musical turns | oboe mountain ski tour at whistler

5.5 miles . 17400 ft gain . 6585 ft high

Garibaldi Provincial Park

As a Washingtonian, I find myself going to British Columbia often, but somehow never to ski tour despite there being so many incredible slopes in the Coast Mountain. Primarily because it is a steep entrance fee, as in you must go through some 3000 feet of forest before you get out into the alpine. But what makes it easier are lifts and gondolas. And that’s exactly what we did!

Whistler Backcountry Logistics

Window price for day tickets to Whistler are $330 CAD (about $240 USD) which feels steep. But if you’re out ski touring and want a lift-assisted day, backcountry day passes are $45 CAD (about $30 USD) for taking the gondola all the way to the top and an extra lift to access the backcountry terrain from up high. The Whistler Backcountry Website has all the details on ways to access the Whistler-Blackcomb backcountry, including the famous Spearhead Traverse.

We opted to take the most direct method from Whistler Base. You first take the Whistler Gondola to the Roundhouse Lodge. Then follow the signs for Harmony Lift, which is an easy traverse. After taking the Harmony lift, stay high to minimize hiking to the top of Flute Summit. It definitely feels awkward transitioning mid-slope under Symphony lift but there is a cat track that makes the uphill easier. I recommend making your group small so you’re less likely to be a large target for downhill skiers.

Musical Bumps

There’s plenty of downhill skiers who will just hike up to the top of Flute Summit and ski within the ski boundaries. However, just east of the peak is the backcountry (out of bounds) terrain. I love that there is a beacon check device before you even ascend Flute Summit in the inbounds territory.

We had a very late start this day dealing with this and that. So by the time we got to the top of Flute Summit, we were ready for a short ski tour. Having skied the day before inbounds at Whistler (this is a great way to assess and approximate the snow conditions), I wasn’t too confident of the snow out of bounds. We transitioned on Flute and decided to ski mostly fall-line and slightly towards Oboe Summit.

This is such a popular area that it was easy to see where other people had been, where skin tracks were and what ski descent looked promising. We soon found sheltered slopes from the wind that looked great to ski and still low angle! Being new to the area, we wanted to stick to low-risk conditions all around.

We had lots of pockets of fresh snow before we started our ascent up to Oboe Summit. The wind picked up dramatically here and though we had the summit to ourselves with the most incredible views of Mount Garibaldi, Overlord Mountain, and Black Tusk, we soon were ready to descend.

Re-Entering Whistler Ski Resort

It was mid afternoon when we finished our last backcountry descent. We found the perfect skin track up to one of the mid-way access points to Flute Bowl within the Whistler Ski Resort. There was a small short boot pack to make it over the ridge but was otherwise uneventful. Back in the resort, we realized that the lifts had closed, which made the groomers open for just us. What a wild thing to be in an emptied resort.

We missed the cheat way to make it back down easy (should’ve followed the guided group). Instead, we enjoyed some turns down Flute Bowl and into the groomer to the base of Symphony Lift. However, to get back to the bottom of Harmony Lift, we had to skin up almost a mile (1.2 km).

What you should do instead: find the higher cat track (you’ll likely see people skating across) in the middle/bottom of flute bowl. Head there and you’ll have a shorter 10 minute hike up (according to the guide we overheard). Then you’ll catch a different groomer/cat track down to Harmony Lift. Pick up speed to carry you all the way down to the base!

I hope this helps you on your side country ski tour in the Whistler Backcountry! I can’t wait to explore more!

Notes

• Backcountry Ticket: Pick one up at any ticket office. For this particular tour, start from Whistler Base. The tickets are valid for the route you select (option 2 Whistler Gondola —> Harmony). Supposedly they track what lifts you go on so if you do any more than these, they could fine you $200+
• Parking: Any lot! Though Creekside is free and you can opt to take the Creekside gondola to Big Red Express instead of Whistler Gondola.
• As always, backcountry skiing is a risky sport where you have to make your own safety decisions and risk assessment based on that day’s conditions. What works one day might not the next and seeing other people doesn’t mean that it is “safer”. Refer to the Canada Avalanche Bulletin and recent weather forecasts and obey all rules by Whistler Ski Resort

Photos taken on Canon 5D Mark IV