Tours

Discover the rugged BC wilderness in luxury with Mountain Skills Academy.

Explore Ice Caves: Go deep inside an ice cave, then get a catered meal on the glacier. Make sure to bring your warm coat and camera! You’ll get the chance to touch the ancient glacial ice.

Explore an Active Volcano: Fly over an ancient volcano and discover vents deep inside the glacier. Then land to explore an ice cave! This is a 3-4 hour tour.

Helicopter Tour: There are 3 to choose from ranging in time from 42 minutes, 24 minutes and 14 minutes. Each offering their own unique experience!

Ice Climbing Experience: No climbing experience is necessary! Go out with a guide and dabble in ice climbing for a day. This unique sport gets you up and personal with the Canadian cold for a full-day adventure. You must be an intermediate skier or snowboarder to access the climbing site.

Looking for more options for guided tours? click here 

Whistler Backcountry Courses

Backcountry skiing or going out of bounds is getting increasingly popular. If you want to take part in venturing into the backcountry, safety should be your top concern. Taking avalanche courses is a great way to prepare for a winter adventure and should be mandatory for anyone wanting to get out.

There are several levels to avalanche education ranging from beginner 1-day courses to advanced multi-day day courses.

AST 1: Giving you the building blocks to make informed decisions in avalanche terrain, you’ll yearn to know more. The course involves decision-making skills, basic rescue skills, different terrain, trip planning, etc.

AST 2: This is an excellent follow-up to AST 1. This is a 4-day course that allows an opportunity to build on your skills. You’ll be able to dive deeper into trip planning, route finding, managing unforeseen events, + more.

Crevasse Rescue: Want to go on more extensive trips? Learning glacier travel and rescue to become self-sufficient is essential for maximum safety. Learn rope skills and more.

Companion Rescue Skills: Become the best backcountry teammate possible by learning to manage more complex problems and better understand your equipment.

More backcountry courses can be found here.

Why is it important to educate yourself before going into the backcountry? 

Backcountry skiing/snowboarding is a fantastic way to experience the mountains and escape crowds. However, it’s essential to understand the risk vs reward. It is a high-risk activity, and safety should be taken seriously. Never go out alone or with a group that doesn’t have proper education. If you want to know about avalanches and the risks involved, click here. 

MSAA offers many courses that can help you learn mountain sense. Even if you don’t want to go out into the backcountry, accumulating knowledge is fun!