“Impressive High Alpine Terrain, Breathtaking Glaciers, and the most Gratifying ski runs”

The Bernina area is mostly well known for its dominating peak, the Piz Bernina 4048 metres. This majestic mountain is the only 4000 metre peak in the Eastern – Southeastern Alps. This mountain is not just famous for its elevation and impressive mountaineering routes, but also for countless novel books that have been written. Mostly books involving a great love story and of course the mountain itself. “The King of Bernina” was not just a great novel, it also turned into a classic Hollywood movie.

Well, we will not climb this strenuous high alpine peak, but we get to see it from very close distance. Our program is less strenuous and still takes us into the breath-taking high alpine of the Bernina area and the Glarner Alps. For a backstory, the Glarner Alps is the area where I grew up and became an I.F.M.G.A. Mountain Guide. This tour will be a true relaxed pace SME program, “Geniesser Woche”, put together for Ruedi’s ski guests who like to climb fun and not too strenuous ski peaks, enjoy a rewarding summit break and absorb the endless view across all these amazing alpine peaks. Then ski impressive glaciers and not exert yourselves too hard.

Ski-touring in the Bernina area is as good as it gets. Starting out at the top station of the Corvatsch aerial dram. From there we ski to our first hut, the Coaz Hut, elevation 2610 metres. This Swiss Alpine Club hut sits in the middle of the most impressive high alpine amphitheater, dominated by Piz Roseg and Piz Bernina. We plan to stay three nights at this hut and climb Piz Glüschaint 3594 m. The day after we hope to ski Piz Sella 3511 m. Both ski-tours are less strenuous but lead us through impressive high alpine terrain on breathtaking glaciers. Our last tour out of the Coaz Hut is Chapütschin 3336 m. From this peak we ski into the Vadrettin dal Chapütschin and after a short second ascent we ski down to St Moritz.

After the Bernina area, a taxi will pick us up and drive us to Glarus. From there we are planning to ski the Schilt, elevation 2299 m, a fantastic skitour in the heart of the Glarner Alps, with the most breathtaking view to the Glärnisch, Tödi and Clariden. That same day we drive by Taxi to the Urnerboden. The next day we climb the Gemsfairen 2971 m. From there a fun ski-run brings us to the Clariden Hut, elevation 2453 m. The next day we climb the Clariden 3267 m. A scenic ski-run will end at the Planura Hut, elevation 2947 m (the highest fully serviced Alpine Club hut in the Eastern Alps). Our final ski tour takes us over the Chamlijoch 3050 m down to the Urnereboden 1383 m, an impressive 1667 metre ski run.

Ruedi Beglinger
I.F.M.G.A certified Mountain Guide

Detailed Program

Please call or e-mail our office to receive the exact detailed program.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you purchase the following insurances. If you have difficulties in finding the right insurances, we ask that you contact our office.

• General health / hospital insurance, good for all countries in Europe
• Life insurance
• Trip cancellation insurance
• Mountain helicopter rescue and evacuation insurance

Global Rescue:
Rescue / Medical

Guests from BC, Canada: BCAA, British Columbia Automobile Association
Rescues / Medical

Swiss Air Rescue REGA:
For Rescue in Switzerland only

Austrian Alpine Club (yes Austrian):
Need to become a member

How to get to Celerina

Fly to Zürich, Switzerland. Board the train to Chur – St.Moritz. Celerina is one train stop prior St.Moritz.

Flying back to North America
We recommend that you take the train from Glarus to Zürich airport. From there, take a flight back to North America, but not before May 2, 2025.

Your Guides

Ruedi Beglinger will be your guide on this ski-trip. He has extensive experience in guiding mountaineering and skiing expeditions in Alaska, the Alps and other parts of the world. Ruedi has been certified by the Swiss (SBV) and International Guide Association (IFMGA) in 1977. He is an active and professional member of the Canadian Mountain Guide Association (ACMG) and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA).

Ability level:

This program takes place in steep and rugged high-alpine terrain, which has many crevassed glaciers, glacial seracs and other natural skiing challenges.

For this program each guest has to be an accomplished alpine skier who can ski, efficiently and safely, steep mountain slopes (as found on double Black Diamond downhill ski runs in major ski-areas of North America), in all kinds of snow conditions (powder, corn snow, breakable crust, frozen snow conditions).

Whatever snow-conditions this tour has to offer, we ask that all guests can safely and efficiently ski a fall line, linking a minimum of 30 short-radius turns. It is also important that every guest can safely control their skis in difficult terrain and can execute efficient kick-turns in steeper terrain as found in “black diamond ski runs”. It is also important that every ski guest on this program is able to side-slip on skis in terrain of steeper incline and execute efficient plow-turns.

It is important that everybody on the tour enjoys good health and has no difficulties to acclimatize to moderate or higher elevations.

Every guest has to be physically in good shape. We recommend that prior this ski trip, everybody is doing active out-door endurance sport (ski-touring, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, biking, long distance jogging etc.). It is important that you can comfortably ski-climb with a multi-day pack of approximately 16 lbs. for an entire day of maximum 8 hours and that you can cover ski-climbs of up to 1500 vertical meters at higher elevations.

Further it is important that you are able to follow instructions given by the guide.

To ensure the quality of every ski guest on the program, we ask that every body has skied with Selkirk Mountain Experience on previous ski trips (Durrand Glacier Chalet).

If you have any questions regarding “Ability Level”, please do not hesitate to contact Selkirk Mountain Experience.

Acclimatizing and Jet-Lag

"Jet-Lag” does affect every person at a different level. One of the most known effects “Jet-Lag” has on people is the change of the internal clock but also sitting in an air-liner for such long time dehydrates travelers to a large degree.

It is difficult to acclimatize to higher elevations while suffering from any level of Jet-Lag.

Celerina is a good place to acclimatize, as you ski a few days at the Corvatsch ski area.

Booking and Cancellation Policy

Selkirk Mountain Experience guarantees all programs, in Canada or in Europe, regardless of the number of booked guests, unless natural disaster forces the company to cancel the program.

Booking your European tour with SME

• Because of the nature of this specialty program, Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. requires a non-refundable deposit of Cdn $ 2000.- in order to confirm your booking. You will then receive a confirmation with details of the program.
• A second payment of Cdn $ 2000.- will be due on December 15.
• We ask that you pay final payment of Cdn $ 2400.- by February 1.

Cancelation Policy

Because of the nature of this program, Selkirk Mountain Experience is not able to make exceptions to the booking and cancelation policy.

We strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance. If you have difficulties in finding the right insurance, please contact our Revelstoke office 250-837-2381 (weekdays 09:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs)

Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. reserves the right to cancel any program for whatever reason. In this situation Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. will refund all paid program money. However, Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. is not responsible for any further expenses incurred in preparation for the program (airfares, pre-paid hotels etc.)

RELEASE OF LIABILITY, WAIVER OF CLAIMS, ASSUMPTION OF RISKS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT:

All guests who ski with Selkirk Mountain Experience Ltd. are asked to sign the form "RELEASE OF LIABILITY, WAIVER OF CLAIMS, ASSUMPTION OF RISKS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT ". This form is attached to this Program information letter and we ask you to read and sign it and send it back to our office. If you have any questions please feel free to phone or email us our office in Revelstoke.