Safety

Safety: first. Last. And always.

No expense is spared, and no detail ignored, when it comes to the safety of our guests.

We use only the latest and best avalanche safety equipment. This includes equipping every guest with an ABS pack, a beacon, a shovel and a probe. ABS packs contain large airbags that, when released, inflate and help to maintain the wearer on the top of the snow, should they be caught in an avalanche. We also give each guest, and every group, extensive training in snow safety, use of avalanche beacons, and rescue techniques.

But safe travel in the mountains is only partly about good instruction and equipment. The most important thing is knowledge. All our guides are certified professionals who bring vast knowledge, training, and experience to each day and every trip. We have ranged these mountains every winter and summer for 25 years. We know every slope and peak intimately. We run compression tests and dig pits to study the snow constantly. Because our guides live at the Durrand Glacier Chalet, they experience each storm and every temperature change, and see their effect on the snowpack. They communicate constantly to share their insights and choose the safest options for our guests.

Lastly, we combine this experience with our own weather station, online exchange of information with professional members of the Canadian Avalanche Association InfoEx program and further data generated by online forecasts accessed via satellite Internet. We not only know what is happening around us, we also follow the big picture, so we know what's coming, and can be prepared.

There is always a risk associated with traveling in the mountains in the winter. We make it as small as possible.