The hot and dry weather has cleared out much of the remaining snow in short order, allowing great access to all the spectacular hiking and backpacking destinations in Southwestern BC. While we continue to be vigilant about fire safety during this spell of weather, it is still a great time to get out and enjoy […]
Arc’teryx Climbing Academy 2021
The Arc’teryx Climbing Academy is back Aug 26-29, 2021! Canada West Mountain School will once again be hosting all the Climbing Clinics, registration opens July 21. Check out all the clinics here at the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy Squamish 2021, there are limited spaces and clinics sell out fast, so be sure to register soon.
April 28 Covid Update
The Sea to Sky communities of Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton have requested that visitors from outside the Sea to Sky corridor postpone travel to this region until after May 25th. Press release from the District of Squamish here – https://squamish.ca/yourgovernment/news/essential-travel-only-to-sea-to-sky-communities-until-may-25/ Statement from Squamish Tourism here – https://www.exploresquamish.com/explore/explore-squamishresponsibly). As a result of these requests, Canada West […]
Spring and summer 2021
Rock climbing routes are dry and the hiking trails are slowly becoming snow-free, as winter has finally retreated to the mountains. Great spring skiing is still to be found for those who don’t want to let go of the snow sports quite yet. At Canada West Mountain School we are in full swing with our […]
Covid-19 update – Nov 23, 2020
Winter is here in full force with snow in the mountains, ski resorts are opening and Canada West Mountain School has completed our first series of AST-1 courses under our new Covid-19 protocols. However, Covid-19 is still with us and we all still need to pull together and help reduce the risk of transmission. While […]
Canada West Virtual Classroom
We are very excited to announce the Canada West Mountain School “Virtual Classroom” will be launched in November! Our newly developed E-Learning site will support our robust offerings of practical, field-based courses and guided trips! The new Virtual Classroom will be a key component of every Canada West Mountain School program and course offering. This […]
Covid-19 Protocols for Summer 2021
UPDATE for July 1, 2021 The Province of BC has entered Step 3 of BC’s Restart plan, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restart#step-three. This has allowed us to adjust many of our Covid-19 protocols as well. Summer 2021 Following is a summary of the updated Canada West Mountain School Covid-19 Protocols: All participants from across Canada are welcome to travel […]
How to choose mountaineering boots?
One of most common questions we get is “how to choose mountaineering boots” and this is also one of the most challenging questions to give a simple answer to. Footwear is one of the most important pieces of gear that you will need on any mountaineering trip, and the wrong boots can ruin an otherwise great […]
COVID-19 updates
October 17, 2020 The winter season is almost upon us with fresh snow in the hills! At Canada West we have been very busy behind the scenes preparing our Virtual Classroom in anticipation of a busy winter. We are very excited and looking forward to the November launch of the Canada West Mountain Online School […]
Arcteryx Climbing Academy 2019
the 2019 Arcteryx Climbing Academy clinic registration opens May 15th! Canada West Mountain School will once again be hosting all the Climbing Clinics from August 23-25, 2019. Be sure to check out the full event running in Squamish for a celebration of climbing culture in Canada – great free seminars, climbing clinics, slide shows, world […]
Wilderness First Aid
We have finalized our dates for Wilderness First Aid training courses for Spring 2018. All the course dates can be found at our Wilderness First Aid courses Page. This spring we are again offering a full range of courses in North Vancouver and in Squamish! We can also can put together any level of Custom […]
Winter is on its way!
2017 has been a memorable summer, but we are now watching the snow falling, days are cooling and the puffy jackets are all coming out again! Our final Mountaineering and Alpine programs are completed for the year, and now reports are trickling in of early season skiing and trailbreaking through new snow and sub-zero temperatures. […]
Wilderness First Aid
There are still a few spaces left on our September 2017 Wilderness First Aid program. All the 1st Aid courses that we are conducting this fall are held in West Vancouver. For more details visit the Wilderness First Aid courses Page, or see the link below to specific courses. This season we are again offering […]
Arc’terycx Climbing Academy 2021
The Arc’teryx Climbing Academy is back Aug 26-29, 2021! Canada West Mountain School will once again be hosting all the Climbing Clinics, registration opens July 21. Check out all the clinics here at the Arc’teryx Climbing Academy Squamish 2021, there are limited spaces and clinics sell out fast, so be sure to register soon.
Squamish Rock
Squamish has always been the centre of rock climbing in Canada, and it just seems to get better every year. We just wrapped up another amazing Climbing Academy here with Arcteryx, welcoming hundreds of climbers to experience firsthand the variety and quality of climbs on offer. Now we are into the heart of a great […]
Arcteryx Climbing Academy
We are looking forward to the Arcteryx Climbing Academy coming up this July! Canada West Mountain School will once again be hosting all the Climbing Clinics on July 15, 16 and 17. Be sure to check out the full event running in Squamish for a celebration of climbing culture in Canada – great free seminars, […]
The Alpine is calling
Mountaineering season is here! After a fine winter with a lot of snow up high, the alpine routes on the South Coast are getting into great shape now. Time to pull out the ice axe and crampons and head for the hills! Whether you are heading out for a day-trip to a local scrambling objective, […]
Win an AST course!
Win an AST-1 course! Join us at MEC Snow Fest on Saturday, November 18! We’re looking forward to a fun day at the MEC store on Broadway in Vancouver. Visit us at our booth and enter to win an AST-1 course! Even if you already have taken this course, you can still “gift” the prize […]
Avalanche Safety Gear contest
We are rapidly approaching the end of our early season Gear Giveaway! November 20th is the last date to get in on this chance to win some of the best avalanche safety gear available. Sign up for any Avalanche Skills Course (AST-1 or AST-2) before midnight on November 20th and you are automatically entered into […]
Getting ready for Winter
Winter is on its way and for many of us these promise to be the most exciting months of the year. Backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, and winter mountaineering are all sports easily enjoyed in Western Canada. Nothing can compare to a beautiful day in the alpine after a fresh dump of snow – many visitors come […]
Wilderness First Aid courses
We have finalized our dates for WFA courses for Fall of 2015. All the course dates can be found at our Wilderness First Aid courses Page. This season we are again offering a full range of courses in Squamish and in our NEW Classroom in North Vancouver! We can also can put together any level […]
Rope Rescue Systems for Skiers and Climbers
A common question from our students is “how many times have you had to perform a technical rope rescue?” Though technical rope rescue systems are rarely used by most recreational climbers, if you do find yourself faced with the task of assisting someone who is having challenges or is injured, knowing basic rescue systems will […]
First Aid in the backcountry
I have been having a lot of discussions about Wilderness First Aid lately. Many folks wonder what distinguishes Wilderness First aid courses and training from other traditional First Aid courses. First, we need to to look at the level of support that we can expect to have when we respond to an accident or medical […]
Argentina 2014
On January 14th, 17 Canadian Army Cadets from across the country converged on the small mountain town of Bariloche in the Patagonia region of Argentina. Their goal? To complete a 10 day expedition through the lakes and mountains of the wild and spectacular Patagonian Nahuel Huapi National Park. Canada West Mountain School organized and lead […]
Winter 2014 Guides and Instructors pre-season training session
Changing seasons is always great. I look forward to the winter snow season because I get to head out again with all the Guides and Instructors I haven’t seen during the summer! On Thursday, December 4, 18 Canada West mountain School Guides and Instructors showed up in the backcountry of Whistler to shake out the […]
Getting ready for winter
Here we are at the beginning of November, winter is just around the corner! Time to check out the weather forecasts and get the skis and ice climbing gear out of storage in anticipation of another great winter! At the beginning of every season we at Canada West are doing everything we can to get […]
Kluane: A tribute to Canada’s National Parks
Canada West Mountain School owner and IFMGA mountain guide Brian Jones has joined Canadian landscape artist and documentary filmmaker Cory Trépanier on his quest to paint Kluane National Park. Brian will lead Cory on a two-week expedition into the Kluane Icefield Ranges as part of the artist’s latest project to document Canada’s National Parks through painting […]
Wilderness First Aid course updates
Our Summer and Fall Wilderness First Aid courses are now scheduled and listed on the website – http://www.themountainschool.com/info/first-aid-wilderness.html. The next 20-hour intro WFA course will be in Squamish on July 6-7, taught by our lead WFA Instructor Corey Brealey.
Alpine Skills courses starting soon
Our first Alpine Skills course of the summer season is starting up this Monday, June 17 and there are still a couple of spaces available on this program. We are looking forward to a great week in the alpine, conditions are shaping up fine and (hopefully) the weather will continue to cooperate! Check out the […]
Success on Mt Barbeau, Nunavut
A successful climb of Mount Barbeau on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut! While we have all been soaking up the sun and enjoying great spring weather, John Furneaux, Darrel Ainscough and Mike Cormack have been heading up Mount Barbeau on Ellesmere Island in full winter conditions. On June 4 the three stood on top of the 2,616 […]
Summer 2013 Update
Mountaineering courses starting soon! Weather has been great lately in Squamish and we are starting to see summer condition in the mountains as well! We have been running some fine early season Mountain Skills Training refreshers on the local hills and the snowpack is really starting to get into good shape. Our first Complete Mountaineering […]
Down safe in Everest Base Camp
Most of our Everest 2011 Expedition Team members have arrived safely in Base Camp after a successful journey to the top of Mount Everest, Nepal. Congratulations again to Bill Borger of Calgary, Alberta for gaining the south Summit of Mount Everest in deteriorating weather. Bill, along with Then Dorjee Sherpa, Phurbha Bote Sherpa and Dawa […]