Great White North Guides

Recently took a Managing Avalanche Terrain (MAT) course with Chris. I was unfortunately part of a not-so-informative AST1 course taken with another company earlier in the season. However, following the field day out with Great White North Guides, I felt caught-up and was starting to get a better sense of terrain management skills in the backcountry.

It was a very cold day (-35C at the lot), but by making frequent short learning sessions throughout the tour we were able to stay warm while still developing our terrain evaluation and travel skills. Chris did a great job by often cueing the group members to provide observations and input while providing excellent feedback. I also really appreciated the group video call prior to our trip where we went over methods to plan a successful day in the backcountry.

I would highly recommend booking any course or trip through Great White North Guides. I spent a day taking a Managing Avalanche Terrain course with Chris as the guide and wish I would have taken my AST1 with him as well.

Chris was super knowledgable and able to break his expertise down into simple ideas. They are super responsive to any questions you have when booking or in the field and he made a great trip for everyone.

Whether you're booking a week long trip or just a day, these guys will make your time in the mountains a great experience.

Recently took AST 2 with Chris and a group of friends. This was my second time taking AST 2 and I was blow away with how much I got out of his instruction. Chris took the time to tailor the content and locations to our group experience and interests. He helped us get to new areas on each field day, so we could see not just different snowpacks but different terrain. We spent a lot of time discussing how you can plan route and then adjust your plan as needed, when you are going somewhere new.
He really showed how you can integrate these skills and ways of thinking into a normal day of touring. Both in terms of how to make pits faster and more informative, but also going through all the other information you can get without stopping to do a pit. He really tied the snow science to how you can use it in the field and how to tie it into other data like forecasts and MINs.
Last but not least, he setup the most realistic/helpful companion rescue scenario I have ever done. It really illustrated the challenges around probing and what to watch for, as well as challenging digging and travel. A far cry from typical beacon basins.

We did a four day guided tour with Chris in the Rockies around Lake Louise and Yoho national park. He showed us a variety of terrain and was great at helping us get dialled into backcountry skiing. Book him while you can.

If you’re looking for great guiding in the Rockies and really informed detail on mountain safety and mountain terrain, plus guiding that seeks to understand who you are and what you want, Great White North with Chris is your bliss. Intelligent, killer adventure with a blast of funny is part of the ride.