Ski Touring In Revelstoke, BC: A Backcountry Skiing Mecca

Revelstoke, BC, has been my home base for the last 7 years and is a definitive backcountry skiing mecca, along with Rogers Pass, 70km to the east. Located in the Interior Mountains of British Columbia, the area is renowned for its substantial snowfall, breathtaking backcountry terrain, and a vibrant community. It’s no surprise that Revelstoke is known for its world-class backcountry skiing and splitboarding. Its mountains are perfectly suited for the sport, offering expansive alpine bowls, craggy peaks, and old-growth tree skiing. The accessible terrain is equally epic as it’s challenging. If that wasn’t enough, the blue-collar town has retained its charm and quaintness as it rapidly grows its tourism industry. Essentially, for most avid backcountry aficionados, ski touring in Revelstoke is a dream come true. Read on for useful insight into the area.

The Mountains and The Backcountry Terrain

The town of Revelstoke is nestled between two idyllic mountain ranges, the Monashees and the Selkirks, both sub-ranges of the Columbia Mountains. To the West, the Monashees are known for their incredible tree skiing, crammed full with natural booters and steep chutes. The thick snowpack and deep powder make landing large features a breeze.

To the East, the Selkirks are better known for their ski-mountaineering potential, offering an unforgettable alpine skiing experience (glaciers, bowls and craggy peaks). Nonetheless, there’s some excellent tree skiing to be found, especially in virgin old-growth forests. On clear days, I’d rather spend my time in the Selkirks, bagging peaks and skiing alpine couloirs. For the unacquainted, Rogers Pass, another world-class ski touring mecca, is located in the Selkirks, just a short 45-minute drive from town.

The terrain’s accessibility and variety are what set Revelstoke apart from other ski touring destinations. From old-growth forest to wide-open, alpine bowls, its ski touring scene is the full package. With a valley at 500m and glacier-capped peaks cresting at 2750m, most backcountry skiing routes offer an impressive vertical, offering quad-burning powder skiing. It goes without saying: a good fitness level is required to complete most routes. Thankfully, the lift-accessed backcountry, beyond the rope line of Revelstoke Mountain Resort, opens up a plethora of friendlier alternatives.

The Climate and Snowfall

The climate is ideal for ski touring in Revelstoke. The area is the world’s only inland temperate rainforest. The snow gods love Revelstoke, dumping anywhere between 12 and 18m (40-60ft) of high-quality snow throughout the winter. Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) often sees slightly lower snowfall amounts, averaging about 10m at the start of Spring. This is not the dense concrete that typically falls on the coast. The mountains around Revelstoke typically get near-champagne powder, which is quite the feat given the snow amounts that hammer the area. It’s not uncommon to find a snowpack height of 2-4m in the alpine, perfect for covering all those nasty rocks. What might be a cliff in the summer becomes a smooth slope come mid-winter.

Let’s put it that way: powder skiing and endless faceshots in the Revelstoke backcountry are guaranteed. Due to storms tracking west to east across BC, starting from the Pacific and orographic lifting, the Monashee Mountains (west of Revelstoke) see 20-30% more snowfall than the Selkirk Mountains (east of Revelstoke). After a large storm, I usually head straight for the Monashees to revel in exceptionally DEEP powder skiing and strenuous trailbreaking.

Being an inland temperate rainforest, the temperatures in town typically hover around the 0C mark. Most seasons, my shovel gathers dust in the shed’s corner. However, the picture is a little more complicated. As you rise in elevation, the temperatures tend to drop. Typical alpine temperatures range from -5 °C to -15 °C, with the odd February cold snap delivering a shivering -25 °C. Essentially, be prepared for a wide range of temperatures as you’re ski touring in the Revelstoke area.

A Long Ski Touring Season In Revelstoke

The ski touring season in Revelstoke starts in mid-October for the true keeners out there. With the forestry road network reaching as high as 1800m, you can park right by the snow in places like the McCrae Glacier or Joss Mountain. The forest service roads near Revelstoke are typically pretty rough and require a high-clearance, 4×4 vehicle equipped with a UHF radio and tire chains. It’s easy to get caught in a storm mid-tour and come back to steep, snow-covered roads. Beware of the rock sharks hidden under the shallow snowpack at that time of the year. I purposefully seek out spots with a smooth summer ground cover to avoid patching my bases like a full-time ski tech.

The backcountry ski season ends in mid-April, though some avid adventurers drag it into May around high mountain passes such as Rogers Pass. You’ll need good hiking shoes, ski crampons and skin wax for those warm, late-spring ski tours. Expect valley bottom approaches to be extra icy. The ski resort is operational from December to late April. Its ski lifts allow you to access its amazing backcountry terrain.

The Town & The Community

Just off the Trans-Canada Highway, the town of Revelstoke is equal parts vibrant and quaint. Now with a population of more than 8000, it has a rich 130-year history as the epicentre of the logging and the railroad industries in the British Columbia Interior. Its downtown core is lined with heritage homes and restored buildings, adding to the quaint atmosphere. The Revelstoke Museum & Archives is a great place to plunge into the town’s history, starting with its foundation in 1885 during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Its walls are covered with an impressive amount of old photos and literature.

You’d be wrong in thinking Revelstoke is quiet – this town is no slouch during our busy season. It’s bustling with everything from eager adventurers to eclectic hippies. You’ll find a bustling art scene, with the visual arts center and a community gallery. Revelstoke’s downtown is complete with a diverse array of restaurants, bars and even a distillery, Monashee Spirits. A few minutes out of town, you’ll stumble across the Begbie Brewery, our local beer producer. Revelstoke somehow strikes the perfect balance of adventure, amenities, and serenity, an ideal spot for adventurers and foodies alike.

The Avalanche Hazard

The avalanche hazard is always on my mind when ski touring in Revelstoke. The combination of steep terrain and considerable snowfall results in a higher avalanche likelihood. Unlike the ski resort, the Revelstoke backcountry is uncontrolled and wild! It’s no surprise that the two bodies that delve into the recreational and professional avalanche sector, Avalanche Canada and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA), decided to call Revelstoke home. Revelstoke sees by far the most avalanches in Canada. Consequently, its complex terrain and high avalanche likelihood make backcountry travel a serious endeavour, requiring expert terrain management and avalanche skills. In a perfect world, all backcountry skiers and splitboarders would have avalanche and first aid training. Short of that, I recommend hiring an ACMG ski or mountain guide to explore our challenging playground. They know the area best and where the powder skiing might be found. Trick statement – it’s nearly everywhere you look.

As with any other mountain range, the Selkirks and Monashees will harbour the classic avalanche problems such as storm/wind slabs and cornices. However, you’ll also find an especially nasty snow grain: surface hoar. Formed during clear, cold and relatively calm weather, surface hoar forms at the – you guessed it – snowpack’s surface in areas where there’s no tree cover. Surface hoar often appears at treeline and below treeline elevations (approximately 1400-2100m) as it requires all of the factors to grow. In the avalanche world, this leads to a persistent slab problem that can lurk for weeks, if not months and can produce large, destructive avalanches.

The Ski Touring Zones

If you’re not already sold on the great skiing around this town, here’s why. Revelstoke is surrounded by four distinct ski touring zones that consistently deliver the good times. They are either accessible by road or ski lifts, and each adds a different flavour to the ski touring or splitboarding experience. If you’re looking for a wicked ski-mountaineering trip, I recommend you pay Rogers Pass a visit.

Mt Macpherson Backcountry

I sometimes think the slopes of Mt Macpherson rose from tectonic activity for the sole purpose of offering skiers an ideal playground. Along with Mt Begbie, the two summits of the Monashees preside beautifully over Revelstoke. A short drive down Highway 23S will lead you to the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Lodge, where the adventure truly starts. With a parking lot at 650m, the skiing here begins after Christmas when the climate is cold enough for the lower slopes to be caked in snow. Most of the accessible ski touring routes are located on the peaks’ E-NE flank.

To the South, you’ll find the Fingers and The Womb, two very popular routes for good reasons. The Fingers offers a short approach with some featured open path skiing. By far, the most accessible route in the area, it’s very popular for pre-work ski touring laps with the dog in tow. The word says it all. Those treeless hallways are avalanche paths with frequent activity. Keep that in mind when spending a considerable time in the area. Accessed by climbing up the Fingers, The Womb is a fulfilling run consisting of a large avalanche path flanked by classic Monashee tree skiing, chock full of backcountry booters and hidden chutes. Once at its top, the summit of Mt Macpherson is an hour’s climb away – an extra 350m of vertical gain up its SE face. The two lines can be linked to form a 1560m descent.

To the North, Burnt and Fuzzy Knob, two obvious bumps, offer a mix of open path and pleasant tree skiing. The fun terrain justifies the longer trek up one of Mt Macpherson’s skid roads. Burnt Knob’s slightly longer approach rewards you with two wicked avalanche paths that can be skied in decent snowpack stability. It’s a great place to visit during a storm when the higher elevations are shrouded in fog.

Mt Begbie Backcountry

Mt Begbie is by far the town’s most recognizable summit. Its vast SE shoulder, the Begbie Shoulder, is a prime ski touring zone, with quality Monashee-style glades of old-growth forests, steep treeline chutes and open cut blocks. The snowpack is typically much deeper here than across the Columbia River in the Selkirks. However, the amazing terrain comes with a downside. The access isn’t for the faint of heart. Reaching the shoulder requires at least a 1300m vertical gain. Most folks access the zone by riding a snowmobile up the Begbie Forest Service Road (FSR) and ski touring from a high point.

Climbing Mt Begbie is an absolute classic. The 2743m peak, towering over Revelstoke, can be conquered in a day on foot starting at the Mt Begbie Trailhead, but most residents benefit from using a snowmobile to climb the Mt Begbie FSR and skip the low-elevation bushwhack. Without a mechanized crutch, it’s a considerable ski-mountaineering achievement with a 2070m elevation gain. Thankfully, you’ll be rewarded with incredible summit views, a short rappel, and a fun ski descent down the Polar Bear Glacier.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort Lift-Accessed Backcountry

It’s paramount to visit the RMR backcountry when ski touring in Revelstoke. Beyond Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s rope line, located below the south slopes of Mt Mackenzie, you’ll find flawless backcountry ski terrain offering endless possibilities. From Montana Bowl to Ghost Peak, there’s something for everyone. You’ll be weaving through trees in South Bowl and skiing large alpine slopes in Montana Bowl & Kokanee Bowl. Below Montana Bowl, you’ll find some man-made tree skiing, Montana Trees, remnants of a defunct cat ski operation, which closed its doors when the resort saw its first visitors. You’ll have to purchase a lift ticket at the resort’s base to access its backcountry terrain. Beware: the avalanche hazard inbounds is controlled by professionals, while the out-of-bounds (backcountry) slopes are not! Avalanche training is paramount in such terrain.

North of the main ridge, formed by Mt Mackenzie, Montana Peak and Kokanee Peak, lies Highway Bowl. The alpine cirque offers steep, technical lines for the daring backcountry skiers and splitboarders. This also comes with its fair share of hazards. The ridge’s north aspect is crowned by a large cornice, which has caused numerous accidents over the years. Across Mt Mackenzie and the in-bounds Greely Bowl, you’ll find Greely Trees. The zone offers ultra-fun tree skiing in old-growth forest. The forest here is magical.

Far from the crowded slopes of Montana Peak, you’ll stumble across Ghost Peak. Not only is its name fundamentally cool, but the summit sticks out of the landscape like a sore thumb. The day trip is not for the faint of heart. The ski-mountaineering endeavour involves a 17km, 1500m round-trip trek to its summit, crossing most peaks within the Revelstoke Mountain Resort backcountry. The ascent up its SW face typically requires ski crampons as it gets hammered by prevailing winds. It’s a classic that most Revelstoke ski bums aspire to complete.

McCrae Peak Backcountry

Located 22km SE of Revelstoke, McCrae Peak is a great early-season ski touring area when you need your powder fix in October. It’s also a fantastic option for late Spring corn turns. Accessed through the Akolkolex FSR network, the hour-long drive requires a high-clearance 4×4 vehicle equipped with a UHF radio and tire chains. Radio communication on the forestry road network is paramount to avoid potentially fatal collisions. As long as the road is snow-free, you’ll be able to access McCrae Peak’s vast backcountry terrain.

Even better, the parking lot is located at 1800m, making the area even more accessible with our scrawny early-season legs. The forested slopes offer exciting tree skiing, weaving through ancient forest. The peak is crowned by the McCrae Glacier, accessed by ascending its mellow west ridge. The ridge is bounded by smooth, grassy slopes, offering safe skiing in shallow snowpack conditions.

Questions Are Welcomed!

From the ultra-accessible, uncontrolled slopes beyond the resort to the Mt McCrae’s early season hotspot to chase those October turns, ski touring in Revelstoke triggers the adventurer in all of us. If you’re unsure about the terrain ahead or lack the crucial avalanche management skills, hire an ACMG ski or mountain guide for the day. They’ll suss out the good snow and minimize your exposure to all mountain hazards. If you’re looking for accessible ski-mountaineering, I recommend driving to Roger Pass, famous for its crevassed glaciers and long alpine descent from the 3000-meter summits.

I love questions about Revelstoke and Rogers Pass. Please message me through my Contact Page or via Instagram. I’ll do my best to fulfill your requests promptly and accurately! Next winter, I hope I’ll see you cruising through our stunning backcountry playground.