll take care of the rest.

Curriculum

Stability Evaluation for Ski Mountaineering
Steep Skiing Techniques and Philosophy
Uphill Ice axe and crampon techniques
Self-arrest practice
Basic Rope Work (harnesses and improvised harnesses, knots, basic belaying and rappeling)
Ski Anchors

Details

4 Days 3 Nights all inclusive
April 2021
Location: Uinta Mountains
3:1 student to guide ratio
Guides: IFMGA, AMGA, AIARE certified and highly experienced
$1800 per person

*Max 12 participants total

What's Included

Snowmobiles
All Meals prepared by chef
Portering of All food
Portering of personal gear
Setup of styled out base Camp
Tents
Sleeping Pads
1 on 1 guide instruction
Ropes
Belay Devices
Carabiners
Harness
Goal Zero Charging Station

Here's What's Recommended For the Intro group:

Approximately 20 days of previous ski touring experience.
The ability to ski tour at least 3,000 vertical feet.
The ability to ski slopes 40 degrees in steepness in difficult snow conditions.
Willingness to learn and be outside of your comfort zone. Your non-ski mountaineer friends would classify this long weekend as "hard core." We'll be snowmobiling, bagging peaks and snow camping after all.

Here's What's Required of the Advanced Group:

Completion of the Advanced Group Placement Application
Approximately 50 days previous ski touring experience
20 days skiing riding slopes 40 degree or steeper in variable snow conditions
Ability to do consecutive 5k vert days
Knowledge of basic knots and hitches
Familiarity with using crampons and ice axe

Who's This For

With an option to apply to our Intro or Advanced Group The Summit Camp meets you where you are and takes you where you want to be. Whether you have mountaineering and steep skiing/ riding experience and are looking to hone your technical skill set; or you are an avid tourer, but want to start getting into steeper and more technical terrain, we can accommodate you.

Have you ever wanted to ski the NW couloir of the Pheifferhorn, or knock off some of the bigger lines in The Chutting Gallery? What about going beyond your home mountain range? Maybe you aren't quite confident in your terrain management, anchor building, map and compass trip planning, steep skiing or some combination of skills needed to get you to the next level of your ski-mountaineer career. This class is for YOU!

LOGISTICS:

The Summit is about creating a community of ski mountaineers. Whether you are interested in joining our intro to ski Mountaineering group or our advanced group (resume required) you will find a niche that fits your needs.

During our time together all participants share down-time together where they can share newly acquired skills and sit in on basecamp skills sessions together. During the day our Camp splits into two distinct groups; the intro to ski mountaineering and the advanced ski mountaineering group. The camp is limited to 12 participants total with a cap of 6 participants per group.

In order to provide the best possible product the advanced group placement applications will be looked at very closely. We strongly recommend that all who are looking to be in our advanced groups take full advantage of our 3 pre-camp mentorship opportunities

(Dates TBD).

What Do You Bring?

Ski crampons and boot crampons
Ice Axe
Light weight Harness
Alpine touring equipment – rubber-soled AT boots with walk mode required,
Pin-bindings strongly encouraged
Splitboarding equipment – hard boot, “Dyna-split” style set up strongly encouraged
Backcountry skiing clothing and equipment
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Ski/ Snowboard/ Mountaineering Helmet
See Full Packing List here.

FAQ:

Where do I sleep?

Participants will arrive to pre-setup mountaineering tents, and learn skills that go along with sleeping in snowy mountain-terrain.

What will the conditions be like?

We can't predict what the conditions will be like but we're hoping for a diurnal melt-freeze cycle which make for great ski objectives and easy spring travel.