What's in Your Ski Guide's Pack?

Breaking trail high above the Hilda Hut during another great day of backcountry skiing in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. Photo © Zeb Blais.

Want to know what's in an IFMGA Ski Guide's pack for a British Columbia Lodge trip? Head Blackbird Guide, Zeb Blais, spills the beans, and the contents of his pack, for guiding each day in Canada's Columbia mountains.

Contents of an IFMGA ski guide's pack for lodge-based ski touring in British Columbia. Photo © Zeb Blais/Blackbird Mountain Guides.

In backcountry skiing, what we carry in our packs is critical. Often far from the shelter and comfort of civilization, we must decide which items are essential and which items don't make the cut. Bringing too much into the backcountry can handicap us and make it difficult to cover ground and can increase the likelihood of fatigue and injury. Bringing too little can mean compromising safety and comfort.

In this article, I list all of the things I bring into the field each day for a typical, non-glaciated ski tour on a British Columbia Ski Lodge trip. For context, this is the daily kit I used for ski guiding on a recent trip to Hilda Hut in the Selkirk Mountains of BC, about 2.5 hours south of Revelstoke and 2.5 hours North of Nelson. The weather for the week was mild - typically in the mid-twenties Fahrenheit and the layering shown above was what I packed most days. During colder snaps, I brought an additional synthetic puffy jacket and warmer, heavyweight insulated gloves.

What's in Your Ski Guide's Pack? Blackbird Mountain Guides BC Ski Lodge Edition
Item #	Description	Details
1	Pack	Raide Research LF40. A purpose built pack for ski touring and ski mountaineering with novel features that improve efficiency in ski touring and ski mountaineering. My favorite features are: 1. Back Panel Access 2. Probe pocket 3. Shovel pocket 4. the built-in helmet holder that stores skins when the helmet is deployed for the descent. An excellent pack for people who log more hours on pin bindings than ripping resort laps.
2	Waterproof Bag	Light, waterproof stuff sack to keep first aid kit and repair kit contents dry and functional, even in stormy weather. This one is just a roll-up Tyvek bag with taped seams.
3	First Aid Kit	Comprehensive First Aid Kit. See Post for details.
4	Repair Kit	Comprehensive Repair Kit. See Post for details.
5	Ski Straps	Two Ski Straps - 1 is an extra long 28" strap that can perform a number of repair and rescue tasks, including securing the windlass on an improvised tourniquet. The other is a regular 24" strap for putting skis on the pack for extended boot packs and miscellaneous rescue and repair tasks.
6	Rescue Sled / Guide Tarp	"Bruce Wayne Rescue Sled" Lightweight Rescue Sled for emergency extrications in the field - See Mountain Sense for Details. Sometimes I carry an Alpine Threadworks guide tarp, which weighs a lot more, but arguably has more utility in certain rescue scenarios.
7	Shovel	Mammut Alugator Pro Light Hoe. A solid avalanche shovel with a large blade and extendable handle for mid-winter trips. Mid-winter ski touring in serious avalanche terrain is not the right place to skimp on shovel weight!
8	6mm Cord/Carabiners	6mm Cord and Camp Nano 22 Carabiners. Rescue sled rigging, "fishing" for ridges and features in whiteout conditions, and many other miscellaneous uses
9	Ski Crampons	Dynafit Ski Crampons...only bring when necessary :) I use these for super slippery skin tracks when thick crusts or frozen slopes have made skinning more challenging than not using crampons. They fit nicely into the ice tool holder on the Raide LF30/40 if you have one or less ice axes.
10	Snow Saw	BCA Snow Saw - this is great for snowpack tests, but I carry this in BC for cutting away branches in the event of a tree well fall and other miscellaneous uses
11	Helmet	Mammut Haute Route Helmet.
12	Warm Hat	Thin, skull cap style hat for added warmth under the helmet. This can be a thicker hat for colder conditions.
13	Buff	Buff neck gaiter for cold conditions or extra head warmth.
14	Avalanche Probe	Speed Lock 280 Carbon - a nice lightweight probe with enough length for any snowpack.
15	Sun Hat	Blackbird Summit Cap - a stylish synthetic hat with no "button" on top allows it to fit perfectly under a ski helmet.
16	2 Way Radio	Dual Band Radio for communication with the lodge, other ski guides and skiers within the Group. The Icom ID-50 is an expensive but versatile radio that performs well in the field.
17	Goggles	POC Vitrea Goggles and extra lens.
18	Mid Weight Gloves	Mid Weight Gore-Tex Gloves like the North Face Summit Patrol GTX SG. These insulated gloves provide warmth and coverage for cold days and snowy descents while maintaining excellent dexterity.
19	Light Gloves	The North Face Extra Light Gloves. Dexterous leather gloves with light insulation on the back of palms, perfect for skinning and protecting hands.
20	Light Gloves (Spare)	Mammut Astro Light Gloves. Synthetic palms/fingers breath well and dry quickly and are cooler than leather in warm conditions.
21	Battery Bank	10,000 mah Battery bank and cable for charging phone and headlamp. Running out of batteries is a major concern during rescues and can be critical in whiteout navigation with phone navigation
22	Satellite Communicator	Zoleo Satellite Communicator. Carrying this less now with Samsung Satellite Messaging capability, but depending on the environment I still bring InReach or Zoleo.
23	Headlamp	Petzl Swift RL 1300 lumen headlamp. A life saver if your ski tour takes a turn for a longer than expected adventure.
24	Softshell Jacket	The North Face Chamlang Softshell Jacket. This softshell is great for protection against light snow and wind while providing breathability and ease of movement. A preferred layer if high pressure prevails and weather is mild.
25	Puffy Jacket	The North Face Breithorn Down Hoody. This is an excellent lightweight layer for transitions and moderately cold weather. In temps below 15 to 20F (-10 to -7C), I would bring another insulating layer in addition to the Breithorn or a thicker puffy like the North Face Pumori Jacket.
26	Fleece Top	The North Face Future Fleece top. The future fleece has excellent warmth to weight ratio as well as comfort and ease of movement. A great layer over the base layer. On mid-winter British Columbia ski tours, this layer stays on for the entire day.
27	Shell Jacket	The North Face Mountain Pro Hardshell Jacket. The Mountain Pro is an amazing hardshell jacket with great pockets, rugged construction and light weight. It's the perfect blend of functionality and light weight for daily ski touring use. I use this jacket in cold weather and when it's snowing or forecast to snow. The hood fits well with a helmet or can be cinched down without a helmet
28	Thermos	GSI half liter thermos with a drinking cup keeps hot drinks hot all day providing a perfect "pick-me-up" for cold, stormy days!
29	Water Bottle	Yes, this is just an empty Gatorade bottle. A lightweight, low volume bottle that doesn't take up a lot of room or weigh down the pack is what I prefer!
30	Sun Screen & Lip Balm	A 1 oz squeeze tube of sunscreen that holds the perfect amount for single to 5 day trips when applying to face and hands and lip balm with SPF 15+.
31	Skins	Pomoca Free Pro Skins with 4-Lock. Super compact skins with an innovative attachment technology for 4FRNT skis. The 4-Lock system significantly shortens the skin length, reducing bulk and weight without sacrificing performance while skiing.

Curious why I chose certain layers or pieces of gear? Reach out and let me know what you're curious about!

About the Author

Zeb Blais is an American / IFMGA Mountain Guide based in North Lake Tahoe, California. The Selkirks and Monashees of British Columbia are some of Zeb's favorite places to ski and each winter he spends a few weeks sampling the various snow surfaces that make BC a world renowned ski destination. Sharing the snow and terrain of British Columbia with friends and clients is one of his favorite perks of the job!