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.

The Spearhead Stats:

Distance: 40 Km
Elevation Gain: 1525m
Glaciers Crossed: 11

While the trip can be done in a day by fit skiers in the right conditions, 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.

3-Day Trip:

Historically the 3-day has been the most common trip length for the classic Spearhead Traverse. It allows a little bit of extra time on the first day for any delays that may occur while ensuring that each day is a little more relaxed. It's ideal for anyone that has some ski touring experience but is still getting proficient and so takes a bit longer at transitions or would like a little extra time at camp for relaxing.

2-Day Trip:

Taking 2 days to complete the spearhead falls into what we think is the Goldilocks zone when it comes to trip length. It can be done in a weekend, the packs are a bit lighter than the 3-day trip and the days are spent moving with less time in camp. This trip length is ideal for people that are experienced with ski touring and that have winter camped before and are looking for that next fun adventure. We generally camp below Mount Macbeth, which will be the site of the next Spearhead hut, as it marks about the center point of the trip while offering a nice flat camping area with stunning sunsets.

1-Day Trip:

The classic Spearhead-in-a-day trip! This tour-de-force of the range requires fit and experienced skiers/riders a big day to make it around in the right conditions. We generally offer this trip once or twice a year but wait for the conditions to be right before scheduling it. We're looking for clear skies, low freezing levels and fast travel to make it work. Ideally the Singing Pass trail is in good shape to speed up the exit.

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.