Mountain Skills Academy and Adventures

Fabulous snowshoe with Corey. He was very happy to share all his local knowledge and tell us about the geology and fauna. Felt very well looked after and whilst a work out for two over 60s we didn't feel overwhelmed c8k. Beautiful experience and service from the whole team.

I learned a lot during the Women's 4 day AST-2 course with ACMG guide Eric Vezeau and Elodie. How to gather relevant information on weather, snowpack and terrain choices, even before going out in the backcountry. Then going out on the field and constantly assessing the terrain: to recognize what is the most efficient and safest way to travel. It was great and beneficial experience for me and all involved. We all improved in making informed decisions and working together as a group at the end of the course. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking to continue to further their knowledge about recreating in the backcountry.

We did the Intro to Backcountry course and had Jeremy and a Lindsay as our instructors. Both the instructors, the scenery, and the experience was amazingly. They were so kind, helpful, informative and just straight up the best. Their obvious passion for what they do is amazing and I didn’t feel like I was in a lesson but really getting to observe what our rescue and avalanche specialists do day after day to understand both the dangers and the beauty of these mountains. They kept the course fun and adventurous and helped inspire us to continue on our backcountry journey. It was an amazing blue bird day and we found fresh powder tracks even with the last snowfall a few days ago. Amazing experience and would highly recommend, and as a word of advice ensure you have a good base level of fitness to do the course. My husband and I are pretty fit and active and were pretty beat by the end of the day!

We joined MSAA yesterday, June 13 2023, for the Whistler Via Ferrata.OMG, we all had an awesome time despite the weather (we literally climbed into the rain clouds). Can't say enough good things about our trusty guides Emil and Colton.Thanks guys, we'll be back soon!Jeff & Leanne

Completed AST1 this weekend with Cloe Marcoux and Jeremy. Day 1 was theory in class at Quest University and Day 2 putting the learning into action up at Red Heather hut and Round Mountain.I thought the class room was going to be a little dull and repetitive but I was pleasantly surprised both Cloe and Jeremy had a great engaging and approachable style. They gave lots of real life examples and shard some brilliant tips and useful resources. (I was delighted at finding two new weather apps!)The weather wasn't looking particularly good for the day 2 up the mountain (it had rained to 2000m and I thought about packing an umbrella for the day! ) but again it turned out so much better!We had a big group (mix of split boarders and skiers) but everyone had great attitude and kept a similar pace. The sun even came out for the becon search!I learnt so much and met some cool people. Highly recommend the training and you'll be in for a treat if you get either Cloe or Jeremy!

Wow - an absolutely unforgettable experience. My husband and I had never done anything like this before; we consider ourselves experienced hikers but never faced more than a basic/easy scramble. We had never even heard of via Ferrata! In the middle of June, snow came pouring down on us, which was unexpected. Our nerves were certainly on high alert once we begun the “climbing” portion of the experience, and the rush of adrenaline from the sense of accomplishment at the end was unparalleled. Our guide Maya was the icing on the cake. She was incredibly knowledgeable and educated us along the way. She made us feel safe and pumped us up as she cheered on our little achievements. She also took videos and photos of us on her phone that she shared with us at the end. I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a thrill. And

I just completed AST2 with Kurt, and it was an invaluable experience. I learned so much about sage travel in the back country, and his teaching style is unique and fun. He’s hilarious, and supportive and pushes you outside your comfort zone. Highly recommend Kurt & MSAA.

Last week I took my AST1 course with Cloe and introduction to ice climbing with Eric. Both of my guides were exceptional, they were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They were both excellent teachers gave me an absolutely awesome experience. I would recommend Mountain Skills Academy to anyone wanting to get into the backcountry or try a new sport. I can’t wait for my next course!

I took my AST 1 this past weekend with MSAA and had Rob as an instructor. Rob was incredible, his knowldge of snowpack, terrain, and weather is so inspiring, I'm very thankful to have had the opporutnity to learn from someone so knowledgable. I cant wait to sign up for my AST 2 and keep learning and growing.

We were glad that we did the AST course. It made us much more aware of the risks of the backcountry and how to mitigate them. It also made me appreciate how much work ski patrol does every day to keep a ski resort safe. The first day was in the classroom and the material was a little dry. Our second day was with Jeremy in the backcountry and much more interesting. We learned how to do companion rescues, analyzed terrain for risks, and skied some powder. He was knowledgeable, patient, helpful, and in much better shape than I was. If I do a refresher course, I'll be sure to get my cardio up before.MSAA suggested that we tip 15-20% to our instructors as a guideline for the course. The course was $300, which by my math would be about $45-60 per person. Clearly MSAA values their employees and think they are worth that, so I suggest MSAA pay their hardworking AST instructors and patrollers an additional $45-60 bonus for each person attending the AST course.