Learn
Free guides to ski touring and splitboarding, written for anyone, whether or not you ever come out with us.
Four pages, in the order most people need them
Read what you need and skip what you know.
Ski touring and splitboarding, explained
Ski touring for skiers, splitboarding for snowboarders: how each one works, where it happens, on a resort and in the backcountry, and what you need to start.
Read it →Uphill etiquette on a resort
The habits that keep a resort’s uphill route safe and open, anywhere you tour: where to climb, how to stay visible, what to do around the groomers.
Read it →Uphill policies, by state
Every mountain sets its own uphill policy. We link to each mountain’s own page, state by state, with the directories that keep the national picture.
Read it →Avalanche Education
How avalanche education works in the US, where to start for free, and how to make an AIARE course affordable.
Read it →On snow, one step at a time
Reading gets you ready. The learning happens on snow, and our programs are built so that each one teaches the next thing. Take them in any order that fits you.
On-resort programs
A volunteer-led lap on a partner mountain’s uphill route: your setup, skins, the climb at a no-drop pace, the switch to ski or ride mode, the trail down. $25, $10 or free.
No uphill experience neededIntro to Backcountry
A guided first day on Mt. Washington: the trail, the pace, the gear and the group, on a route that stays out of avalanche terrain.
Guide-ledIntro to Ski / Snowboard Mountaineering
Crampons, an ice axe, carrying your skis or board, and the footwork for firm, steep snow, practiced low on the mountain.
Guide-ledAvalanche education
Avalanche courses are taught by AIARE and other providers, not by us, and nothing is required before the first one. We help with the cost.
Whenever you are readyYou never need one of our programs to take an avalanche course, and you never need an avalanche course to join one of our programs.
The plan, the map, and the day
Have a plan
Every good day uphill starts the night before. Before you drive:
- Read the mountain’s uphill policy: the route, the hours, the uphill pass or ticket it asks for, and whether the route is open that day. The policies page links every one.
- Know the route before you are on it, and know where you will turn around if the day goes sideways.
- Check the forecast for the summit, not the parking lot; the top is colder and windier.
- Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back, and carry a charged phone.
- In the backcountry, add the avalanche forecast, a partner, and the gear and training that terrain needs.
Know the route
A map on your phone keeps you on the route. The mountain’s uphill policy usually names its route; draw it on CalTopo yourself, or use one of ours below for the mountains where we run programs. Each of ours opens in the free CalTopo app and downloads as a GPX file for any mapping app, whether or not you come out with us.
Our program routes, as examples
These are the routes our programs use, all in the Northeast, mapped on CalTopo with distance and climb. Use them if you tour these mountains, or as an example of what a route map gives you. Anywhere else, start with the mountain’s uphill policy, which usually names its route.
Two short videos from CalTopo
CalTopo is the mapping tool behind every route map on this site. These two videos from CalTopo show the app and the website; a third, on the website basics, is on its way.
Opening a map, following your position on it, and what the layers mean.
Drawing a route on caltopo.com, then opening the map you made in the app.
Planning a backcountry tour? CalTopo’s How to Plan a Ski Tour series goes further, for anyone heading beyond the resort.
Before you read on
Do I need to read any of this before a program?
No. Everything a program needs is taught on the day, and your prep email carries the plan. These pages are for people who like to know what to expect, and for anyone touring on their own.
Which page should I read first?
Ski touring and splitboarding, explained if the sport is new to you. The etiquette page and the policies directory if you plan to tour a resort on your own. Avalanche Education when you are thinking about the backcountry.
Do you teach downhill skiing or riding?
No. Our programs teach the uphill. You need to know how to ski or ride well enough to make the descent safely and confidently; each program page says what that program asks.
I have a question none of these answer.
Email info@inclusiveskitouring.org and we will point you to the right step. The FAQs page covers booking, rentals and the day itself.
