Backcountry Mentorship Series

Unlike a one-off course or weekend, the Backcountry Mentorship program is a season-long series. The program is geared towards empowering skiers and riders in our community with more tools to navigate the backcountry. Skiers and riders who join will learn to analyze the changing snowpack and develop a broader knowledge of backcountry terrain in the Wasatch. Get hands-on experience making decisions in avalanche terrain while expanding your knowledge of the snowpack. In addition, you will naturally bond with fellow backcountry enthusiasts and build a deeper connection with local experts in the field.

Participants will share many aspects of tour planning beforehand and in the backcountry. Group discussions on and off the skin track over several tours will cultivate the systems and methods required for making good decisions in the field. Evolve who you are in the backcountry with honest professional feedback and the intimate knowledge of local mountain guides. The Backcountry Mentorship program will build upon your unique skillset while instilling the tools you need to fulfill your mountain aspirations.

UMA mentorship guides are the most experienced and respected in Utah. They are world-class mountain athletes, avalanche experts and certified guides. Touring and learning alongside friendly professionals for an entire season is a special experience. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to skin, ski and ride the best snow and terrain in the Wasatch and bring new life to your backcountry career!

BACKCOUNTRY MENTORSHIP LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Skin bi-weekly on your backcountry setup
• Learn what to bring and how to stay warm, yet not overheat on the climb
• Implement beacon function and distance checks
• Dial in skinning technique: kick turns, pressure breathing, etc.
• Learn to set an efficient, low-risk skin track
• Get feedback, practice and hone avalanche rescue skills
• Methodize your tour planning: use systems to help formulate options and select appropriate tour plans (avi and weather forecasts, red light/green light terrain, etc.)
• Dig pits, practice on-the-go tests and record daily findings
• Evolve your avalanche risk and terrain decision-making skills in relation to the changing snowpack
• Develop your downhill movement skills in various snow types
• Test your limits on steeps, trees, couloirs, distance and vertical
• Get a taste for ski-mountaineering: how and when to boot up and to use ice axe, whippet, ski and boot crampons
• Ride novel lines (as conditions permit)
• Apply new skills and push for a Wasatch Classic
• Learn how to be a leader and solid backcountry companion
• Work as a team, build each other up, be your best self, get fit, explore new terrain and celebrate being out in nature

Note: Guides plan to cover the skills and objectives listed above as indicated by current weather, avalanche and snow conditions. For example, we don’t want to waste a low-hazard powder day on rescue drills. Primary objectives will be announced a day or 2 before each tour.

Course dates don’t fit your schedule?

Any of our pre-scheduled courses can be run as custom outings. If you’re interested in a course but the dates don’t fit your schedule, please check out our private guiding options.

Mentorship Series Prerequisites

• You must be capable of ascending 3000’+ at a steady pace in a day.
• Prior Avalanche Level 1 training is recommended.
• You should be comfortable and in control linking turns in varied ungroomed snow (light and dense powder, crusts, firm snow, etc.) and terrain (trees, gullies, steeps, narrow exit trails).
• Attending the December Assessment is required to participate in the series.

After the required assessment tour, our guides will create compatible groups. You will be invited to join a group of 4 participants with similar goals and comparable uphill and downhill ability. The program includes the assessment day plus 5 of the 6 days listed below, giving you the option to miss a day should you have a conflict or be sick. If you choose not to join the program after the assessment, you will only be charged $239 plus tax for the assessment. If you join the program, you will be invoiced 50% of the full rate minus the cost of the prepaid assessment. The balance is due upon completion of the program.

2025-26 Backcountry Mentorship Tour Dates

Mandatory Assessment Backcountry Tour:
Friday, December 12, 2025

Choose 5 of 6 Dates Below:
Friday, January 16, 2026
Friday, January 30, 2026
Friday, February 13, 2026
Friday, February 27, 2026
Friday, March 13, 2026
Friday, March 27, 2026

If you attend the first 6 days and would like to attend the 7th, you are welcome for an additional $239 plus tax.

This 6 full-day field series takes place in the canyons of the Central Wasatch east of Salt Lake City. Expect to be touring for about 8 hours each day. Participants will need to bring their own snacks, lunch and water (2 liters).

The usual meeting time and place are 7:30 am at the Big Cottonwood Park & Ride lot, but these are subject to change. Exact meeting times and locations will be provided to enrolled participants before each tour.

GUIDES

Our most experienced senior guides lead this program. You will receive a reminder with the contact information for your guide. They will contact you ahead of each tour to confirm meeting time and location, as well as weather considerations and equipment needs.

TRANSPORTATION & PARKING

Transportation will not be provided. We encourage carpooling to help mitigate traffic in the canyons and crowded parking areas. Most canyon parking lots require a parking fee.

How To Register

• Register Online
• Call us at (801) 550-3986
• Email us at [email protected]

UMA reserves the right to cancel or shorten the course if fewer than 2 participants register.

BACKCOUNTRY Mentorship EQUIPMENT LIST

• Non-cotton top and bottom base layer
• Puffy overcoat and/or other insulation layer (fleece, synthetic or down)
• Waterproof/windproof outer shell jacket and pants (or bibs)
• Wool socks
• Waterproof snow gloves and mittens (or a second pair of gloves)
• Lightweight gloves for uphill travel
• Warm hat and baseball cap
• Helmet (recommended)
• Sunglasses and goggles
• Sunscreen
• 1-2 liters of water (water bladders not recommended for winter use)
• Thermos of hot drink (optional)
• Sack lunch and snacks
• Ski touring or snowboard boots
• Alpine touring or telemark skis, or splitboard
• Skins
• Ski poles with powder baskets
• Beacon
• Shovel
• Probe
• Backpack (20-45 liters)

Please see our Backcountry Touring Gear List & Rentals page for information on the items UMA provides and local shops where you can rent or purchase gear.

Please see the Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding section on our main FAQ page for common course questions.