Backcountry and EF Adventures Just Dropped Four of the Most Coveted Guided Trips of 2027
When two of the most recognized names in outdoor exploration decide to build something together from the ground up, the result tends to look less like a marketing arrangement and more like a serious expedition blueprint. That is exactly what happened on October 6, 2026, when EF Adventures, a leader in active-travel and cultural immersion, and Backcountry, the online specialty retailer for outdoor gear and expertise, announced the launch of a collection of hiking and multi-adventure tours across three continents departing in 2027. The announcement landed like a starting gun for adventure-minded travelers who have been watching guided-trip options grow more sophisticated — and more competitive — with each passing year.
This is not a cobbled-together co-branding exercise. The co-created tours combine EF Adventures' signature blend of active exploration and cultural immersion with Backcountry's expertise in outdoor gear and lifestyle, forming a series of exclusive departures created specifically for outdoor enthusiasts. For anyone who has spent real time in the outdoors and knows the difference between a trip that's been engineered by people who actually hike and one that's been designed by a marketing committee, the distinction matters enormously.
The Partnership Behind the Collection
Backcountry's roots run deep into the mountain culture of Utah. The company was founded in 1996 by Jim Holland and John Bresee, who started the online business with a sparse collection of avalanche gear and began selling from their garage in Park City, Utah. The store's first sale was a Pieps 457 Opti-finder avalanche beacon in February 1997, and the company eventually purchased the domain name backcountry.com for $75,000 in 2004. From those scrappy beginnings in avalanche country, the brand built a reputation as one of the most trusted online specialty retailers in outdoor gear — one that drew serious mountain people rather than casual shoppers.
EF Adventures, meanwhile, has a track record that spans decades and multiple continents of guided active travel. EF Adventures fields a full catalog of guided cycling trips to hotspots such as Tuscany and Burgundy, as well as hiking and multi-sport trips across five continents. The collaboration names Backcountry as EF Adventures' preferred outdoor gear partner, giving travelers access to Gearhead-curated gear lists, exclusive gear and apparel benefits, and Backcountry Summit Club Plus membership, while Backcountry customers gain exclusive deals and upgrades on world-class hiking, biking, and multi-adventure tours through EF Adventures.
The gear component is not an afterthought. To help travelers prepare, Backcountry provides curated gear lists tailored to EF Adventures itineraries, featuring expert recommendations from Backcountry's Gearhead team and exclusive deals on qualifying purchases. The Gearhead program — Backcountry's team of in-house outdoor specialists — is what gives the collection its real differentiation. Registered travelers are paired with a dedicated Backcountry Gearhead for one-on-one packing and preparation assistance. That kind of personal consulting, matched to a specific route and departure date, is genuinely hard to find anywhere in the guided-travel space.
Backcountry President Kevin Lenau put the philosophy plainly: "We've spent thirty years helping people figure out what they actually need for the conditions they're heading into, and the honest answer is that most gear questions are really trip questions. These four itineraries gave us something specific to solve for, glacier travel in Norway, wind and rain in Patagonia, sun and heat in the Southwest."
The Four Trips: A Complete Breakdown
The four tours span moderate to challenging activity levels and run from 7 to 14 days, with one departure per itinerary in 2027. Each is built around what the partners call a "signature moment" — a defining experience on the trail that frames the entire trip and is backed by gear selected specifically for that environment's demands. Select departures will also feature appearances from Backcountry athletes and team members, adding a dimension that most guided tour operators simply cannot offer.
American Southwest Hiking: Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Zion
The collection opens close to home — literally. The collection starts with a tour close to Backcountry's global headquarters in Utah. The American Southwest Hiking with Backcountry: Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Zion takes travelers through the red-rock canyons and high-desert trails of Backcountry's home state and the greater Southwest — the terrain the brand's Gearhead Experts know best. There is something fitting about the flagship departure being set in the same landscape where Backcountry's culture was forged.
The American Southwest trip runs 7 days (9 days with the Zion National Park region extension), departs April 25, 2027, carries a moderate activity level, and starts from $6,190 USD per person, land only. April is a calculated choice — temperatures in the canyon country are forgiving in spring compared to the brutal heat that descends by June. Red-rock Arizona, the rim of the Grand Canyon, and Utah's sandstone country at Zion National Park make up one of the most iconic hiking circuits in the United States, with a descent of the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail and the spiraling, light-filled walls of Lower Antelope Canyon among the highlights.
Even in April, the environmental physics of canyon hiking demand respect. The defining conditions in the Southwest are heat and sun. Shade is scarce, the air is dry, and temperatures climb as you descend into the canyon. The National Park Service notes the canyon floor can run 20 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer than the rim, and every step down is a step you'll have to climb back up. This thermal inversion catches unprepared hikers off guard every season — descending feels easy right up to the moment the return climb begins in afternoon heat.
EF Adventures and Backcountry pooled their trip planning and gear expertise across the four destinations, with Backcountry's in-house gear specialists — many of whom have personally hiked these routes — sharing the items they consider essential for each place. For the Southwest, that means prioritizing breathability over insulation. Trail runners over boots breathe better in the heat while still offering strong traction and cushioning. For hydration, a comfortable 24- to 26-liter pack works well, with vest-style designs that feature front pockets keeping essentials within reach without stopping.
Norway Multi-Adventure: Bergen and the Sognefjord Region
The Norway Multi-Adventure with Backcountry: Bergen and the Sognefjord Region runs 9 days, departs July 15, 2027, sits at an intermediate activity level, and starts from $6,290 USD per person, land only. July is peak season in western Norway, when long daylight hours stretch hiking windows deep into the evening and the fjords reflect the kind of light that makes you question whether you're really awake.
The Sognefjord is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway — and one of the most dramatic pieces of geography on the planet, cutting nearly 130 miles inland from the coast and plunging over 4,000 feet at its deepest point. Bergen, the gateway city, sits at the edge of the UNESCO-listed fjord country, surrounded by seven mountains that locals treat as their backyard training ground. The multi-adventure format of this itinerary signals something beyond standard hiking: the Norway trip opens the door to glacier travel, which is where Backcountry's Gearhead expertise becomes most tactically important. Navigating glaciated terrain requires crampons, ice axes, and an understanding of how quickly conditions can change — far from the kind of kit selection you can figure out on Amazon the night before departure.
From the American Southwest, the collection of new tours reaches three of the world's most iconic mountain landscapes: the glaciers and fjords of western Norway, the alpine ridgelines of Italy's Dolomites, and the wind-scoured peaks of Patagonia. Norway's position in the lineup represents the collection's pivot from domestic desert hiking toward genuinely technical international terrain.
Italy Hiking: The Dolomites
The Italy Hiking with Backcountry: The Dolomites trip runs 11 days, departs August 21, 2027, sits at an intermediate activity level, and starts from $7,150 USD per person, land only. Late August in the Dolomites is as good as it gets — the snowmelt is complete, the high passes are open, and the rifugios scattered across the ridgelines are fully operational, which means that even on technical terrain, a plate of pasta and a bed are rarely more than a few hours away.
The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and among the most visually arresting mountain ranges in the world — a series of pale limestone towers and sheer vertical walls that rise dramatically from green valleys in northeastern Italy. The range straddles the border between the German-speaking South Tyrol region and the Italian-speaking Trentino, which gives the culture on the ground a layered, frontier character that most Alpine destinations lack. Trails here range from leisurely valley walks to the famous Via Ferrata routes — fixed-cable routes along cliff faces that originated as military supply lines during World War I and now offer hikers access to terrain that would otherwise require full technical climbing skills.
The Dolomites and Italian Alps have hosted legendary mountain passes such as the Sella Ronda circuit, Passo dello Stelvio, and Passo Gavia, routes experienced by those exploring the alpine culture and historic rifugios throughout the region. For hiking, the Gearhead-approved kit recommendations reflect the Dolomites' unpredictable weather: a Rab Phantom Rain Jacket provides ultralight, packable protection for unpredictable weather, and an Osprey Talon 22L Daypack offers lightweight, versatile storage for varied daily activities, while La Sportiva Nucleo II GTX Boots deliver waterproof, breathable support for mixed terrain.
Chile and Argentina: Patagonia
If there is a trip in this collection that needs no hard sell, it is Patagonia. The Chile and Argentina Hiking with Backcountry: Patagonia trip runs 14 days, departs November 4, 2027, carries a challenging activity level, and starts from $11,290 USD per person, land only. November marks the beginning of Patagonia's austral summer — the optimal window before the region's legendary wind ramps up to its most ferocious levels in December and January.
Patagonia is a true bucket-list destination and one of the most demanding hiking regions on Earth. Signature routes include the steep climb to Mirador Las Torres beneath the granite spires of Torres del Paine in Chile and the trek to Laguna de los Tres at the foot of Mount Fitz Roy in Argentina, plus the massive Grey and Perito Moreno glaciers. The fact that this itinerary includes both sides of the border — Chilean and Argentine Patagonia — rather than just Torres del Paine in isolation is significant. Most commercial tours stop at Torres del Paine because it's the most photogenic and the most logistically straightforward. Pulling in Fitz Roy and the glaciers of Los Glaciares National Park means a more complete picture of what this region actually is.
Covering huge swathes of southern Chile and Argentina, Patagonia rewards visitors with some of South America's most spectacular hikes, adrenaline-fueled white water rafting, wildlife spotting, and horseback riding. Torres del Paine National Park is defined by the characteristic bell-shaped Los Cuernos range and the trident granite towers of Las Torres, visible long before you reach the most popular of Patagonia's national parks.
The gear requirements here are categorically different from the other three destinations in the collection. Trekking poles are critical — they take the load off the knees, improve balance on rocky ground, and help maintain stability when the wind gusts. A wind shell that packs into its own pocket becomes one of the most-used pieces in a pack in Patagonia, blocking the region's relentless wind without the bulk of a full jacket. The wind in Patagonia is not the inconvenient gusts of most mountain ranges — it can knock a fully loaded hiker sideways, shred cheap rain gear in hours, and turn a warm afternoon into a hypothermia scenario in less time than it takes to reach the next shelter.
What the Signature Moment Framework Actually Means
Tours are built around a Backcountry signature moment — a defining day on the trail or water, supported by gear selected specifically for that itinerary's conditions. Travelers are also paired with a dedicated Backcountry Gearhead, an outdoor expert who works with them in the lead-up to departure. This framework is worth examining closely because it solves a problem that plagues both the guided-travel and the outdoor-retail industries simultaneously.
Most guided tours are sold on photography — sweeping landscapes, grinning travelers, sunrise silhouettes. The gear question is typically left to the traveler to figure out, often at the last minute and often incorrectly. Anyone who has watched a first-time Patagonia trekker show up in a cotton hoodie understands the scope of this problem. On the retail side, even the best gear specialists at a brick-and-mortar shop are working from general knowledge of a region rather than specific knowledge of a route, a season, and a departure date. The Gearhead program bridges that gap by connecting specific itinerary conditions to specific product recommendations before the trip begins.
The perks structure reinforces this. Travelers receive a curated, itinerary-specific gear list built by Backcountry's outdoor experts, a 15% Backcountry discount and Summit Club+ access, and a co-branded welcome kit. The 15% discount across Backcountry's inventory is meaningful given the price points of technical hiking and multi-sport gear — on a $1,500 gear haul for Patagonia, that's real money back in a traveler's pocket.
Who These Trips Are For — And What They Demand
The collection is deliberately tiered by difficulty, which means it reaches a wide spectrum of experienced outdoorsmen. The Southwest trip's moderate rating makes it accessible to anyone who hikes regularly and can handle sustained elevation changes in heat. The Norway and Dolomites trips, rated intermediate, assume a foundation of fitness and comfort on varied mountain terrain — these are not trips for someone whose last significant hike was a nature walk. Patagonia's challenging rating is exactly what it sounds like: this is a 14-day expedition-style itinerary in one of the world's most geographically extreme environments, and it will test conditioning, gear, and mental resilience in ways the other three trips do not.
The activity level escalation across the collection is also a smart commercial strategy. It allows a traveler to start with the Southwest, build confidence and relationships within the EF Adventures-Backcountry ecosystem, and then graduate toward Norway, the Dolomites, and eventually Patagonia. The price structure follows the same arc — from $6,190 for the seven-day Southwest trip to $11,290 for the fourteen-day Patagonia expedition, all priced land-only, which means international flights are additional. For comparison, private-guided Patagonia itineraries from boutique operators routinely exceed $14,000 to $18,000 per person, which means the $11,290 entry point for a supported, small-group Patagonia experience with expert gear curation sits at a competitive price for what's being offered.
The Broader Shift in Adventure Travel
The EF Adventures and Backcountry partnership reflects a larger structural shift happening across the adventure-travel industry. Tour operators are increasingly recognizing that the modern adventure traveler is not looking for passive sightseeing with a walking component tacked on. They want routes that are genuinely demanding, environments that cannot be accessed without proper preparation, and logistical support that handles the hard parts without removing the sense of earned achievement. Whether looking for an active backcountry trek, a relaxing lodge-based getaway, a multisport adventure, or a meaningful service trip, today's adventure travel market reflects an itinerary landscape designed to match different interests and levels of ambition.
What makes the EF Adventures-Backcountry model worth watching is the explicit integration of gear expertise into the travel planning pipeline. The emphasis on adapting packing lists to local conditions — rather than applying a generic kit to every destination — reflects how seriously the partnership takes the practical realities of each environment. This is not a novel concept in the expedition world, where guides have always tailored gear lists to specific conditions, but it is genuinely new in the mainstream guided-tour market, where most operators hand travelers a generic packing list and wish them luck.
EF Adventures fields a full catalog of guided cycling trips to hotspots such as Tuscany and Burgundy, as well as hiking and multi-sport trips across five continents, which means the infrastructure behind these four new itineraries is not being built from scratch. The logistics, the local guide networks, the emergency protocols — all of it draws on decades of operational experience in remote terrain. That depth of experience is not something a startup travel operator can replicate, and it matters most when a guided trip encounters the kind of weather, injury, or access problem that no itinerary ever plans for.
Logistics, Booking, and What to Know Before You Go
With only one departure per itinerary scheduled for 2027, availability across all four trips is inherently limited. The four tours are moderate to challenging in terms of activity levels, run from 7 to 14 days, and launched with one departure per itinerary in 2027 — a collection that went live on October 6, 2026. Anyone waiting for a second chance on these specific 2027 departures will likely be disappointed — single-departure itineraries fill from the front end as committed travelers move early.
The Southwest trip's April 25 departure makes it the first realistic planning target. The Norway departure on July 15 follows in summer, then the Dolomites on August 21, with Patagonia closing out the calendar year on November 4. That spacing also means a traveler with both the budget and the fitness could theoretically complete two of the four in 2027, though anyone who has spent two weeks hiking Patagonia in November and then attempted to walk normally in December knows that recovery timelines are real.
For the Patagonia departure specifically, November 4 is a smart window. Torres del Paine is the only national park in Patagonia where you can arrange a multiday bunk-hut to bunk-hut hike while carrying nothing heavier than a day pack, or opt for camping at well-equipped designated sites — but even hut-to-hut logistics require advance reservations that book months out. A guided operator like EF Adventures manages those reservation chains as part of the trip infrastructure, which is one of the primary practical arguments for guided over independent travel in Patagonia specifically.
The Gearhead consultation that comes with booking is worth scheduling early. The more lead time a traveler gives their assigned gear specialist, the more useful the conversation becomes — particularly for the Norway glacier travel component and the Patagonia wind-and-rain challenge, both of which have gear requirements that most hikers have not encountered before. Compact optics such as the Nocs Field Issue Binoculars are among the recommended kit for wildlife and landscape spotting — a detail that speaks to how granular the gear curation gets when specialists who know the routes are doing the selecting rather than a generic packing checklist.
The Bottom Line
Four trips. Three continents. One company that knows the gear and another that knows the ground. The EF Adventures x Backcountry Collection is the kind of partnership that makes sense the moment you hear it — because the two things that most consistently go wrong on adventure trips are poor logistics and wrong gear, and this collection specifically addresses both. Whether the draw is the sandstone corridors of Zion in spring, the twilight-lit ridgelines of the Dolomites in August, the fjord country of western Norway in midsummer, or the wind-hammered granite towers of Patagonia as the austral summer opens up, all four of these itineraries represent the kind of trip that requires real commitment to pull off — and real infrastructure to do well.
The single-departure structure for 2027 creates urgency that is not manufactured. These spots will go to the people who plan ahead, get their fitness in order, and take the gear consultation seriously. For anyone who has spent years looking at photos of Torres del Paine's stone towers or the vertiginous Dolomite ridgelines and telling themselves they'll get there eventually, 2027 just became a concrete deadline.
