It says it all – we are going to “cherry-pick” the best of the Eastern Alps

This program starts in Celerina, St. Moritz. St. Moritz is one of the oldest tourist areas in the entire Alps. Host of the 1928 and 1948 winter Olympics. A place, world famous for its summer and winter activities. The high mountains of the Bernina massive are the most attractive playground for skiers and mountaineers, but also for summer hiking or in winter cross-country skiing and of-course skijoring and white turf racing on Lake St.Moritz.

After we meet in Celerina, we head off to Santa Caterina. From this ski town we walk to our first hut, the Refugio Branca, elevation 1493 metres and enjoy some of the best ski tours in the Cevedale area. From there we move to our second hut, the Rifugio Pizzini, elevation 2700 metres.

After some fantastic skiing, we ski back down to Santa Caterina from where the taxi is going to drive us to the Bernina Pass. From there we take the aerial dram to the 2973 metres high Diavolezza, where we stay for the night. The next day we climb and ski one of the most interesting peaks in the Alps, the Piz Palü 3900 metres elevation. After the summit we ski down to the Bernina Pass, elevation 2328 metres. There will be a short climb from the Palü Glacier to the Diavolezza.

From the Bernina Pass, either by train or with a taxi we drive to Celerina and spend the night at the hotel Saluver. In the morning, a taxi will drive us via Julier. In the morning early we get a ride in a small aerial dram to the Fiseten Grat. A great ski-tour brings us to the summit of the Gemsfairen 2972 metres elevation. From this scenic summit we ski to Obersand and further to the Fridolin Hut, elevation 2111 metres. Our last tour is the Tödi, elevation 3614 metres. A 1600 vertical metre climb will bring us to this grand alpine peak, dominating high above the deep valley of Glarus.

From here on it is all downhill. First the impressive Biferten Glacier back to the Fridolin Hut and the next day skiing to Hintersand and walking through the Alp’s most impressive Canyon (Linthschlucht) to the Tierfed. After the famous bananasplit at the Hotel Tierfed we drive back to Glarus, where we spend our night at the Glarnerhof.

Ruedi Beglinger
I.F.M.G.A certified Mountain Guide

Detailed Program

Please call or e-mail our office to receive a hard-copy of the detailed program which includes all needed information for your ski-trip with us. For this we do need your mailing address. Unfortunately we are not able to e-mail the exact detailed program.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you purchase the following insurances. If you have difficulties in finding the right insurances, we ask that you contact our office.

• General health / hospital insurance, good for all countries in Europe
• Life insurance
• Trip cancellation insurance
• Mountain helicopter rescue and evacuation insurance

Global Rescue:
Rescue / Medical

Guests from BC, Canada: BCAA, British Columbia Automobile Association
Rescues / Medical

Swiss Air Rescue REGA:
For Rescue in Switzerland only

Austrian Alpine Club (yes Austrian):
Need to become a member

How to get to Celerina

Fly to Zürich, Switzerland. Board the train to Chur – St.Moritz. Celerina is one train stop prior St.Moritz.

Flying back to North America
We recommend that you fly from Zürich International Airport back to North America.
Not earlier than 10:00 am, Friday May 3rd 2024.

Your Guides

Ruedi Beglinger will be your guide on this ski-trip. He has extensive experience in guiding mountaineering and skiing expeditions in Alaska, the Alps and other parts of the world. Ruedi has been certified by the Swiss (SBV) and International Guide Association (IFMGA) in 1977. He is an active and professional member of the Canadian Mountain Guide Association (ACMG) and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA).

Florina Beglinger will be your second guide. Florina is now a certified ski guide with the Canadian Mountain Guide Association.

Ability level:

This program takes place in steep and rugged high-alpine terrain, which has many crevassed glaciers, glacial seracs and other natural skiing challenges.

For this program each guest has to be an accomplished alpine skier who can ski, efficiently and safely, steep mountain slopes (as found on double Black Diamond downhill ski runs in major ski-areas of North America), in all kinds of snow conditions (powder, corn snow, breakable crust, frozen snow conditions).

Whatever snow-conditions this tour has to offer, we ask that all guests can safely and efficiently ski a fall line, linking a minimum of 30 short-radius turns. It is also important that every guest can safely control their skis in difficult terrain and can execute efficient kick-turns in steeper terrain as found in “black diamond ski runs”. It is also important that every ski guest on this program is able to side-slip on skis in terrain of steeper incline and execute efficient plow-turns.

It is important that everybody on the tour enjoys good health and has no difficulties to acclimatize to moderate or higher elevations.

Every guest has to be physically in good shape. We recommend that prior this ski trip, everybody is doing active out-door endurance sport (ski-touring, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, biking, long distance jogging etc.). It is important that you can comfortably ski-climb with a multi-day pack of approximately 16 lbs. for an entire day of maximum 8 hours and that you can cover ski-climbs of up to 1500 vertical meters at higher elevations.

Further it is important that you are able to follow instructions given by the guide.

To ensure the quality of every ski guest on the program, we ask that every body has skied with Selkirk Mountain Experience on previous ski trips (Durrand Glacier Chalet).

If you have any questions regarding “Ability Level”, please do not hesitate to contact Selkirk Mountain Experience.

Acclimatizing and Jet-Lag

"Jet-Lag” does affect every person at a different level. One of the most known effects “Jet-Lag” has on people is the change of the internal clock but also sitting in an air-liner for such long time dehydrates travelers to a large degree.

It is difficult to acclimatize to higher elevations while suffering from any level of Jet-Lag.

A good place to acclimatize is Celerina and skiing at the higher elevation ski area of Corvatsch, elevation 3303 meters.

If you are planning to acclimatize in Celerina, we recommend that you stay at the hotel Saluver.

Booking and Cancellation Policy

Selkirk Mountain Experience guarantees all programs, in Canada or in Europe, regardless of the number of booked guests, unless natural disaster forces the company to cancel the program.

Booking your European tour with SME

• Because of the nature of this specialty program, Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. requires a non-refundable deposit of Cdn $ 2000.- in order to confirm your booking. You will then receive a confirmation with details of the program.
• A second payment of Cdn $ 2050.- will be due on December 15th.
• We ask that you pay final payment of Cdn $ 2050.- by February 1st.

Cancelation Policy

Because of the nature of this program, Selkirk Mountain Experience is not able to make exceptions to the booking and cancelation policy.

We strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance. If you have difficulties in finding the right insurance, please contact our Revelstoke office 250-837-2381 (weekdays 09:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs)

Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. reserves the right to cancel any program for whatever reason. In this situation Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. will refund all paid program money. However, Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. is not responsible for any further expenses incurred in preparation for the program (airfares, pre-paid hotels etc.)

RELEASE OF LIABILITY, WAIVER OF CLAIMS, ASSUMPTION OF RISKS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT:

All guests who ski with Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. are asked to sign the form "RELEASE OF LIABILITY, WAIVER OF CLAIMS, ASSUMPTION OF RISKS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT ". This form is attached to this Program information letter and we ask you to read and sign it and send it back to our office. If you have any questions please feel free to phone or email us our office in Revelstoke.