Welcome to a classroom you will never forget, our private Robrosa Hut. This backcountry ski touring course combines a pure backcountry ski tour experience with the opportunity to learn the skills that you need to be safer in the backcountry. Expect four days of intensive ski touring & backcountry snowboarding skills, avalanche awareness and rescue, winter navigation and survival skills.
Helicopter access brings you deep into the NZ backcountry. With our private huts located at 1750m, we get reliable snow right through until end of September & even into October.
book now Skills requiredSteve, Australia, Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Touring Course
Meet with your guide at the Aspiring Guides office on the evening (5:30pm) prior to departure. Your guide will check all your clothing and equipment required for the trip. Rental equipment is issued and last minute purchases can be made. The weather forecast will be discussed and a plan made for the the following morning.
Drive to Wanaka Airport (10min) and fly by helicopter into Robrosa Hut in the Pisa Range. Alternatively spend the morning focusing on refreshing on avalanche theory before flying in later in the day in time for a short tour before arriving at the huts for dinner. Backpacks are light because sleeping bags, cooking gear and other necessities will already be in the hut.
Depending upon conditions, we may choose to ski the terrain right outside the hut door or wander further afield to the Cromwell Faces or Pisa Summit. There is a wide variety of terrain for all abilities. Focus will be on terrain analysis, identifying avalanche danger and route selection. Further skills for backcountry travel will be covered such as avalanche rescue, uphill travel, trip planning and navigation.
Everything learned up to now will be applied for the trip from Robrosa to the Snow Farm and back to Wanaka. With challenging terrain the emphasis will be on choosing a safe route. Here you will get the perfect opportunity to test your decision making under the watchful eye of your experienced guide.
At 1750m above sea level Robrosa Hut is a skier and rider's paradise with vast ski touring and backcountry snowboarding terrain. Sleeping bags, lighting, cooking equipment, outside toilet and spectacular sunrises and sunsets supplied.
Topics will include:
At the end of the course you will be a competent member of a ski or splitboard touring group, being able to plan trips appropriate to the group and conditions and contribute to safe decision making.
Trip Date | Available |
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28-31 July, 2021 | open |
5-8 August, 2021 | open |
13-16 august, 2021 | open |
21-24 august, 2021 | open |
C: = confirmed to run |
Client Ratio | Price |
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1:1 - 1:4 | NZ$2,450 |
As a general rule: the more technically advanced / more complex the terrain - the lower the guide to client ratio. All professional mountain guides contracted to Aspiring Guides are qualified professionals and operate under the terrain guidelines issued by the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association.
Our maximum group size for introductory ski/snowboard backcountry tours or courses is typically 1 guide with 6 clients. We write this as 1:6 guide ratio. For ski snowboard touring in glaciated terrain this ratio is 1:4.