Reviews of Canada West Mountain School (School)

Alexandre Poitevin

We spent 5 days training in the mountains with Brian from Canada West Mountain School. They are very knowledgeable and very skilled. I would recommend them 110%. I will definitely head back to the mountains with them.

Karen Auyeung

I took both a trad leading and rock rescue course with Vancouver Mountain Guides over the weekend. Our teacher, Eric Hughes, was highly knowledgeable, patient, and fun. For the rock rescue course in particular, he taught in such a way that we weren't just learning "rope tricks", but that we were thinking about the processes and situational factors to make safe decisions. He worked at our pace and made sure we really understood the context and reasons for the steps we were taking. I would highly recommend the courses as well as Eric as a guide to both beginner and more advanced climbers out there. Thanks!

Jacob D

I took my first course (Crevasse rescue) with CWMS last year and then I did AST1 with them earlier this year. The owner Brian is a top quality mountaineer and runs a great business. All his staff are extremely knowledgeable and skilled. I am glad I took these courses with Can West as the skills I learned have helped me lots in the mountains since.

Kelsey Klaver

My first backcountry ski trip was amazing - I'm really glad to have done it with Canada West Mountain School. The School owner (our guide) was extremely experienced and knowledgeable and provided us with tips on how to prepare for an overnight ski trip (food, clothing, gear), tips on winter camping, basic avalanche training, safety awareness knowledge, and backcountry ski technique. The environment was fun and friendly and conducive to learning. I'd highly recommend the School to anyone looking to get into backcountry skiing or winter camping.

Marek Dutkiewicz

Just completed a three day Spearhead traverse guided by Tim. It was great, and Tim was amazing on multiple levels - route finding in 6 feet visibility blizzard, belaying us on a down climb, cutting steps for a boot pack, keeping us going when necessary and finding the right place to camp. An Epic trip. Thank you.

Celeste Jhala

Took the Avalanche Safety Training 1 (AST1) course this winter! The material was practical, informative, and hands on, involving dry-land run throughs of mock rescue scenarios as well as on-snow theory and practice. Our guides Sylvia & Eric were awesome--knowledgeable, personable, and funny! Would highly recommend for a great introduction to backcountry winter safety!

Dez May

Guides/instructors are very friendly and knowledgeable. Administration staff is very helpful and accommodating when making bookings. Have taken a few courses here and I plan to continue coming back for more!

Joachim El-Masry

The two day crevasse rescue course was very well done. Fun and informative hands on training

Wesley Kulatunga

As an avid & experienced hiker I found this course incredibly useful. The online material was engaging and educational and both field days were great for practicing avalanche rescue operations. Adam W. was an enthusiastic, educational, and excellent teacher on a variety of safety topics that will be very useful for avoiding and assessing avalanche terrain. This is a course that I HIGHLY recommend for anyone that will be in the outdoors, and especially necessary for mitigating risk in the backcountry.

antonio franco

Linda and the whole crew were great to me. Brent went above and beyond teaching during a 2 day top rope anchoring course.I learned so much and had a blast..if you are solo be prepared to be possibly rescheduled for the 2 day class unless you have a crew of people taking the course..which in hindsight I wish I would have convinced some friends to come along because it was such a great experience!

Chris Mark

I cannot recommend this school based on the course I took in early March. I was a participant in a Crevasse Rescue Course and whilst I still got a lot out of the weekend, I was disappointed for numerous reasons in the course content and implementation. Firstly, the advertised course itinerary didn't match up with what was actually taught over the weekend. There are three sections described within the itinerary and glacial travel and hazard mitigation were barely touched on. The equipment used within the training also did not match with what we'd been instructed to bring, which was a shame as it would've been more beneficial to all be instructed using only the equipment we were all told to bring. The company as a whole didn't seem as organized or as professional as I'd hoped for. I can appreciate that weather conditions and other groups within our working environment can dictate location, timing etc, however, it all seemed a little too casual in its organization considering the expense of it. Our particular instructor was obviously a very experienced person who had a wealth of knowledge. His teaching style however left a little to be desired and there were a couple of people within the group who clashed with him as a result. The group sizes were good though and we were given plenty of time to practice. I gave a 3 star review as ultimately I came away learning new skills that were obviously relevant for crevasse rescue. I had plenty of time to practice these skills and we had a knowledgeable instructor to teach us along the way. I was disappointed in the professionalism of the company in regards to communication and organization and I felt that the advertised course content didn't match up to what was delivered over the two days. I would not recommend Canada West Mountain School as a result of my experience of this Crevasse Rescue Course.

Philip Gibney

From booking the course online, to communicating with Linda about rescheduling and the AST 1 course itself with Bruce, everything ran like a well oiled machine. Would definitely recommend Canada West to anyone looking to further their mountain skills.

E S

I had the pleasure of taking a Wilderness safety course this weekend with Brent and Jordan, and it was great! Informative but also fun, these two are so knowledgeable, approachable and encouraging, it was a very fun time. I will 100% be taking an avalanche course this winter with these folks, thanks again for everything!

Jasmine McEachern

I did the Spearhead Traverse with guide, Les Manley, who was extremely skilled and responsive to the needs and skill level of our group. I would highly recommend Canada West Mountain School to anyone interested in a guided trip.

Jānis Hofmanis

Very thankful that I took the AST1 course before stepping into the backcountry. Our guide Brent is very knowledgeable and with a great sense of humour. We had a small group which gave instructor the chance to work with us one on one.

105 Hikes: B.C. Guidebooks by Stephen Hui

Canada West’s AST-1 course is highly recommended. Fantastic online course material and field sessions.

Bram Whillock

Great school! Been in the business longer than anybody else!

Ellie Auton-Strolz

Just finished AST 1 course and could not recommend enough. The online platform and the two field days were incredibly informative. If there is anyway to swing it, ask for Brent, he has a ridiculous amount of knowledge and expertise. He had tons of stories from working in the field and first hand experiences that made the course that much more interesting. Super funny guy, had a blast in the course!

Satsuma Satsuma

Last weekend we went out backcountry skiing with our guide Peter and had such a great time! Peter has a lot of experience, knows what he's talking about and can convey it really well. The trip felt safe, while at the same time adventurous and exciting. I learnt lot!

Adventure D

Did a private AST-1 course. The course was amazing, I learnt so much, my group was very happy to have done it and our instructor Raphy was to thank for the unforgettable experience. There was some confusion with the information given to us at the time of booking, what the online videos stated and whet the email sent to all participants 2 days before the in-person course instructed. I had to clarify with the school regarding this on more than one occasion. Basically all the educational videos and in-person course content and experience was 5 stars, but the organization and communication of logistics was 2-3 stars. In saying this I do recommend the Canada West Mountain School overall but I hope for their sake and for ease of participants organizing, they can look into making the process more smooth and improve on communication.

r k

Friends and I took an AST-1 course with Canada West. The course was excellent, and all instructors were personable & friendly. As well very knowledgeable and prepared to answer any questions that anyone had both in-class, and on mountain. Absolutely recommend anyone interested in backcountry activities to attend, it's a small price to pay for potentially life-saving skills & knowledge.

Emily Smith

Just finished an awesome 2 days doing the AST-1 course. Super knowledgeable staff making for an awesome weekend up at Mt Seymour. I learnt far more than I expected to including valuable knowledge that could not only help in the back country but in any kind of day to day snow activities. Highly recommend!

Mike Manuel

We took AST-1 with instructor Fraser. He did a great job of leading the online session, and an even better job during the field days. Highly recommend taking this course, especially if you can get Fraser as an instructor. He is going to make a great ACMG guide one day!

Ilva Ravinska

Just came back from the Complete Mountaineering course with CWMS. Couldn't have hope for a better guide and location! So many skills learned in one week. Guide Jeff was super patient and motivating. Always encouraged us to be pro-active when navigating in the beautiful Whistler Blackcomb location. I loved that he encouraged us to be pro-active and test our skills straight away. He was always keen to answer all of our questions and share his passion and deep knowledge of the mountains. It was a week packed of a lot of learning, practice and fun. The five days in the backcountry were very efficient. The location we camped at was beautiful and with nice approaches to slopes where we could practice self-arrest, walking on ice, and a great mountain as an objective. Totally surpassed my expectations. I feel like I have a solid base to start playing in the mountains with my friend thanks to these guys. Thank you!

George

Did a condensed intro/top rope course with Chris. Excellent tips on better climbing techniques. He tailored the day to what we wanted to get out it. His emphasis on safety was second to none. Great concise directions, patience and guidance through the practice sessions. Highly recommended.

Kevin Messier

Took the Trad Lead Climbing course in Squamish. Adam, our instructor, was spectacular. Great guy, very friendly, very professional, he really made us feel like a day at the crag with mates. Took his time to show us everything we had planned out, and even more. Definately would take another course with Adam & Canada West!

Mae Frank

Did the Summer Crevasse Rescue Course with the instructors extraordinaire Brian and Harry! Camped up near the Brandywine Glacier and practiced in situ crevasse rescue. Would highly recommend this course and these guides to anyone interested in learning glacier and mountain safety. Learned a lot and it was all easily digestible and everything learned was practiced, so it will hopefully stick :)