Frequently Asked Questions
It is very important that you are realistic about your skill level when joining a group!
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 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. If it is obvious that you are not at the required level you will be dismissed from the group & no refund will be issued.
If you are concerned about your groups ability talk to us about organising a private guide or a closed group. Minimum ages are 16 for skiing & splitboarding & 16 for snowshoeing however we can disccauss 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 & 14 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.
Although it is difficult to get it right all the time we do our best to match the group & this is where it is very important you are honest with your self appraisal so as not to jepordise the groups' experience. It is rarely a problem but if it is plainly obvious you are struggling from the outset we will make other arrangements.
That doesn’t mean you can’t ski/board with us, our BC Intro Tour is the least demanding of all our tours and a great way for you to gauge your ability. We can also provide customised tours for group or one on one tours but we will need advanced notice for this.
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 of a ski boot in consideation to minimum sizes to fit touring bindings. If your Boot Sole Length is less than 260mm you will be unable to fit into touring bindings.
If booking as a private or closed group we can discuss on a case by case basis.
Our trips are run out of our base at Guthega Mountain Centre.
SMBC can be accessed by vehicle or on skis from Blue Cow Resort, arriving by ski has limitations regarding resort operations.
Parking can be extremely limited in the peak season, we suggest that you leave Jindabyne at 6:00am arriving at Guthega at 7:15 for breakfast at BASECAMP Cafe in the GUTHEGA MOUNTAIN CENTRE which opens at 7:30am
Vehicle: This is the easiest way to access Guthega. Follow Guthega Rd to the end where you will see the Guthega Mountain Centre, we are upstairs on the Middle floor. Be sure to carry chains at all times as it is legally required from the June long weekend to the October long weekend, drive to conditions at all times & listen to local radio stations for road condition updates 94.7FM. Allow longer times if necessary.
From Jindabyne
take Kosciuszko Rd & turn off onto Guthega Rd & follow it 20km to the end. Allow an hour & longer for fresh snow days.
From Perisher
If arriving by vehicle from Perisher take the Link Rd between Smiggins & Guthega Rd if open, this road closes in winter & may only be open very early & late season. If closed take the Guthega Rd turn off from the Kosciuszko Rd & proceed to the Rd’s end. Allow about 45mins if road is clear.
During late season when the Kosciuszko Rd is open to Charlotte Pass trips may also run from here.
Snowshoe Summit trips to Mt Kosciuszko will run from Thredbo.
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.
This depends upon the type of trip, more advanced trips will have a lower guide to client ratio 1:3 & most others will be 1:5
You can book a trip out for yourself exclusively, for your group or you can join a group. Remeber minimum numbers apply for tour costs.
If joining a group it is essential that you are completely honest about your ability as a non refundable situation can occur if you are less than a strong intermediate skier or boarder.
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.
If joining a group trip be sure to make a realistic appraisil of your fitness level. Our least demanding trip is the BC Intro Course & a great place to start
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.
SMBC have a modern fleet of Alpine Touring skis & some Jones Solution Splitboards with Spark R & D bindings for hire. There is allowance for hire on our Online Booking form.
We offer a discounted hire rate for our tour participants:
- Ski touring skis, skins & adjustable poles; $95 ordinarily $110
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.
For our 3Pks High Route you will need skis with tech bindings, talk to us about hiring these.
We also hire snow shoes, other backcountry & mountaineering equipment & retail backcountry essentials.
See Our Tours & BOOKING ONLINE page to find a price that suits you or your group.
Skiing/SplitBoardingDay tours:
Moderate & Challenging: Guide to client ratio
1:3-5 $300pp
1:2 $375pp
1:1 $700pp
Tough: Guide to Client ratio
1:3 $340pp
1:2 $380pp
1:1 $720
Snowshoeing
Half Day
1:3 or more $130pp
1:2 $180pp
1:1 $330
Short Day
1:3 or more $170pp
1:2 $255pp
1:1 $470
Full Day
1:3 or more $230pp
1:2 $330pp
1:1 $620
Please see the "SMBC CLASSROOM" page for the detailed equipment lists.
Our guides will rationalise your gear omitting any unecessary or inadequate items including your backpack
SMBC supply excellent Alpine Touring backpacks for all participants.
SMBC hire Alpine Touring skis, Splitboards, climbing skins & adjustable poles
See "STORE" page for rentals at SMBC HQ.
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
Full payment & a completed booking form 30 days prior to tour commencement is required
from $300pp for BC Intro Tour, Guthega Backcountry, Main Range Tour
from $340pp for Western Faces Experience, 3Pks High Route
If booking within 14 days of tour date full payment required on bookinig.
Balance of payment
If tour numbers are less than minimum number you will still be offered participation but will need to pay the balance prior to tour departure. Economic constraints require pricing based on a minimum of 3 participants per tour.
You are able to book as a private or a double if you choose however pricing will vary accordingly. See BOOKING ONLINE > PAYMENT.
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.
If you have paid for your tour & you are the only person booked & you do not want to pay the higher rate you will be fully refunded or you can postpone until the end of that season.
There is day parking at Guthega, Perisher & Smiggins. Overnight parking from midnight to 6:30a.m. is not allowed! This is an enforcable regulation during the winter ski season.
You are advised to arrive by at least 7:30am as there is limited parking at Guthega!
During the peak season you will need to be left Jindabyne by 6:30am to achieve this.
BASECAMP CAFE is located at Guthega where you can arrive early & enjoy breakfast & coffee.
Unlike Perisher, Guthega has allowable overnight parking1.5km prior to the village, you will need a valid vehicle entry ticket for your period of stay. The overnight parking close to the day parking area is authorised only for Guthega lodge staff & guests.
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.
Ordinarily our tours run from our base at Guthega which has easy access to excellent touring terrain. During early & late season our tours may be redirected to the top of Thredbo which would require a chairlift ride.
For snowshoe tours to Mt Kosciuszko we depart from the top of Thredbo which requires chairlft access.
A one way backcountry pass for 2024 (a return chair ride ticket) can 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
SMBC provides guiding services from Thredbo throughout the season for Ski, Split & Snowshoeing tours.