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Can
I snowboard or telemark?
Of course you can. Snowboarders and telemark
skiers are more than welcome to join any of
our tours.
What
is included in the price?
Included in the cost of the tour are all professional
guiding services, lift tickets, accommodation,
transportation, and a simple breakfast.
What
is not included in the price?
Lunch and evening meals are not included as
we have found that people would rather have
the choice of where they eat, and the time they
spend with the group. Rental equipment is also
not included in the price. Canadian Powder Skiing
Adventures can organize any rentals you may
require but does not cover the cost. A rental
equipment price list is available upon request.
Contact CPSA at the time of booking for any
rentals you may require.
What
are the accommodations like?
The accommodations booked by Canadian Powder
Skiing Adventures are clean, friendly, and quiet.
Hotels usually have a pool as well as having
hot tubs and sauna’s for relaxing after
a day of skiing.
What
is the nightlife like?
The evenings are free to explore the area where
we are staying. Some places, such as Calgary
and Banff boast an abundant night life. Whether
you are seeking the social atmosphere of a pub,
the high energy of a night club, or the cultural
experience of a country bar, Banff and Calgary
have it all. As our tours move off the beaten
path big clubs are replaced by small pubs and
the nightlife becomes a small town cultural
experience. From fresh meat Monday in Golden
to local bands in Fernie and Nelson a unique
experience awaits. In general, Canadian Powder
Skiing Adventures is a skiing focused company
rather than a nightlife focused company. We
enjoy drinking and partying, but we love skiing.
What
is the guide to guest ratio?
The minimum number of guides to guests is 1
guide for 6 people. However, we usually try
to operate our tours with 10 people and two
guides. This keeps the guide to guest ratio
at 1 to 5 and allows for those tours to split
into two smaller groups to further customize
to our guests wishes.
How
good do I have to be?
To participate in our Powder Hunter and Ski
Safari tours we recommend that you are an intermediate
skier or above to get the most out of your experience.
This does not mean that as a beginner you will
not be welcome or have a great time, it just
means that your on hill time with the guide
may be a little less. On our Off Piste tours
skiers/snowboarders need to fall into the expert/strong
advanced category. This is because of the more
aggressive terrain we access, the fact that
we go into the backcountry, the powder we are
usually skiing, and the egress out (which usually
involves some traversing).
What
if I don’t want a guide?
If we are skiing at the resort for the day,
you are free to ski with our guides or on your
own. They will happily give you tips on where
to ski and you can go and explore. If you want
some time away from the group or would just
like to explore things by yourself we understand.
When our tours go off piste, for the safety
of not only yourself, but also others in the
group we ask that you stay with the guide.
Are
there any advantages to going off piste rather
than helicopter skiing?
There are several advantages to off piste skiing
over helicopter skiing.
- Cost: a week of helicopter skiing can cost
as much as five times as a week skiing with
us.
- No down days due to weather or avalanche
conditions: the lifts will always spin which
means that if there is valley fog we can still
get high into the alpine, and if the avalanche
conditions in the backcountry are too unstable
to ski there we can always ski inside resort
boundaries.
- The terrain that we ski is often steeper
and more interesting than heliskiing: there
are two reasons for this. First is that we
are in one general area for the season and
are able to closely monitor avalanche conditions.
Secondly, our off piste tours are for expert
/ strong advanced skiers only.
- Guests stay in town each night: this allows
you to enjoy the nightlife and take some time
away from the group if you wish to.
- There is no noisy helicopter to diminish
your wilderness experience.
What
if I want to go on your ski tour however my
partner would like to come along and do their
own thing during the day?
No problem. If they are just learning to ski
and would like to get lessons or ski on their
own we understand. If they would rather not
ski there are many other options. Resorts that
we visit have a variety of other activities
to do during the day including snowmobiling,
shopping, dog sledding, cross country skiing,
ice fishing, or visiting a local hot spring.
These activities may also be worked into any
of our tours.
Do
I need special gear to go off-piste?
Yes. All participants going off piste will be
required to wear an avalanche transceiver as
well as carry a small daypack with a probe and
shovel as well as personal gear. In respect
to traveling around in the backcountry special
gear which allows you to go uphill on occasion
is also required. As a skier an alpine touring
set-up which allows you to unlock your heels
and put on skins for uphill travel is strongly
recommended. As a snowboarder you can use either
a splitboard or snowshoes. We can arrange any
and all rentals you may require. On a typical
day off piste we will travel uphill only 1-2
hours.
How
fit do I have to be to go off piste?
To go off piste you must have a reasonable fitness
level. The longest hike we do is about 1 hour
(this puts you on top of a 3500ft powder run)
with most of the hiking being around the 20
minute mark. The hikes we do are extremely scenic
and always put you on top of at least one peak.
In a typical day off piste we will hike only
1-2 hours. For maximum enjoyment of your tour
we suggest starting a cardio fitness program
six weeks in advance. This will ensure that
you get the most from your experience. We can
provide you with a fitness program if you would
like one.
What
is the guests’ cancellation policy?
A non-refundable $300Cdn., $225US is due at
the time of booking as a reservation fee. The
remainder or the tour price is due 45 days prior
to the departure of the trip. This is non-refundable.
Once a reservation is made, change to a later
date may be possible depending on trip schedules
and the number of participants.
What
is Canadian Powder Skiing Adventures’
company cancellation policy?
Canadian Powder Skiing Adventures
reserves the right to cancel a trip up to two
months before the trip departure date. In the
history of our company no tour has ever been
cancelled. A trip may be cancelled by Canadian
Powder Skiing Adventures due to disastrous weather
and snow conditions, unforeseen extenuating
circumstances, or in the unlikely event that
not enough guests sign up for a tour (the minimum
is four). Please contact Canadian Powder Skiing
Adventures before booking your flight to double
check that the trip is running. In the event
that Canadian Powder Skiing Adventures cancels
a tour all payments made to our company will
be refunded in full.
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