Women’s Intro to Ski / Snowboard Mountaineering
on Mt. Washington, NH
A guided day learning to move on steep, firm snow with crampons and an ice axe, for women, with a woman guide. $175 with the crampons and ice axe included, one date in March, prior touring required.
What the day is
Designed to take you beyond fundamental backcountry travel, our Women’s Intro to Ski / Snowboard Mountaineering program is run for women by a woman guide to provide a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment to learn practical skills for steeper ascents: crampon and ice axe use, pack carries, technical footwork, transitions, and reading slope angles on a CalTopo map. We travel to the base of steep alpine zones to practice these fundamentals in a focused 30- to 50-foot area right at the bottom, prioritizing hands-on skill-building and safety over covering ground. This is not an avalanche course and does not teach self-arrest: you do not need a beacon, shovel, or probe, as this curriculum is built to complement, not replace, the formal avalanche training required to enter this terrain on your own.
Your $175 covers your guide for the day, an IST volunteer, the crampons and ice axe you use, and the day on the mountain from start to finish. It does not cover a touring rental if you need one (from the two shops below), lunch, lodging, or getting yourself to Pinkham Notch. One full scholarship on every Women's Intro to Ski / Snowboard Mountaineering day: apply by December 15 and name up to three days that work for you. Apply for a scholarship.
The day, from 7:30am
- 7:15amCheck in at the fire pit in front of the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and meet your guide, the IST volunteer and the group. Arrive in your street shoes carrying your ski or snowboard boots, and leave your skis or splitboard outside: crampons get fitted inside or at the fire pit, not at your car.
- 7:30am, inside or at the fire pitCrampons fitted to your boots and checked by the guide, the ice axe and crampons stowed on your pack, and a short look at the route map and where the slope gets steep. This takes real time, on purpose.
- About 8:45amOnto the trail: up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the split, then up toward the practice area.
- At the practice areaThe steps going up and down, the ice axe, carrying skis or a splitboard on your pack, moving as a group, transitions between skis and crampons, and a talk through long sliding falls and how to avoid them (a discussion on the day, not something we practice).
- The way outBack the way we came to the John Sherburne Ski Trail, then down to Pinkham as a group.
- By 3:00pm at the latestBack at Pinkham.
Every date starts at 7:30am, for crampon fitting. Check in at 7:15am.
The Northeast's weather and snow change fast. Where we practice is the guides' call on the day: below steeper terrain where they judge it reasonable, otherwise the steep pitch of the John Sherburne Ski Trail. A day runs in most winter weather. We cancel only when safety is significantly compromised, and then you get a full IST credit.
The route, on the map
Our CalTopo map of the day: up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the split, then up to the practice area, Hillman’s or Huntington Ravine, the guides’ call on the day, and down to the John Sherburne Ski Trail. The slope angle shading is on when the map opens: reviewing it before the day is part of the course, and your guide uses it to show where terrain gets steep enough for crampons and an axe. Both practice areas are projected and subject to change: we are still looking for practice spots further from avalanche terrain, and your prep email carries the plan for your date.
Your prep email brings a CalTopo pro trial code: no credit card, nothing to cancel. Open the map before your day; we will use it at Pinkham before we head out.
Pick a date
Booking closes 48 hours before your day. One person per booking. 18 and over.
Pick the date and the booking calendar below opens on it.
Two days on Mt. Washington, March 27 and 28
A backcountry weekend for women: Intro to Backcountry on the Saturday, Intro to Ski / Snowboard Mountaineering on the Sunday.
Pick the Sunday above and add the Saturday at checkout: one booking, both days. Either day also books on its own. Lodging options for the weekend, the CoHo Hostel and the Northeast Mountaineering Bunkhouse among them, are on the Lodging page and in your confirmation email.
Our guides plan every day around the group, so here is how cancellations work. 30 days or more before your day: a full refund. 29 days to 72 hours before: an IST credit for the full amount, good for a year on any IST program. Inside 72 hours: no credit or refund. If IST cancels the day, for conditions or any other reason: a full IST credit. A medical emergency inside 72 hours: email info@inclusiveskitouring.org and we will issue an IST credit. Scholarship days follow the scholarship terms. Cancel from the link in your confirmation email.
Gear and rentals
What to bring
- A helmet (required)
- Your touring skis or splitboard, boots, skins and poles, yours or rented
- A pack that carries your skis or splitboard and has an ice axe loop (the specs are below)
- Layers for a cold start and a windy slope
- Water and lunch
- Sunglasses or goggles, warm gloves
The full list is on the packing guide.
A 30 to 45 liter pack with a ski carry or a splitboard carry, and an ice axe loop with a keeper for the shaft. A helmet carry helps. Most ski touring and ski mountaineering packs have all of this; a daypack with no side straps does not. No pack that carries skis or a board? White Mountain Ski Co. rents them.
A-frame ski carry: a ski on each side strap, tips lashed together.
Splitboard carry: the board upright on the back panel under two straps.
In use: skis on a diagonal carry above the practice area.
Where to rent
Crampons and an ice axe are ours and included. If you need a touring setup, both shops give IST participants a discounted rate, and how to get it is in your confirmation email when you sign up. Reserve ahead: both shops run out on good weekends.
Your guide
Mack Connor
Guiding and instructing since 2019, Mack Connor is originally from Cape Cod, MA, and did not have access to mountains growing up. Her passion for outdoor education began at the University of Maine, where she studied Environmental Science and Outdoor Leadership while instructing rock climbing, paddling and mountaineering trips with Maine Bound Adventure Center. After a Master's in Teaching she instructed for Acadia Mountain Guides and broke into ski guiding. In between guiding and outdoor pursuits, Mack teaches science in Bethel.
Certifications and credentials
- AMGA Single Pitch Instructor
- AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Training
- Registered Maine Guide
- Paradox Sports Adaptive Climbing Initiative
- WMA Wilderness First Responder
- American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor
- ACA Level 4 Swiftwater Rescue
- NAMI Youth Mental Health First Aider
- M.A.T. in Science Teaching; B.S. Environmental Sciences, minor in Outdoor Leadership
What people said after their day
“I just completed my fourth tour with IST and always leave in the best mood. These tours bring outdoor lovers together in a supportive environment.”
Women's Intro to Backcountry participant, 2026 survey
“Everything. Mack was especially wonderful, her email prior was very informative. The volunteers were so kind and supportive. It inspires me to think about volunteering once my uphill skills get more solid.”
Intro to Backcountry participant, 2026 survey
Before you book
I have never used crampons or an ice axe. Is that fine?
Yes. We plan as if nobody has ever touched either. Fitting, carrying and using both is the day.
Do I need to have toured before?
Yes. An Intro to Backcountry day or the equivalent, days of skinning and transitioning to downhill on your own, so the day can spend its time on what is new.
How steep does it get?
We practice below steep terrain on a short slope, never on the steep ground itself, and the ski out is the Intro to Backcountry route. The double black diamond, ungroomed floor is about the descent and about being solid on your feet on firm snow.
What if the weather is bad?
The day runs in most winter weather; that is part of what you learn. If conditions make the route unsafe, your guide calls it and IST issues a full credit.
Where do I stay?
The Northeast Mountaineering Bunkhouse is fourteen minutes from Pinkham Notch and gives IST participants a discount with the code in your prep email. More lodging partners are on the Lodging page.
Can I come alone?
Most people do. The group is small, your guide and an IST volunteer are with you all day, and the no-drop pace means nobody is left behind.
What if I have to cancel?
Our guides plan every day around the group, so here is how cancellations work. 30 days or more before your day: a full refund. 29 days to 72 hours before: an IST credit for the full amount, good for a year on any IST program. Inside 72 hours: no credit or refund. If IST cancels the day, for conditions or any other reason: a full IST credit. A medical emergency inside 72 hours: email info@inclusiveskitouring.org and we will issue an IST credit. Scholarship days follow the scholarship terms. 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 the prep email with where to meet, what to bring, the CalTopo route map link and your trial code. Two days before, your guide emails you the plan for the day. Then the day itself, your guide's follow-up email within a day, and the day-after survey.
