Published by Avenue Magazine in November 2017
Written by Andrew Penner

There are many mechanical ways to get up a mountain so that you can ski down it: gondola, chairlift, T-bar, helicopter, snow-cal, et cetera. But if the thought of burning millions of calories melts your ski wax, you can slap on the skins (grippy strips that adhere to the base of your skis) and go up via your own leg power. Yes, it is way harder and way slower- but some will say way more rewarding for it, as well.

Ski touring is growing in popularity for numerous reasons: the freedom, the adventure, then I workout, the lack of lift lines or crowded runs. Then there's the heightened connection with the alpine world. they're all legitimate. For beginners looking to get into ski touring, there are some challenges, however. For starters, snow safety and gearing up can be daunting, putting on the sticky skins and working with adjustable touring bindings can be tricky, and understanding and mitigating avalanche risk is critical. For your first foray into touring, your best bet is to go with a professional guide. As for locale, you can't do much better than Golden, B.C., a legitimate contender for the ski-touring capital of Western Canada title. A fully guided, one-day backcountry tour setting out from Kicking Horse Resort is a good starting point for the touring novice.