Backcountry Skiing

We had a wonderful experience with the back -country skiing in Taos with Mountain Skills. Our guide for the day, Hannah, did a terrific job; with help from Nick, teaching us about avalanche awareness and snow make-up and what causes avalanche. We were equipped with all necessary gear making for a safe outing into the wilderness where we skied 1st tracks in 2 ft of snow. I would highly recommend this group as a way to experience the back-country.

Conor is one of the best guides I have ever been out with. He was fully flexible and catered to our group, while still being very safe. He also offers some custom programs and locations that no one else does!

Monte is a great guide! Very knowledgeable, fun and safe. I would recommend him to anyone wanting to get out in the back country or rock climbing. He can teach you skills or just show you a great stress free time in the mountains!

I’ve used Monte (head guide at Black Sheep) for 2 seasons now for backcountry ski-touring. He’s very experienced, inspires confidence, and ensures you develop your skills as you go while feeling safe. He’s also highly capable of finding fine powder lines, great views, and good company to ski with. Can’t recommend him enough.

I have been on a number of backcountry ski/ski mountaineering trips with Monte & Black Sheep Adventure Sports over the past several years. These trips have included avalanche safety training (level 2), and multiple multi-day hut trips in some expert level terrain (such as the Tantalus range near Squamish, BC).
On all the trips Monte and his guides have displayed excellent professionalism, tuition, and decision making in the mountains.
In mixed ability groups, Monte will tailor the trip to all ability/fitness levels, ensuring everyone has a great time. Monte has also pushed me to tackle steeper terrain than I was used to skiing in the backcountry (both on the up and down).
I would not hesitate to go on more trips in Monte in future.

Monte and Hayden led us on a 5 day ski touring trip and we had a great time. First off, they’re very competent and I fully trusted that they were making safe/smart decisions throughout the trip. As guides they took us into some awesome zones and were extremely considerate of everyone’s ski abilities and personal objectives. I’m already thinking about my next trip with Black Sheep.

Conor is a very personable, experienced guide. We have toured with him a number of times, and will continue to chose him for all our backcountry adventures. He knows how to keep everyone happy even in our diverse little group. I am not an expert skier, but I ski with experts. Conor knows how to pick lines that we will all enjoy and I can’t say enough about his uptracks, which are second to none, especially for someone like me, who has difficulty on the steep switchbacks due to a bad ankle.

I had a great time with Arctos guides. For my first ever backcountry touring experience, they were great teachers. Very supportive along the way. I felt like the safety training was very extensive, so good if you’re new to the backcountry. Would recommend.

BEST TRIP EVER and hands down the best way to see Iceland being mobile!

My family and I had the most awesome trip with Conor (Arctos Guides)! He is a complete professional, steadfast in his planning and preparation and a terrific person as well. His knowledge of the terrain and snowpack are invaluable and he made sure that everyone in our group had the best experience. The prepared foods were excellent and we had more than enough to eat. I cannot recommend Arctos Guides highly enough!!

We went backcountry skiing with Kyle. He was knowledgeable, professional, outgoing and patient with us sea-level people! The route and location could not have been better! Thank you!!!

Sunny is such a wonderful leader! I have gone on two expeditions with AWE and both were fantastic. The small group was a lot of fun. Sunny encouraged and challenged us throughout the trek, and had a high level of awareness and flexibility that made our trip safe and successful even when obstacles came up. I would highly recommend Sunny and AWE.

Monte is a great guide! Very knowledgeable, fun and safe. I would recommend him to anyone wanting to get out in the back country or rock climbing. He can teach you skills or just show you a great stress free time in the mountains!

Organized, personal and fun adventures. All my trips with Black Sheep Adventure Sports are definitely full value!
Monte is a great guide and knows his way around the Squamish area / West Coast, so if you can give him an idea of what you’d like to experience, he can find the right objective!

Swimming in ice cold water after a day of ski touring. Fresh fish for dinner, straight from the fjord. The trip to the Lyngen Alps really had everything I love in one program. The combination of skiing in an incredibly beautiful Norwegian mountain landscape with views over the fjords and sailing through the fjord in search of the mountain of tomorrow, was unique and challenging.

Dolomite Mountains provided us with an all around amazing trip experience! From the start, they were quick to respond to messages, detailed in the information they provided, professional and courteous. Everything about the trip was amazing: the mountains, the accommodations, the detailed maps and instructions that were provided to us, and the last minute weather conditions updates (we were self-guided). THANK YOU all who made this trip possible for us!

Our family of six (parents and two young adult couples) spent three different days with Cara on a full-day wildlife tour, a half-day snowshoe tour, and a half-day cross-country ski tour. Having her as our guide made all the difference in our experience of Yellowstone. We had different levels of knowledge about the park, skills with the activities, etc., and she seamlessly adjusted herself to each person. She took us to the right spots, quickly set up and took down scopes, answered our many questions with knowledge and good humor, provided hot drinks and delicious snacks, helped us with rental equipment, was a kind and patient teacher, etc. Honestly, we cannot say enough good about Cara and highly recommend using her as a guide.