Go with a guide
Planning a great time in the backcountry is more complicated than many people realize! Many factors can be overwhelming and make decision-making challenging. Whether it's your first time or tenth time in the winter backcountry, here are the top ten reasons that going skiing or splitboarding with a guide allows for the most fun, safe, and quality touring experience.
Avalanche Safety Expertise
When skiing or splitboarding in the backcountry, you will be traveling in and near avalanche terrain. You can mitigate this risk by going with an experienced guide. With Pro Level training from the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) and many years of experience, guides at BVMA are equipped with the skills and knowledge to expertly evaluate and choose appropriate terrain for the snow conditions. Professional guides can minimize or avoid most of the risk of backcountry touring, but any adventure in the outdoors comes with uncertainty. Going with a guide means that a well-practiced professional will plan for and respond to avalanche safety concerns.
Trip Planning Individualized for Meeting Your Goals
Maybe you’re looking for a casual tour on some mellow terrain and the chance to catch up with a loved one, or maybe you’d like to try hard and get in as many turns as possible. Whatever backcountry experience you are looking for, experienced guides will check in about your individual goals or group needs. Combined with the local terrain and snowpack knowledge, your guide can then create a trip plan that fits your hopes for the day!
Techniques for Skiing and Riding in Variable Snow Conditions
Anyone who has been skiing or splitboarding in the backcountry knows how different the snow feels compared to the groomed or maintained slopes at a resort. When you go with a guide, you will learn valuable techniques for effectively skiing or riding in various conditions. From crusty snow to deep powder, quickly adapting to a changing snowpack is a learned skill.
Knowledge of the Local Snowpack
Just as weather patterns and conditions vary depending on region and year, so do the snow conditions. Factors such as precipitation amount, fluctuating temperatures, storm systems, wind, and climate all impact the snowpack. Experienced guides will combine their knowledge of how these factors impact snow conditions with their study of local weather patterns and seasons to help you find the safest and best snow in the area. If there is backcountry powder to be safely enjoyed, a guide will help you find it.
Local Ecological and Historical Knowledge
In addition to important safety and snowpack information, local guides bring other great knowledge to their backcountry tours. For example, guides can share about the indigenous peoples of the area, local mining history, and how environmental stewardship principles like Leave No Trace apply in the winter. Taking care of the spaces we recreate and supporting local communities are important responsibilities, and experienced guides are invested in this effort. You can even ask where to find the best pizza in town after your backcountry adventure!
Familiarity with Local Terrain
With knowledge of the local snowpack comes an understanding of the local terrain. Expert local guides will know where to find the best snow in January versus March or where to go on a busy holiday weekend. The overlapping calculations of avoiding avalanche danger on certain slope aspects, navigating shallow or crusty snow on other terrain, and still finding enjoyable snow is daunting and risky if you don’t know the area. If you’re visiting from out of town, trust a guide to help you make the most of your time on the best terrain. If you live locally, go with a guide to become more familiar with your backyard!
Mentoring in Efficient Transitions
Whether putting your skis in walk mode, switching from splitboard to snowboard, or taking off your skins, backcountry touring involves a lot of transitions. These can be a huge hassle or even pose risks if you are inefficiently or incorrectly utilizing gear. A guide will offer mentorship in efficient backcountry transitions so that you can save your energy for the slopes, take good care of your backcountry gear, and maximize your time skiing and riding.
Access Remote Terrain via Snowmobile
When snowmobiles are available, the amount of time and energy it takes to reach distant backcountry terrain is greatly reduced. Without a snowmobile, a vast majority of excellent backcountry skiing and riding remains unavailable, purely because it is unrealistic to tour all the way to it and still have time to enjoy it! With BVMA guides, you can access remote terrain via snowmobile, opening the options for what is possible on a winter adventure.
Risk Management and Medical Emergency Response
In addition to professional-level avalanche training, guides carry advanced backcountry medical and risk management training. BVMA’s backcountry guides are required to have a minimum of a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification, and many have more extensive medical training than that. The WFR is an intensive 8-day course with practical scenarios and re-certification every 2-3 years. Not only are our guides required to be able to respond to serious medical emergencies, but they are also practiced in managing risk in the backcountry to avoid those emergencies proactively. Guides carry both first aid kits and gear repair kits so that even a minor inconvenience can be resolved efficiently. In the case of Buena Vista and the Colorado Rockies, this includes accounting for acclimation and altitude when trip planning and guiding. You can trust that a guide will help you take care of yourself so that you can stay healthy and safe in the backcountry.
Freedom to Focus on Skiing, Riding, and Community
There are many different components to planning and executing a quality backcountry ski or ride. When you trust a guide to manage safety, choose terrain, coach technical skills, and meet the needs of your group, you have the freedom to truly soak up the experience. Whether you’d like to enjoy a quiet backcountry day on fresh snow or make memories with your family and friends, guides are here to take care of the details and facilitate a quality experience.
Go With a BVMA Guide!
When you choose to go backcountry skiing or splitboarding with a BVMA guide, you can have the confidence you are signing up for a safe and fun experience. The backcountry will always be just that: an unpredictable adventure, but you can go with the assurance that a professional has your back!
If you’re interested in a backcountry ski or splitboard tour with one of Buena Vista Mountain Adventures’ experienced guides, go to www.bvmountainadventures.com/skiing-splitboarding for more information. We would be thrilled to see you in the Rockies this ski and ride season!
