Stories & Articles

Ski-Mountaineering



SME Ski-Mountaineering articles



Selkirk Mountain Experience’s playground now includes three chalets and unlimited turns to be earned.

"Now able to connect all three huts in a single trip, SME is promoting this traverse as the "Canadian Haute Route"— referencing the famous European high-mountain journey from Zermatt, Switzerland, to Chamonix, France. "

Connect the huts » By Matt Cotê , Ski Canada Magazine, the Buyer's Guide 2016 issue - Published November 11, 2015

It can take several trips before the ideal conditions align, like last week at Selkirk Mountain Experience.

When you are blessed with the stars aligning with an enthusiastic guide that’s not afraid to push you, it really is amazing how much terrain is possible to explore without any mechanical assistance. On one of B.C.’s worst snow years, I came away with what was likely my most rewarding week of skiing in my life.

The Outsider: When the snow stars align. » By Vince Shuley, The Whistler Question - Published April 13, 2015

"After 40 years of guiding people through the world's biggest mountains, Ruedi Beglinger's biggest challenge remains his naysayers."

He navigates the blanket of whiteness with uncanny ease, and I wonder just how many times he’s made these exact steps. Meandering through the alpine in near-zero visibility, he’s confident and natural in his stride. Over his 30 years here he’s watched forests burn, glaciers recede, and mountainsides crumble. His tenure has lasted long enough to see the landscape physically change, but he still knows it intimately. Ruedi Beglinger walks with the cadence and stamina of a man half his age – purposeful and driven."

The Hardest Yard: Ruedi Beglinger » By Matt Coté, Powder - The Skier's Magazine - Published March 25, 2015

"So, was it fun?" a friend asked.

"Fun?" I'd just celebrated New Year 2015 on my first backcountry ski touring experience in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia.

All-consuming, challenging, intense, exhilarating, humbling, thrilling – are all more apt descriptors of my adventure in Selkirk Mountain Experience’s rugged 20,000-acre (8,093-hectare) ski playground. "

The yin-yang of backcountry ski touring » By Anne Georg, The Calgary Herald - Published January 17, 2015

"Dans les selkirk, la neige est phénoménale et la glisse, jouissive à souhait. Compte rendu d'une semaine extraordinaire à batifoler dans ce véritable shangri-la du ski de montagne."

Selkirk - au coeur de la planète blanche » (PDF) By Pierre Bouchard, Géo Plein Air, 2014

"Ruedi Beglinger has made a business out of challenging his guests to push their limits in the alpine."

Tough Love » (complete article) By Andrew Findlay, Ski Canada Magazine, November 2012

"No chair lift? No problem. Climbing is part of the thrill on a ski touring adventure in BC"

Earn your turns » (complete article) By Katherine Elphick, Doctor's Review, December 2011

Himmelsk helvete » (complete article in Norwegian) D2 magazine - winter 2008 (Norway)

Durrand Glacier Chalet » (PDF in Swedish) Dagens Industri, February 2007 (Scandinavia)

"Wenn es ein Paradies für Tiefschneefahrer gäbe, würden Skifans es in den kanadischen Selkirk Mountains (British Columbia) vermuten..."

50 Grössten Abenteuer der Welt. Kanada: Mit Skiern in die EinsamKeit » (complete article) National Geographic Adventure - 1/2003 (Deutschland)

"Backcountry ski guide Ruedi Beglinger will kick your tail in the powder-smothered peaks of southeastern British Columbia. You'll pay him for the experience. And love every minute of it."

Ruedi's Way: Skiing With a Canadian Superguide » (complete article) By Michael Finkel, National Geographic Adventure Magazine - 1/2003

"Up slow, down fast, this mountain life was pretty damn fun, and we wouldn't change it for anything. Except, possibly, to start the week all over again right now!"

Mountain Life: Selkirk Style By Craig Dostie, Couloir Magazine

"It is Thursday, the second to last night of our week at Selkirk Mountain Experience (SME). We have just finished another great meal at the end of an epic day of powder skiing under blue skies, and although we have been here nearly a week it is difficult for us to comprehend all that we have experienced. Magical. That is the best word to describe something that we all agree has been incredible, yet has been so comprehensive and unique that it is hard to pin down."

Doing Selkirk Mt. Experience the easy way By Mike Adrian, Couloir Magazine

"Reudi knows the satisfaction that comes from doing multiple peaks and descents in a day. Most ski guides simply look for the great ski runs. Reudi insists on bagging and skiing from the peaks. Indeed, the consistent smile he wears on every peak, no matter how hard the spindrift might blow in his face, is evidence enough that Reudi is totally at home whenever he stands atop a mountain. As a guide, Reudi has made it his job to insist on sharing that." "

Profile: Reudi Beglinger By Craig Dostie, Couloir Magazine

"If you're a backcountry powderhead who ranks the ascents right up there with the descents (don't laugh, people do), then you will cherish the ski mountaineering at B.C.'s Selkirk Mountain Experience. They offer guided backcountry touring for advanced skiers from a remote lodge near the Durrand Glacier (50 kilometres northeast of Revelstoke). This is sublime terrain - think upper slopes of Rogers Pass - that would be next to impossible to get to on your own. A new day, a new adventure led by a guide who knows where the good stuff is. Most day tours (about seven hours) incorporate two peaks and 6,000 vertical feet of skiing." "

As Good as it Gets - The 40 best places to make tracks this winter. Explore Magazine - November/December 2001 - Issue 112

""Powder, Powder Everywhere. At Selkirk Mountain Experience, deep in British Columbia's rippable stuff, the drill is simple: Climb up, scream down, with nary a helicopter in sight... " "

Climb Up, Scream Down. Kick-Ass Ski Mountaineering - the best of B.C. Outside Magazine Travel Guide - Special Issue, 2001 Annual

Plenty of heli-skiing companies operate in the Canadian West, but only one outfit has a guide who sets the standard for backcountry ski mountaineering. Ruedi Beglinger...

One of the 25 Greatest Adventures in the World. » (complete article) By Mike Harrelson, National Geographic Adventure - Fall 1999

... But if my muscles are incensed, my brain is euphoric. The peaks of British Columbia's Selkirk range tower all around us. The air is as clean as any I've ever breathed. It's a moment of contrast for me: I'm profoundly in pain and achingly happy...

Pleasure and Pain » (complete article) By Michael Miracle, Skiing Magazine - Winter Adventure - March/April 2000