PRICING

PRICING FOR GUIDING (2023/24)

Prices do not include 5% GST or gratuities.

Guide base rate – $650 per day, one or two guests.
Additional guests – climbing: $125/guest, skiing: $85/guest
Premiums – $50-$350/day (depending on scope of objective)
Discounts – for shoulder season and short days enquire for details.
Multi-day trips – enquire for a custom quote; usually priced at $600/day for one or two guests, plus expenses.
Short day rate – $400 (minimum; contact us for details). Sometimes a short day is warranted, e.g. local cragging, crevasse or rock rescue instruction, companion rescue, etc. If a guide is required for less than 5 hours then this is our minimum charge. This is also the rate we charge for last-minute custom day-trip cancellations.

To give you an idea of what to expect, a day of multi pitch rock climbing that lasts about 8 hours with a single client would cost $600 (i.e. the 8-pitch rock route Ballista). A long alpine day with two guests that is about 15 hours car to car would cost $1150 ($600 base rate, $100 for the extra guest, $250 for the long day, i.e. Lefroy or Fay in a day). A Wapta traverse runs around $1900-2100 per person depending on the number of days (4-6 is typical) and other factors. Contact us for a quote. Hut based trips are a bit more complicated and depend on the destination and are typically done on a per person cost except for exclusive bookings. For example, Burnie Glacier Chalet is currently $3095/person, and Selkirk Lodge is $3850 for one week including airport and transfer day shuttles, food, guiding, accommodation. Additional costs may apply for gear rental, if required.

GRATUITIES

There are always questions about gratuities. A hard working guide can be thanked in many ways, gratuities being one of them. Consider 5-10% of your trip fee if you feel like your guide has made a real effort to make your trip special, especially if he or she has provided you with loaner equipment, done important repairs, taken care of logistics, or helped you in any other way that seems to you to go above and beyond the call of duty. Gratuities are shared amongst the staff (guides, cooks, custodians and “Powder Slaves”) and are best given to the lead guide for your trip to take care of. Feel free to ask us about gratuities if you’re uncertain.

To pay a tip/gratuity the best is to bring cash with you. If you bank with a Canadian bank then you can send an E-transfer to each guide individually. And if you wish to pay with a credit card or bank transfer then you can go to pay.sawback.com to make an electronic payment using those methods. Thank-you!

MAXIMUM RATIOS

  • Technical climbing (multi-pitch, alpine) – 1:1 (recommended), 1:2
  • Ski touring, hiking, instruction – 1:10
  • General mountaineering – 1:5

FOOD

Tasty, nutritious mountain fare – $60/person/day for guests and guides (vegetarian or non-vegetarian diets). Special diets will be charged a premium, which is usually around $20 per day. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Our Resources page has details on backcountry traverse-style food typical of our trips.

EQUIPMENT

Technical climbing equipment is available free of charge with guide’s fee if necessary.

This does NOT include boots, shoes or other clothing or ski touring equipment. We may carry what you need; contact us for details and pricing chart. Check our Resources page for a list of rental shops in the area.

TRANSPORTATION, HUTS, PARK FEES

  • Guests are expected to provide transportation for the guide. If the guide’s vehicle is required a fee of $.40/km applies.
  • Depending on your specific mountain adventure there may be additional costs. Huts cost in the range of $15-50/night.
  • Contact us for the details.

BOOKING CONDITIONS

A deposit (usually 50%; specifics will be detailed on your invoice and in the trip information package) is payable in order to secure your trip dates. The remainder of the trip fee is typically payable 30-60 days in advance of the trip start date (trip dependant). If you cancel a trip your deposits are non-refundable, so you are advised to consider trip cancellation insurance. If we cancel a trip for any reason, all money you have deposited for a trip will be refunded in full.

PAYMENT FEES

There are a variety of ways to pay. There are fees associated with many ways of paying. See our Payment and Booking Conditions information page for details.

WAIVER, RELEASE OF LIABILITY

Release of Liability Waiver – you need to sign one of these before starting any trip with an ACMG guide. The waiver is a mechanism by which the risk associated with mountaineering and wilderness ski trips is transferred to those in a better position to bear (or insure against) that risk. It is recommended that all guests purchase travel and/or accident insurance. Your insurance broker can advise you as to what other types of insurance you may require, such as disability, evacuation, and life insurance.

Fee increases

Unfortunately our costs are subject to inflation, these days more than ever. This is especially the case with backcountry ski lodge rentals and helicopters. This is in part due to rising costs everywhere, but especially due to the laws of supply and demand. The popularity of ski touring is skyrocketing and there are only a handful of high end backcountry ski lodges available.

While we make every effort to forecast the prices of our trips accurately, we may need to increase our fees unexpectedly. Lodge rental fees in particular have become very hard to predict.

With these factors in mind, lodge trip bookings made more than 6 months in advance of the trip start date may be subject to unexpected price increases of up to 5%. If an increase greater than 5% is necessary, or if a fee increase is announced less than 6 months before your trip start date, then you will be provided with the opportunity to cancel your booking with a full refund of all payments made.