Yosemite Mountaineering School Backcountry

Backcountry Ski Trips & Tours from Badger Pass

Run by the Yosemite Mountaineering School — the program that's been guiding winter mountaineering in Yosemite for decades. Day trips, overnight hut-style trips, multi-day expeditions, and custom tours into the Sierra winter backcountry.

Out & Back Day-Trip at Badger Pass Ski Area
BackcountryFull day

Out & Back Day-Trip

Single-day backcountry tour

Day rate View →
Guided Overnight Trip - One Night / Two Days at Badger Pass Ski Area
Backcountry2 days / 1 night

Guided Overnight Trip - One Night / Two Days

1 night · Ostrander or Glacier Point hut

Overnight rate View →
Guided Overnight Trip - Two Nights / Three Days at Badger Pass Ski Area
Backcountry3 days / 2 nights

Guided Overnight Trip - Two Nights / Three Days

2 nights in the high country

2-night rate View →
Self-Guided Overnight Trip at Badger Pass Ski Area
BackcountrySelf-determined

Self-Guided Overnight Trip

Self-guided hut overnight

Hut booking View →
Backcountry Ski Custom Tour with Guide at Badger Pass Ski Area
BackcountryCustom (day or multi-day)

Backcountry Ski Custom Tour with Guide

Build your own backcountry day

Custom rate View →

What "backcountry" means here

Everything past the groomed Glacier Point Road track. Off-piste skiing, ski touring with skins, ridge traverses, and high-mountain winter camping. These trips use AT (alpine touring) or telemark gear — not classic Nordic skis, not alpine resort gear.

The terrain is real Sierra winter: deep snow, exposed ridges, avalanche-prone slopes, weather that changes fast. The guides have the avalanche education, the route knowledge, and the years of experience that make trips like this safely accessible to clients who couldn't safely do them alone.

Which trip is right for me?

I want to try backcountry skiing for a day → Out & Back Day-Trip

A guided day in the backcountry — skin up, ski down, learn the basics. Best entry point.

I want to spend a night out there → Guided Overnight, 1 Night / 2 Days

Classic intro to winter camping with a guide. Camp gear available as a rental if you don't own.

I want a longer expedition → Guided Overnight, 2 Nights / 3 Days

Deeper into the Yosemite winter wilderness with two nights at camp.

I have the skills; I just need someone to plan the logistics → Self-Guided Overnight Trip

Permitted, route-planned, gear-supported. You provide the skills.

I have specific objectives → Custom Tour with Guide

Tell the school what you want; they build the trip.

About the Yosemite Mountaineering School

The school has run winter and summer climbing and mountaineering programs in Yosemite for decades. Its guides hold AMGA certifications, avalanche education at the AIARE 1 or 2 level (or AMGA-equivalent), and most have multi-year experience specifically in the Yosemite winter backcountry. They're not transplanted guides running a winter side-gig — this is what they do.

Trip programs require participants to be in good physical condition, have basic ski skills (some trips require AT/touring skill), and be willing to defer to guide judgment on objective hazards. The school will reschedule or modify trips based on avalanche conditions, weather, or other safety factors.