skiWasatch Mountains

Wasatch Backcountry Ski

ELEVATION11,000 ft

DURATION1 days

GRADEmoderate

LOCATIONUSA

DATESDecember 1 – April 15

Overview

Less than 30 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport, Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons serve up world-class backcountry skiing with virtually no approach — clip in, skin up, and ski down. The Wasatch is a compact mountain range with an enormous variety of terrain. Big Cottonwood Canyon offers mellow glades for newer and intermediate backcountry skiers, plus big objectives like Mount Raymond and technical lines like the Whipple Couloir. Little Cottonwood is bigger, steeper, and more rugged — home to serious ski mountaineering terrain on peaks like the Pfeifferhorn and Mount Superior, with lines like the Hypodermic Needle and the Coal Pit Headwall. Unique bi-canyon tours let you cross the prominent ridge dividing the canyons, skiing more downhill than you climb, on consistent north-facing aspects all day. We can also use lifts at Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, or Solitude to access the adjacent backcountry when conditions call for it. Beyond guiding, we offer Avalanche Level 1 training courses, backcountry ski mentorship programs (4-week progression for small groups), and ski mountaineering instruction. Whether you're preparing for the Haute Route or looking to ski your first couloir, we have something for you. Pricing is per person based on group size: 1:1 — $500/person; 2:1 — $335/person; 3:1 — $282/person; 4:1 — $250/person. Custom bookings and multi-day trips available.

Highlights

30 minutes from Salt Lake City airport — zero commute to world-class terrain

Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons — terrain for every level

Bi-canyon tours with more descent than ascent on consistent north aspects

Ski mountaineering on Pfeifferhorn, Mount Superior, and more

Avalanche Level 1 training and multi-week backcountry mentorship programs

Flexible 1-day or multi-day bookings with IFMGA-certified guides

Lift-accessed backcountry options at Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, and Solitude

Gallery

Group of skiers skinning above Arctic fjord on Wasatch Backcountry Ski expedition, Svalbard Norway

Ski mountaineers ascending steep couloir above Arctic sea in Svalbard, Norway

IFMGA guide bootpacking with skis on Svalbard summit ridge above ice-filled fjord

Ski touring group beneath dramatic rock spires in Svalbard Arctic wilderness

Ski tourers ascending glaciated terrain toward Svalbard summit with sea views

Arctic glacier calving face viewed from expedition vessel Ulla Rinman, Svalbard

Skier making turns on corn snow with panoramic Arctic landscape, Svalbard

Guides and clients at remote Svalbard ridgeline above frozen Arctic fjord

Sea-to-ski group skinning up Svalbard peak with icy fjord and glaciers below

Svalbard glacier and fjord landscape from ski touring approach, Arctic Norway

Skiers descending open snowfield above Arctic ocean in Svalbard

Arctic sea ice and mountains viewed from Svalbard ski mountaineering expedition

Itinerary

DAY 1

Meet & Skin Up

Guides meet clients at a Park and Ride in one of the canyons. From there, clip into your skis and skin uphill — every foot of elevation gained is enjoyed on the descent. Your guide contacts you the evening before to confirm the day's plan based on conditions.

FROM$250 / person

December 1 – April 15

Or Send a Message

Have questions? Get in touch and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Partnership

Run in Partnership with Wasatch Mountain Guides

This expedition is operated in partnership with Wasatch Mountain Guides (WMG), who holds the commercial use permit to operate within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Todd Passey — co-owner of WMG and IFMGA/AMGA certified mountain guide — will serve as your lead guide for this trip, bringing deep expertise in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons and across the Wasatch Range.