To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for 5-7 hours a day for 2 full days, covering 6-10 miles (10-15km) of terrain every day and hiking uphill for 4,000 vertical feet (1,200 m). You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain. You should be able to skin uphill for a few hours and have plenty of resort experience, feeling comfortable skiing in ungroomed and treed terrain.
It is recommended that participants have taken an AIARE 1 avalanche safety course prior to signing up, but it’s not a requirement.