Norway Hut to Hut Ski Trips | British Columbia Cross-country Skiing | Whistler Callaghan | Lodge Ski Packages Backcountry Nordic Ski Snowshoe Tours

Western Canada's Coast Mountains stretch uninterrrupted from Vancouver to the Alaska border. In the Sea to Sky Whistler Region you can find some of the finest skiing in North America. We are pleased to offer weekend and week-long lodge-based hiking, ski and snowshoe trips from our base near Pemberton, British Columbia. Pemberton is just 20 minutes beyond Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway.

Start with morning yoga and a gourmet breakfast at the lodge, and then spend the day hiking, skiing or snowshoeing up a nearby peak to enjoy the view of alpine lakes and hanging glaciers. In the evening, relax by the wood stove at the lodge, roast marshmallows over a campfire, eat a home-cooked meal, or soak in beautiful natural hot springs. We are only a short drive from Whistler, and we can book custom dates and private itineraries to suit your group. 2008 marked the opening of the 2010 Olympic Nordic Ski venue in British Columbia. Join us as we skate ski on world-class groomed trails through the forested Callaghan Valley. We can pick you up in Vancouver, or rent a car and join us.

Explore the off-piste wild country of BC's Coast Mountains near Whistler. Enjoy snowshoeing or skiing over rolling terrain. Step out the door of our British Columbia base, and into the backcountry! We ski or snowshoe in the mountains, and at night, soak in natural hot springs. Beginner to Expert opportunities.

As the cradle of cross-country skiing, Norway is a winter paradise. For many Norwegians, hut to hut skiing is a national pastime. Norway has more than 400 alpine cabins or, in Norwegian, "hytter." Many of the hyttes are inviting, wood-paneled Nordic chalets where skiers find hot showers, a hearty meals and Scandinavian hospitality. Inarguably, Norway offers the best hut to hut ski touring anywhere in the world, with thousands of kilometers of mountain routes and groomed trails.

We've selected a 9-day ski tour through Rondane National Park, from Hjerkinn in the north to Nesset in the east to showcase the beauty of Norway. We've timed the trip for the long days of spring, when the sun us bright and welcoming. We are immersed in the mountains as we travel through deep valleys and across broad plateaus, where majestic peaks rise to more than 2000 meters. Daily ski distance averages 10 to 20 km. Our tour will move every day between huts, except for two nights at Rondvassbu. Each day we rise early, eat a healthy, hearty breakfast, then head out and ski all day, with a stop for lunch in the fresh air. In addition to skiing all day, we have an opportunity to climb one of the peaks.

We have chosen this route for its scenic beauty and its moderate route. There are few steep ascents or descents. In order to participate, you should be capable of skiing up and down gradual inclines in all snows, carrying a daypack for six to seven hours a day, even in bad weather and poor snow conditions.

As is traditional in Norway, some of the huts are staffed lodges fully equipped to serve three meals a day: breakfast, lunch pack and filling of your thermos and dinner. Others are privately owned, and run more like a hotel, but part of the hut system. Other huts are self-serving, with food available and the means to cook it. On this trip, all meals are included in the trip, beginning with dinner at the first hut. Accommodation is in bunks, four to a room, in your own sleeping sack or sleeping bag. While your guide provides trip leadership, this is a participatory trip where everyone shares in the work of cooking, dishwashing, water supply, cleaning and general housekeeping inside the huts.

Trip price includes transportation from Oslo Central station by train to Hjerkinn, and return to Oslo, an English speaking tour leader, hotel on Day 1 and Day 8, hytte lodging, and all meals from dinner on the first day. You are responsible for your own transportation to Oslo, and for your own ski gear. Contact us for information on travel to Norway, hotel accommodations, and gear list. We can also assist in travel planning and add-on activities if you wish to further explore Norway.

This intermediate tour is moderately strenuous, and requires a reasonable fitness level as we travel for most of the day through the wild country to beautiful alpine lakes and mountain cirques in search of the best backcountry powder. Snowshoers and skiers will form separate groups with a guide, according to ability. This trip is appropriate if you have experience in snow travel. Each day we travel to a different locale to find the best snow conditions. We plan to spend at least one day on the new 2012 Olympics Nordic ski trails near Whistler. Play in fresh backcountry powder during the day, and at night, check out Whistler night-life, or enjoy gourmet dinners and relax by the fire, and soak in natural hot springs. Return to Vancouver International Airport by late afternoon of Day 5, in time to catch your flight home, or we will drop you at a Vancouver hotel. This trip includes transportation to and from Vancouver, all accomodations, meals, hot springs fee, park fees, guide services.

Call or E-mail us for more information about these trips.

Sustainable Skiing? (Adapted from article by Justin Francis, www.responsibletravel.com)

The mountains of the world are among the most pristine natural environments in the world. Unfortunately, the ski resort recreational industry is far from sustainable. Downhill skiing has some very significant environmental and cultural impacts. Most downhill ski slopes are graded - this involves the removal of trees and flattening of slopes to create large areas for skiing. The addition of large pilons and ski lifts creates further environmental scarring. Due to global warming we expect more resorts to be developed a higher altitudes - migrating the negative impacts higher up the mountains. As a further consequence of global warming the use of snow machines has increased. In some cases they draw water unsustainably from local water courses. In other cases chemicals used to ensure that the water freezes at a low temperature leach back into the soil when the artificial snow melts. Litter discarded in the mountains does not degrade - orange peel takes 2 years, and cigarette butts 5 years to degrade. When we ski over new tree shoots in, or under, the snow we destroy them. When we fly into ski resorts the climate change we are contributing to is destroying glaciers and limiting the future of many resorts. Wildlife is disturbed by ski developments and skiers - the dwindling Colorado population of the Canadian Lynx being probably the most notorious example.

Tips for greener skiing: 1. Travel by train by where possible. 2. Ask your tour operator for their written responsible tourism policy. 3. Consider ski touring, cross country skiing or snow shoeing. 4. Stay in locally owned accommodation, rather than chalets owned by overseas tour companies. Eat in local restaurants, use ski guides from the local community. 5. Respect the natural habitat of mountain animals and plants by taking care not to damage vegetation.