Spearhead Traverse

Whistler’s famous Spearhead Traverse! An ultra-classic coastal ski tour, the Spearhead Traverse links up the Spearhead range behind Blackcomb Mountain with the Fitzsimmons Range of Whistler in a spectacular horseshoe shaped high-elevation traverse. The route has it all: 12 glaciers, 11 high alpine passes, 34 kms and some of the most spectacular mountain views around.

Bad weather, technical navigation and of course all those glaciers can make the traverse a bit intimidating. So let one of our experienced, ACMG Certified, guides manage the pretrip planning, navigation and route finding, the avalanche hazard assessment, and the glacier travel leaving you free to really savor the experience. You can take the opportunity to learn from the guide or simply enjoy traveling through the beautiful mountains & passes and camping under a clear winter sky and, hopefully, ski some epic powder runs.

While the trip can be done in a day by fit rando skiers, most groups spend 2-4 days on the route. We offer a few different options but the most popular is the 2-day traverse as it keeps the backpacks a little bit lighter without making the days too long.

Waiver & Risk Management:

As you know, outdoor activities involve numerous hazards including, but not limited to, avalanches, crevasses, rockfall, slips and falls, equipment failure, poor weather, etc. And while we do our best to anticipate and mitigate these hazards we cannot completely eliminate them. So, as with anything fun, you will be required to sign our Participant Release to take part in one of our courses or trips.

Itinerary

Typical 2 Day Trip:

Day 1:

On the morning of the first day we sign some waivers, review our gear and head up the lifts.
Once we top out on Blackcomb we head up and over the East Col and the adventure begins.
After a nice long day of touring we camp at the back end of the range by the MacBeth Glacier. Future home to the next Spearhead Hut.

Day 2:

The next morning, after some fresh coffee, we continue the traverse to the south and around Overlord & Fissile, past the new Kees & Claire Hut, and out the infamous Singing Pass Trail.

Typical 3 Day Trip:

Day 1:

7:30 am Meet at Blackcomb base area, check gear and sign waivers.
8:00 am Take the lift system up and out of the Blackcomb ski area.
Expect to travel 8 hours, with possible ascents and descents of many different peaks such as Decker North Face, Pattison North Face, and Tremor Peak.
Around 3 pm, we will set up camp in our desired location.
Highlights: Skiing off Decker north face, crossing the Shudder glacier.

Day 2:

Start early, break down camp, eat breakfast, and head off for another full day of ski touring.
On this day, we will be traveling quickly around the very furthest back of the Spearhead range.
Highlights: Macbeth glacier descent, Ripsaw Ridge, Iago camp!

Day 3:

Start with a fun descent to the Cheakamus Glacier before the biggest climb of the trip.
Push up past the iconic Mount Fitzsimmons and Overload peaks in a solid climb.
From here, it’s smooth sailing with lots of scenic descents and short climbs past Fissile and eventually back to the Whistler resort.
Highlights: Touring past Fitzsimmons and Overlord peaks, long glacier descent off Overlord.