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Frequently Asked Questions
Winter
Summer
The snow in the backcountry is not machine prepared you need to have experience skiing/boarding off piste (away from the groomed trails) & be comfortable skiing/boarding a variety of snow conditions & terrain. We require that you are at least a strong intermediate....ideally a "Thredbo Level 6 Skier/Boarder"
You don’t need to be an off piste expert but need to be able to maintain control of your skis/board & link turns off piste in all types of snow conditions using your poles to iniate turns.
Minimum ages are 16 for skiing & splitboarding & 16 for snowshoeing however we can discuss further if booking as a private or closed group.
We offer basic introductory tours through to advanced arduous tours. Your required fitness level will depend upon the level of tour undertaking but you should have at least a good level of fitness.
We recommend that each newcommer to backcountry riding should initially undertake our Backcountry Intro Course unless you have prior experience in the backcountry or have a strong level of fitness & skiing/boarding skills.
Backcountry skiing/boarding is an aerobic activity, the terrain we ride is away from the lifts & time spent climbing on skis/board is longer than descending. Stamina, endurance, technical ability, mental & physical strength, are all considerations when choosing the right tour for you but don’t be put off as our guides will help you along the way. Refer to our TOUR DIFFICULTY TABLE to gauge the tour for you. Our minimum participant age is 16 for sking & splitboarding & 16 for snowshoeing however if booking as a private or a closed group we can discuss further.
If you hold a good level of fitness & skiing/boarding skills with no prior BC experience you may be okay for a lot of our tours as we can guide you through the usage of the BC equipment. If you have some familiarity with BC equipment but do not have an adequate level of fitness or riding ability you may struggle on some of our advanced tours regardless of your prior experience. Your BC experience is important but your skiing/boarding ability & fitness level is more vital. When it comes to our TOUGH tours your BC experience becomes more relevant. These are big days where we need to make a lot of ground so being familiar & comfortable with the gear helps us to achieve our goals.
Most of our snowshoe tours & some of our ski/Splitboard tours run out of the top of Thredbo & a chairlift ticket is required.
A one way backcountry pass for 2026 (a return chair ride ticket) must be purchased from Thredbo for $55 + $5 for a My Thredbo Card totaling $60. This cost is on top of SMBC tour costs & payable by participants on the morning of the tour at Thredbo. DO NOT purchase this ticket until given the go ahead on the morning of the tour by the guide regarding the days conditions!
Prior to the tour day please go onto the Thredbo website & create an ONLINE ACCOUNT. This will speed up the process in the morning. Go to the top header on the THREDBO website and click on the Sign In icon. By doing this you can use the ticketing pedastal rather than lining up at the window.
We meet at Valley Terminal Ticket Office at 8:15am in the main part of Thredbo Village but you will park at Friday Flat & catch the free shuttle bus from Friday Flat for 1 km to the Main Village. Once at the main village cross the bridge which is another 100m ahead on your right & you will see the ticket office. Your guide will meet you here.
6:30am Leave Jindabyne high season or when roads snowy
7:30am Arrive Friday Flat
-catch free shuttle bus: see pdf below for shuttle bus directions
8:00am meet guide at Valley Terminal main part of Thredbo
Due to the strength, arduousness, ability requirements & expectations of the group we find that our minimum age is 16yro for skiing & splitboarding & 16yro for snowshoeing. Another limiting factor for skiing is also the shoe size or boot sole length regarding fitting into touring gear.
If booking as a private or closed group we can discuss on a case by case basis.
Not at all, you need only be an experienced skier/boarder & we will guide you through the backcountry & familiarise you with the equipment.
This is where regardless of your experience the BC Intro Course is an excellent stepping stone into an amazing new outdoor pursuit teaching you the fundamentals of safely moving away from the lifted ski areas. This course sets you up for a sequential progression to our more advanced courses
This is a great course for individuals or a group or family to achieve & learn new experiences together.
If you are conserned about your suitability talk to us about organising private tuition.
All of our tours whether ski, snowboard or snowshoe can be booked as a private or as your own group but we don't mix groups ie you cannot join a group. You need to book a private or form your own group.
More advanced trips will have a lower guide to client ratio 1:3 & most others will be 1:5. Our snowshoe tours can be private or as big as 1:8, if your group is bigger than 8 we are bound by our NPWS License to have a secondary guide.
If you are concerned about your fitness level &/or ability we can customise a trip to suit your needs whether it’s for your own group or a single person. The outcomes of the day will depend upon your capabilities, current snow & weather conditions.
Note that in the backcountry we ski the snow as it falls from the sky, it hasn't been groomed like at the resort. Therefore it can be challenging at times & our programs aren't for beginners or low intermediates. However we can cater to low level participants as a 1:1 private booking, talk with us about this scenario.
More than destinations reached the quality of the experience & what you take away from it is the best measure of the day. There is many things that can determine what a group can achieve whithin a period & SMBC tours have been designed & graded to give every real chance of achieving the expectations of our tours. You may be strong at skiing & find kick turning whilst skinning difficult. When joining a group it is important to have empathy for all within it. The endurance of the group, snow depth, snow cover, snow surface conditions, weather conditons & attitudes are some of the many factors affecting the outcomes of any tour. Safety is SMBC's highest priority & in order to manage our tours the guides will consider all these things. While experience & satisfaction of the day are very important so to is having enough energy & good spirit to enjoy the tour through to its finish arriving safely at the scheduled time.
For Alpine Touring Skis you can hire at MONT in Fyshwick, Wilderness Sports in Jindabyne & Rhythm in Cooma. For Splitboard rental we recommend you contact ESS Board Store in Jindabyne, be sure to ask for binding crampons. Mention that you are an SMBC client. Make a booking to reserve your skis/splitboard well in advance.
For our 3Pks High Route & Western Faces Experience you will need skis with tech bindings, talk to us about hiring these. This tour isn't suitable for frame bindings.
We also hire snow shoes, other backcountry & mountaineering equipment & retail backcountry essentials.
Please see the "SMBC CLASSROOM" page for the detailed equipment lists.
You will only need the gear on the list! We will rationalise your pack so your aren’t carrying unnecessary weight. Through experience a backcountry skier will omit unecessary items to reduce weight, we will fast track you on this process!
SMBC can supply Alpine Touring backpacks but if using your own pack it must be at least 30Lt & have designated ski carry functionality!
Note that if you are snowshoeing with SMBC snowshoes are a part of the price!
Snowy Mountains Backcountry Terms & Conditions
Transparency Disclosure
It is essential that participants are honest about their suitability for our tours, please read our TOUR DIFFICULTY TABLE, tour page information & FAQ’s. Tours will be conducted to suit the scheduled rating, if it is obvious from the start that you are unable to meet the tour’s rating as described you will be escorted back to our HQ. No refund will be available; the guide has the final word on this decision.
Modification of Itineraries
Snowy Mountains Backcountry is located in the more protected sub alpine area. If necessary SMBC will modify tour routes to the sub alpine before or during the tour. If SMBC go ahead with the tour & you choose to not take part or leave the tour there will be no refund.
Deposit
A deposit of $300 & a completed booking form for all ski & splitboard tous is due 30 days prior to tour date.
Balance of payment
To secure your spot on our Tour Calendar full payment is required 14 days from tour date. If booking within 14 days of tour date full payment required on bookinig.
Cancellations
Once we have received payment refunds will only be available if SMBC cancel the tour. If SMBC cancel you can choose to postpone your tour up until the end of that season. If you choose this option your payment will not be redeemable.
Refunds
There will be no refund for tours voluntarily reduced in length.
There will be no refunds for bookings cancelled 30 days or less from booked date.
There is day parking at Guthega, Perisher & Smiggins & Thredbo. Overnight parking from midnight to 6:30a.m. in allocated day parking is not allowed! This is an enforcable regulation during the winter ski season. Thredbo & the Ski Tube do have overnight parking.
You are advised to arrive early in high season as there is limited day parking at all destinations
During the peak season you will need to be left Jindabyne by 6:30am to achieve this.
Some of the appeal of the outdoors is that it is a dynamic environment & whilst we do our best to mitigate risks it is impossible to eliminate them all & some situations are unavoidable. We strongly recommend that you take out ambulance insurance. For around $50 it is money well spent, if you have private health insurance you should already be covered but check your policy.
Please consider our Terms & Conditions & acquiring insurance in relation to & not limited to; injury, illness, fitness suitabiity, evacuation & travel delays.
If you become unwell through accident or illness & are unable to attend an SMBC experience any monies paid will be treated as a postponement & subject to price rises. Your tour can be postponed until the end of the current season, you may be asked to produce a doctors certificate.
Alternately you can transfer the tour to another person, they will be required to fill out a booking form & make reference to the situation.
If you choose the postponement a $150 administration fee will be charged.
Looking forward to taking you beyond boundaries.
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