Open to All
at Swain Resort
A volunteer-led morning of uphill skiing and splitboarding on Swain’s uphill route, for everyone. $25, $10 or free, three dates January to March, no uphill experience needed.
What the day is
Built for everyone, this is a welcoming day of uphill skiing and splitboarding. Join us for a lap up the mountain to dial in your core skills, trade tips, and meet your next touring partners. We foster an inclusive, empowering space with a strict no-drop policy: we move together, we never rush, and the group always sets the pace.
2027 is Inclusive Ski Touring’s first season in New York, and these three days are our first at Swain Resort. Everything on this page is as we have it with Swain today; if a detail changes before your day, your confirmation email carries it.
It covers our program: the volunteer-led lap, with the group. It does not cover Swain’s $25 uphill ticket, bought ahead online or at the window on the day, a rental if you need one (there are no uphill rentals at Swain or nearby, so bring your own setup or one rented before you travel), or lunch.
Swain Resort, Swain, NY, hosts three IST days in 2027, our first in New York, all Open to All: January 17, February 13 and March 20. Swain’s own uphill travel policy, for touring there on your own, is on swain.com.
The day, from 8:30am
- 8:30 to 9:00amCheck in at the IST table in the lodge. The volunteers help with skins and the switch to climb mode.
- 9:00am, outsideIntroductions: your name, what brought you, where you usually ski or ride, and whether you have toured before. Then skins on.
- The climbUp Mile Sweep together, regrouping as we go. Timing from here depends on the group.
- The topSkins off, bindings locked, about 15 minutes. Then down the groomed trail together to the base.
- Back at the baseThe program ends here, late in the morning.
8:30 to 9:00am on every date, at the IST table in the lodge. Be ready to start the tour at 9:00am. Book online any time up to check-in that morning.
A day runs in most winter weather, and snow days are often the best days. If Swain Resort closes the uphill route for the morning, or conditions make the day unsafe, we cancel and you get a full IST credit. On a hard day the volunteers may shorten the lap.
What comes after
The program you book ends back at the base after the lap. Two things tend to follow it on our days, and both are optional.
The lodge
An IST volunteer stays in the lodge for an hour or so afterward. Come in, warm up, ask the questions you did not get to on the climb, and get to know the people you climbed with.
A second lap
Some volunteers and participants go up again, and anyone is welcome to join them. It is a lap, not a program: sometimes a volunteer brings a topic for the way up, sometimes it is simply more touring. It has happened on its own on our days for years; we are telling you now so you can plan to tour more if you want to.
The uphill route, on the map
Our CalTopo map of Swain’s uphill route, Lower Mile Sweep to Upper Mile Sweep, base lodge to summit. The volunteers follow it on the day, and you can follow along on your own phone.
Mile Sweep is one of Swain’s designated uphill trails, the same ones you would use touring there on your own. Open the map before your day if you like; nobody needs it to find the way.
Pick a date
Book online any time up to check-in that morning. One person per booking. Ages 12 and over; under 18 with your own parent or guardian, who signs up too.
Pick a date and the booking calendar below opens on it.
inclusive10 at checkoutinclusive at checkoutNo questions asked. Every price is the same day on snow.
Plans change, and we keep it simple. Cancel 72 hours or more before your program day and we give you an IST credit for the full amount, good for a year on any IST program. Inside 72 hours there is no credit or refund: by then your spot cannot be filled and the day is planned around you. If IST cancels the day, for weather or any other reason, you get a full IST credit. Free-tier spots simply cancel; please do, so someone else can have the day. Refunds are given only for a medical reason: email info@inclusiveskitouring.org and we will refund the day on your word, no paperwork. Cancel from the link in your confirmation email.
Three prices, one day
An on-resort day with us is $25. If $25 would keep you home, choose $10 or free instead. The price is about what fits your year, not what you get: every price is the same day, the same group, the same volunteers. We take your word for it.
At the going rate, a day like this is worth about $150 a person. Members, sponsors and donors help close the gap between that and what you pay, and we raise the rest however we can. That money is what keeps the free option open on every day, pays our guides fairly, covers the insurance and permits that let us run at all, and takes us to new mountains each season.
If you have room to put more toward it, you can add a gift when you book, make a donation any time, or become a member and cover your own days and someone else's all season. Your uphill ticket or pass, where the mountain needs one, and any rental are separate.
Which price is yours? An imperfect guide
The honest answer is whichever one you can pay without thinking twice, and if you land between two, either one is right. $25 is for you if you meet your basic needs most months and have some money left over; if you can eat out, see a show or replace a worn-out glove without planning around it. $10 is for you if money is tighter this year than it was; if $25 is doable but it would mean skipping something else; if you are a student, between jobs or working part time and not by choice. Free is for you if money is tight, or you are not sure it will stretch to the season; if other people depend on what you earn; if there is little or nothing left at the end of most months. We would be glad to see you, and nobody will ask. Basic needs means food, housing, transportation and health care.
Gear and rentals
What to bring
- A helmet (required)
- Layers for a cold start and a warm climb
- Water and a snack
- A small pack for the layers you take off
- Sunglasses or goggles, gloves
- Your touring setup, yours or rented; skins included
The rental size guide helps with the shop.
Where to rent
There are no uphill rentals at Swain. We recognize that at Swain, uphill gear access (rental gear) is a limiting factor at this location, without any options nearby. We are actively working on a solution for this for the future and will provide updates when we do. For now, bring your own touring setup or one rented before you travel; the shops that give IST participants a rate are on the gear and rentals page, and the volunteers show you how it works at check-in.
Led by IST volunteers
Five IST volunteers lead every Swain Resort day. They check you in, help with skins and the switch between climb and ski mode, set the pace on the climb and stay with the group all the way down.
Our volunteers are uphillers from western New York and the Finger Lakes who came to IST the same way you are, many on a day like this one. If you would like to be one of them next season, the volunteer page is where to start.
Introductions include your pronouns if you want to share them. The day is a welcoming space for everyone on it, and negative attitudes or judgment toward others are not part of it. Questions are always welcome; not knowing something is the point of coming.
What people said after their day
“The Open to All program was great! Met wonderful participants and volunteers. Very welcoming and a great introduction to alpine ski touring.”
Jared Nussbaum, Google review
“As a novice, it was reassuring to have someone explain the equipment use, set up and safe handling. It made it possible to access the snow without as much fear or worry.”
Open to All participant, 2026 survey
Before you book
Do I need to have toured before?
No. Everyone, no uphill experience needed. The volunteers show you how skins go on and come off, how to move on them, and how to switch your bindings into climb mode, and the group moves together.
How hard is the descent?
Swain’s groomed blue square trails, as a group, regrouping as we go. You need to ski or ride blue squares in control on your own: we are not downhill instructors, and an injury on the descent goes to ski patrol.
Do I need an uphill ticket?
Yes, from Swain: a $25 uphill ticket, bought ahead online or at the ticket window on the day.
Can I bring my kid?
Ages 12 and over. Anyone under 18 comes with their own parent or guardian, who signs up too and agrees to the waiver with them.
Do I have to stay after the lap?
No. The program ends back at the base after the lap. The lodge and a second lap are there if you want them, and you decide on the spot.
What if the weather is bad?
The day runs in most winter weather. If Swain Resort closes the uphill route or conditions make the day unsafe, we cancel and you get a full IST credit.
Can I come alone?
Most people do. The group is small, the volunteers are with you all day, and the no-drop pace means nobody is left behind. Introductions at 9:00am are how the group becomes a group.
What if I have to cancel?
Plans change, and we keep it simple. Cancel 72 hours or more before your program day and we give you an IST credit for the full amount, good for a year on any IST program. Inside 72 hours there is no credit or refund: by then your spot cannot be filled and the day is planned around you. If IST cancels the day, for weather or any other reason, you get a full IST credit. Free-tier spots simply cancel; please do, so someone else can have the day. Refunds are given only for a medical reason: email info@inclusiveskitouring.org and we will refund the day on your word, no paperwork. Cancel from the link in your confirmation email.
What happens after I book?
Your confirmation comes from us right away. A week before your day you get an email with where to meet, what to bring and where to rent near you. The day after, a short survey (under 5 minutes), and you are welcome back on any program.
Where do I rent a setup?
Not at Swain, and not nearby. We recognize that at Swain, uphill gear access (rental gear) is a limiting factor at this location, without any options nearby. We are actively working on a solution for this for the future and will provide updates when we do. Bring your own touring setup or one rented before you travel; the gear and rentals page lists the shops that give IST participants a rate.
