Ski and Snowboard Mountaineering on Mt. Washington, NH
What the day costs, all of it
Every cost for this program day
| Cost | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Our program fee | $175, or $225 with the technical gear | $175 is the program fee on its own. $225 is that fee plus the technical gear we require on this course: avalanche gear, crampons and an ice axe. A touring setup is not included in either, so if you do not own skis or a splitboard, boots and skins, that is a separate rental of about $50 a day. A scholarship covers the $175 fee only. |
| Uphill access | None | This is backcountry. There is no lift, no ticket and no pass to buy. |
| Touring gear rental, only if you need it | About $50 a day | From Mountain Sports Lab in North Conway or White Mountain Ski Co., reserved in advance. Splitboards available. Ask when you register and we will point you at the right shop. |
| Getting there and staying over | From about $30 a night | Optional. The Northeast Mountaineering Bunkhouse is fourteen minutes from Pinkham Notch and gives our participants 33% off with the code ISTBUNK. |
| Most you would pay for the day itself | About $275 | The $225 option, which is our fee plus the avalanche gear, crampons and ice axe, plus about $50 for a touring setup if you do not own one. The $225 does not include a touring setup. |
| Least you would pay | $50 | A scholarship covers the $175 fee. The technical gear and a touring setup are not covered, so the least is whatever gear you still have to rent. |
If our program fee is what would stop you joining us, apply for a backcountry scholarship and it covers the fee in full. There are ten each season, one pool shared across all four Intro to Backcountry days. The application is short and nobody will ask you for documentation. To be clear about what it does and does not cover: it covers our fee and nothing else. Rental gear is priced by the shop, so it is not ours to cover. The rental price in the table above is the discounted rate we negotiated for our participants. The checkout code inclusive is for our on-resort days and does not apply here.
The 2026 season is complete
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the mountain this year. Our 2026/27 dates are set in the fall. Join the newsletter and we will email you the morning registration opens, and again when scholarship applications open.
Get season updates2026/27 dates are posted
Dates go up in the fall and registration opens with them. Scholarship applications open at the same time. Join the newsletter and we will send you the link the morning it goes live.
Get notifiedBook your spot
Pick a date below. Our fee is $175, or $225 with the technical gear. If that is a barrier, one fully covered scholarship is available per program date on this course, and it covers the $175 program fee. Spaces are limited because these are guided days with a real guide-to-participant ratio.
What this is
A step past touring. A full day in bigger terrain on Mt. Washington, learning to use crampons and an ice axe and to move on steeper ground where the consequences of a fall are real. Depending on conditions we go to the Gulf of Slides, the Cog Railway, the East Snowfields, Oakes Gulf, or into the glades if the mountain says so. This is not a first day out. You should already be comfortable touring and descending in variable snow.
Our partner on this day
This course is run with Northeast Mountaineering, and it books through their system rather than ours. That means the confirmation email, the cancellation terms and the refund policy are theirs, not ours, so read them at checkout.
What is included
Professional guides, instruction from the trailhead up, and a group that moves at the pace of the group. Not included: rental gear if you need it, food, and getting yourself to Pinkham Notch.
Where we meet and the day of timeline
We meet at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, 361 New Hampshire Route 16, Gorham, New Hampshire 03581. Check-in is 9:45 in the morning. Most groups are back between 1:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon, depending on pace and conditions.
The route we use
We climb the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, about 2.4 miles with roughly 2,000 feet of gain, as far as the Hermit Lake shelters, and we descend the John Sherburne Ski Trail. This route deliberately stays out of avalanche terrain.
Cost, and what if money is tight
Our fee is $175. For $225 we add the technical gear this course requires, meaning avalanche gear, crampons and an ice axe. Neither figure includes a touring setup: if you need to rent skis or a splitboard, boots and skins, that is about $50 a day on top, from Mountain Sports Lab or White Mountain Ski Co. One fully covered scholarship is available per program date, and it covers the $175 program fee. It does not cover the technical gear or a touring rental. How to apply.
A comparable guided backcountry day runs $235 to $300, with a median of $255. Donors, sponsors and volunteers cover the difference so that the price on this page is what you actually pay.
What you need to be able to do already
You should already have toured, be comfortable descending in variable ungroomed snow, and be fit enough for a long day with sustained climbing. This is the one program where we ask for real prior experience. If you have not toured in the backcountry before, Intro to Backcountry is the day you want first.
Avalanche gear on this course
Unlike our Intro days, this course does require a beacon, shovel and probe, plus crampons and an ice axe. The $225 option is the $175 fee plus exactly that technical gear, and it does not include a touring setup, which is a separate rental if you need one. We strongly recommend pairing this course with avalanche education, because the terrain you are learning to travel on is terrain where decision-making matters more than equipment.
Renting gear
You do not need to own touring gear. Mountain Sports Lab in North Conway rents a full touring setup for about $50 a day, and White Mountain Ski Co. rents backcountry equipment including splitboards for about the same. Reserve ahead, because both shops run out on good weekends. Tell us you need to rent when you register and we will point you at the right shop.
What to bring
Weather-appropriate layers, a helmet, a 20 to 30 liter pack with a waist strap, water and food for the day. Mt. Washington makes its own weather and it is colder and windier than the valley, so bring more insulation than you think you need. The packing guide and the layering guide are written for exactly this day.
Cancellation and weather
Mt. Washington weather decides this, not us. Weather calls go out the evening before. If we cancel, for weather or any other reason, you are refunded in full.
If you need to cancel: with 48 hours notice or more, we will move you to another date or give you the fee back as IST credit, whichever you prefer. Inside 48 hours we cannot offer a refund, a credit or a reschedule, because the guide is booked and the spot can no longer be filled. Tell us as early as you can either way, so we can offer the place to somebody on the list.
Staying nearby
The Northeast Mountaineering Bunkhouse is fourteen minutes from Pinkham Notch and gives Inclusive Ski Touring participants 33% off with the code ISTBUNK. See Lodging and Accommodations for the rest of our lodging partners.
I really enjoyed the leave no person behind policy, because I'm usually the slowest person.Intro to Backcountry participant, 2026 season
Other ways into the backcountry
