Registration Open
Ski Tour Endorsement
$ 2065
Apr 06, 2025 – Apr 11, 2025
Blue River, BC
GOAL: To have candidates apply their knowledge of terrain and group management in a self propelled environment as a lead guide. Upon successful completion of the CSGI Ski Tour Endorsement, the candidates will have attained the highest level of certification available in the CSGI stream and be certified to work as a ski touring lead guide and supervise CSGI Ski Tour guides or their equivalent (ACMG asst. ski guide).
Application Dates: Oct 20, 2024 – Dec 09, 2024
Prerequisites
- Summer Glacier Course or equivalent
- Canadian Ski Guide Level 3
- *New - Alpine Rope & Travel Skills Course
- Canadian Avalanche Association Level 2
- Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance Level 2 or equivalent
- Employment in a Helicopter or Cat Ski Operation for 4 years and minimum 140 days experience
- Current 80 Hour First Aid Certificate
- Back country ski touring resume or trip log documenting experience
CSGI Ski Tour Endorsement
The CSGI Ski Touring Endorsement encompasses one day of review followed by 4 days of examinations where the candidate will be required to demonstrate skills developed through both the mechanized and self propelled CSGI courses to date, in challenging and complex terrain, including glaciers. The CSGI Ski Touring Endorsement certifies guides to take clients on long multi day tours and guide clients up easy snow climbs to summits and mountain peaks, with the goal of skiing off the top, or just summiting easy snow climbs. The CSGI Ski Touring Endorsement examines the skills to set highly efficient up tracks for long days of ski touring, rope skills to enable client management up short pitches and ridgelines and roped up glaciated travel and rescue, as well as exposed terrain that is technically easy to move through but consequential, requiring a rope to eliminate hazard. A CSGA member with the Ski Tour Assessment certification is not expected to be a rock climber or ice climber. If the terrain gets to a point where ice, snow or rock protection is required, it is NOT ski guiding. Long vertical pitches of climbing with consequence is also not considered ski guiding. This is alpine climbing or mountaineering. To successfully complete the CSGI Ski Tour Assessment, the following skills need to be demonstrated and examined to the level as outlined in the DACUM:
- Setting precise efficient up tracks ski touring
- Excellent navigation skills
- Tech rope skills: (6mm small diameter, Petzl, Edelrid or similar) Lowering, raise, raise to a lower, lower to raise, glacier travel on tech ropes, roped and unroped crevasse rescue
- Short pitching/belays
- Short roping
- Client Management and Care
- Safe travel and hazard management
- Situational Assessment and Management Skills
Upon completion of the Ski Touring Assessment, a CSGA member is able to guide ski touring clients Without Supervision. This guide may supervise a CSGI Level 2 with Level 1 Ski Touring Course and Assessment or Equivalent (ACMG Ass. Ski Guide).
Ski Touring Log
- 30 backcountry tours 1-2 days in high alpine terrain
- Additional 2 backcountry tours 3-5 days or longer in challenging to complex alpine and glaciated terrain – non hut based
- Additional 2 backcountry tours 3-5 days or longer in challenging to complex alpine and glaciated terrain may be hut based
- 5 skiable peaks involving non technical climbing.
- Description of days worked as mechanized or ski touring guide
- Any relevant summer mountaineering experience
- Experience in a variety of mountain ranges
- References that can vouch for your backcountry ski touring resume
- Include names and contact