Why PowderQuest
Since 1999 adventure seekers like you trust PowderQuest® for awe-inspiring ski and snowboard adventures around the globe.
After 25 years how do we continue to excel and keep our trip guests smiling?
Our passionate office staff and dedicated professional guides team love what they do and it shows in the details. Each year we are offering new adventures and pushing the envelope as an adventure lifestyle business to keep our customers happy. From our popular Japan ski tours to more remote backcountry tours in Patagonia and Norway, our goal is to provide stellar experiences for our clients.
PowderQuest Difference
Teton Gravity Research and On The Snow rank our small group guided trips as some of the best on the planet.
- Perfect for solo travelers, couples and groups of friends or family
- 2 guides*, including hosting all dinners
- Small groups = more skiing and snowboarding for you + less impact on the places we visit
- Our backcountry team holds the highest guiding certifications: IFMGA, ACMG, AMGA, JMGA, AAGM
- Different trip styles based on ability levels & how you like to spend your day in the mountains
- Bilingual office staff and guides for each country we visit
PowderQuest adventures are hosted by two certified guides, offering both safety in the mountains and cultural immersion. With two guides on nearly every trip, our guests enjoy more personalized attention, flexibility, and peace of mind compared to the industry standard of just one guide per 6 guests. (In the rare case we have fewer than 4 guests, the trip may be guided by one certified guide.)
Highlights From Our Guided Trips
Inviting Dinners
PowderQuest guests say they have eaten some of the best meals of their lives with us. From homecooked organic meals prepared by our friendly hosts, to a hand-picked selection of family owned restaurants, you will experience a diversity of local cuisine each evening at our hosted dinners, all included with your trip. You will not be disappointed.
Local Culture
Some of the best international travel experiences stem from local cultural interaction. From the Argentine gauchos to the stoked local Japanese powder hounds, we give you the opportunity to practice the language and see what life is like through local eyes. Return home with a new outlook on the world and indelible impressions of these unique mountain cultures.
When The Sun Goes Down
After our fun days in the mountains, get a well deserved sleep at our comfortable lodging or head out for more adventure. From sipping Fernet and learning to dance Tango in Argentina to exploring whiskey bars of Japan, most of our trip destinations offer evening entertainment for après-ski and the night owls.
Relaxing Accommodations
Relax in our hand selected, comfortable accommodations. With the exception of some remote backcountry trips, our rooms have private bath and your choice of double, twin share or single occupancy. Spas, massage service, and other amenities are offered at most of our hotels. See individual trip itineraries for more details.
Award Winning Trips
High praises from The Wall Street Journal, On The Snow, ESPN, Snowboarder, Skiing Magazine, Frommer’s Guidebooks, Bloomberg, Teton Gravity Research and many others.
Our Guides
Our Story
We've come a long way since August 1998 when founder David Owen began drafting the PowderQuest blueprint from a log cabin in snowy Pucon, Chile.
In 1999, PowderQuest launched as a corporation in the USA and our first trips began in Patagonia. We have not looked back since. Guiding thousands of passionate skiers and snowboarders, including leading brands Smith Optics and Dakine.
Due to high demand from our alumni guests, Japan ski tours were added to our itineraries in 2014, and we have recently added Canada and Norway. We look forward to hosting you on our current and future global quests for powder.
I came on this trip with very simple goals, to ski hard and fast, steep and deep. In reality I have come away with much more; good friends, local knowledge, new backcountry skills, and maybe most importantly some new perspectives on life. You really did everything possible to make this the trip of a lifetime."