About Us

Who are we?

Located in Canmore, Alberta at the gates of Banff National Park, Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is one of Canada's premier providers of mountaineering, ice climbing, rock climbing, backcountry skiing, hiking and trekking experiences in the Canadian Rockies. For over 30 years, we have hosted thousands of clients from Canada and all over the world. Our brand is known for quality mountain experiences, safety and well organized itineraries. We have some of the best mountain guides and hiking guides in the industry. All of our guides are certified through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. Please visit our Guides page.

From our humble beginnings as an adult wilderness program at the YMCA's Yamnuska Center, we have grown to be recognized internationally for our superior guest service, exemplary safety record, and the highest standard of program delivery. We are proud to call Canmore, Alberta our home but consider the mountains of western Canada to be our classroom and playground. We are one of Canada's oldest and premier mountain schools. Our rich and deep history of climbing in Canada is a great source of pride for everyone at Yamnuska Mountain Adventures.

Our Vision

"Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is passionately committed to providing exceptional mountain experiences and services in a sustainable and respectful manner with safety as our top priority"

Guest Service

All of our mountain guides are ACMG/IFMGA certified and in addition to their exceptional technical skill, our team is trained to give you the quality experience you expect. We pride ourselves on setting the standard for staff training and guest service.

Our modern 4,000 sq foot facility has a classroom, full service backcountry kitchen, and guide's lounge for your comfort and convenience. We maintain an inventory of quality technical mountain gear for you to use on our programs. Other guiding companies meet you at a coffee shop or a grocery store parking lot - we meet you at our comfortable office.

Better Business Bureau

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is a proud member of the Southern Alberta and East Kootenays Better Business Bureau. Our accreditation with the Better Business Bureau gives our guests the condifence that we uphold the high standards required for membership and operate our business in a transparent and ethical manner.

Safety

As Canada's largest mountain skills instruction school, our safety and risk management plans are unmatched. A full-time, on-call duty manager ensures that we are prepared to deal with any emergency or program requirement around the clock. Our rigorous safety policies and procedures have been developed through our experience from more than 30 years of training and working with military organizations from around the world.

Sustainability

We believe in self propelled mountain experiences.  With us you 'earn your turns' and we believe there is only one way to get to the top of a mountain or ski slope - you climb it. We are an active member of Leave No Trace and our guides act as custodians of our mountain parks and protected areas. Our respect for nature and our environment is deeply embedded in the core values of our organization and we are committed to passing these values on to future generations of mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Canadian Tourism Commission Signature Experience

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures has been recognized as ‘Signature Experience’ provider for offering uniquely Canadian experiences by the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC).  On October 18, 2011 the CTC announced that we had been granted this prestigious honour citing our Wapta Traverse ski trip as a signature winter experience and our Wapta Ice Hike as a signature summer experience.  Both glacier traversing programs are located in Banff National Park, Canada’s oldest and largest National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our Address

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
Suite 200 Summit Centre 50 Lincoln Park
Canmore, Alberta, Canada T1W3E9
Toll Free North America: 1 866 678 4164
Tel.: +1 403 678 4164 | Fax: +1 403 678 4450
E-mail: info@yamnuska.com

Download our Program Guide

Our 2011/2012 Program Guide was printed and sent to our past guests in April, 2011. We also have the guide in low-resolution available for download here.

CLIMBING

We are a proud sponsor of several youth, climbing and mountain culture initiatives. Although we donate trips and money to numerous causes, a few of the more popular ones are listed below.

Climber's Access Society of Alberta (CASA) The Climber's Access Society of Alberta primary objective is to provide and preserve public access for climbers to the montane and alpine regions as well as related and surrounding wilderness of the Rocky Mountain Cordillera and Eastern Slope foothills of Alberta.  Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is a provide supporter of this organization.

Canmore Knuckle Basher Ice Climbing Festival Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is proud to once again be a sponsor for the Knuckle Basher 2011 Ice Climbing Festival.  Yamnuska guides will be running the skills clinics during the weekend and there will be lots of speakers, slideshows, and competitions to keep the weekend exciting.  To learn more about this festival, please visit: www.knucklebasher.com/

The Association of Bow Valley Climbers (TABVAR) The Association of Bow Valley Rock Climbers (TABVAR) is a not for profit organization, funded by donations, whose purpose is to promote the responsible development of safe rock climbing areas serving the Calgary, Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise climbing communities. TABVAR provides funds for fixed anchors on routes and for "environmental" projects such as erosion protection measures at the base of cliffs. Since its inception in 1993, TABVAR has raised and disbursed more than $60,000!  tabvar.org/

AVALANCHE SAFETY

We are a Supporting Sponsor of the Canadian Avalanche Center. We believe strongly in supporting this very important organization.

Canadian Avalanche Foundation The Canadian Avalanche Foundation is a registered charity formed to:

• raise and administer funds in support of public avalanche information
• support education in public avalanche awareness and safety
• support programs that will prevent or minimize avalanche risk to the public
• support research projects that facilitate public avalanche safety

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is an annual contributor to the CAF Gala Fundraiser Dinner in Calgary.  Please visit: avalanchefoundation.ca/

Mountain Guides Ball

Every year, new mountain guides 'get their badges' and we proudly support this fun gala evening to celebrate their significant achievement. Put on by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and the Alpine Club of Canada, we donate prizes and financially support the event through ticket purchases and media promotion. www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/support/guidesball.html

IFSC World Cup Bouldering Competition

We are a silver level sponsor for this world cup bouldering event held in Canmore, Alberta.

MOUNTAIN CULTURE

Proud sponsor of the Banff Mountain Book Festival Award as a co-Presenting Sponsor for the Photography Competition. The only one of it's kind in North America, the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is a celebration of mountain culture that brings together writers, publishers, editors, photographers, and of course - enthusiasts. The Mountain Photography exposition is on permanent display in Banff.

ENVIRONMENT

Yamnuska is committed to sustainable travel and tourism by helping to promote the preservation of the fragile alpine areas of the world's mountains. Our programs are typically human-powered endeavors and we strive to cut our impact on the environment by supporting local and national environmental organizations.  Here are some of the ways that we have offset our footprint and are helping to educate the public with the ongoing challenge of environmental ethics.

Leave No Trace Canada

Leave No Trace (LNT) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research, and partnerships. Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is a proud corporate member.

LNT principles are:

• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitor

Tree-Friendly Office

At Yamnuska Mountain Adventures we use 100% chlorine free post consumer waste paper for all our office printing.  Using 100% post-consumer chlorine-free paper saves: a million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, a million Kilowatt hours of energy, a million gallons of water, and thousands of full grown trees.

Tourism Associations

We are proud members of Banff Lake Louise Tourism, Tourism Canmore Kananaskis and Tourism Calgary.

Sales and Industry Trade Shows

We attend the following consumer trade shows each year:

• The Calgary Outdoor Adventure Show
• The Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show
• The Vancouver Outdoor Adventure Show
• The Edmonton Ski Show
• The Banff Mountain Film Festival Sponsor Trade Show

We reguarly attend the following Industry Trade Shows:

• Canada's West Marketplace
• Rendezvous Canada

Annual Sales Promotions

Like you, we think it's unfair if everyone on a trip has paid a different price so we are transparent about our pricing policy and sales discounts. At the trade shows listed above, any purchase is eligible for a 10% discount (see restrictions below). Our annual Boxing Week sale offers guests 15% off scheduled trips and programs they purchase for the upcoming summer season. Our annual Canada Day Week Sale offers guests 15% off scheduled trips and programs they purchase for the upcoming winter season. We encourage you to take advantage of these great discount opportunities and assure you we will not suddenly offer other sale prices. Full payment is required at time of booking. The Mountain Skills Semester, Hokkaido Powder, Esplanade Track, and Lodge Based ski trips are not eligible for any discounts due to their already discounted price. Programs that we re-sell for our partners are also not available for these discounts (Parks and Mounains of Western Canada, High Trails of the Canadian Rockies, & Various Speciality programs that change from year to year).

Receptive Tour Operators and Agents

With agreements, we offer some of our trips to commissioned sales agents. The terms and conditions vary based on volume and reciprocal marketing initiatives. We deal with some of Canada's largest receptive tour operators and select international sales agents.