5 questions from ski touring beginners

Ski touring is booming! Quite rightly, as this sport offers impressive experiences of nature and is also beneficial for one's own fitness and health. But beginners in particular have many questions at the beginning. Some of these questions are answered in the following article.

1. ski touring how does it work?

Ski touring involves the use of a specific binding and boots with a walking function, as well as clamping skins that are mounted on the base of the ski. This makes it possible to go up the mountain. Once you reach the top, you remove the skins, change the binding and boots to the downhill function and the descent can begin.

In order to go ski touring, you need the right equipment in any case. Equipment. The ski touring ski should be light and stable. The binding must have the walking and downhill function just mentioned and ideally also an adjustable climbing aid. Stoppers that prevent the ski from becoming unstable and skidding off are also a good idea. The tensioning skins must fit the ski exactly.

Furthermore, the standard equipment for a ski tour includes the following:

Avalanche transceiver (three antennas)
Backpack with shovel, probe, first aid material, bivouac sack
Sun protection, sunglasses
Functional clothing, change of underwear
Mobile phone, topographical map, GPS (possibly spare battery/power bank)
Possibly crampons

As you can see, the amount of equipment needed for a ski tour should not be underestimated. Once you have everything you need, it's a matter of finding the right Destination for a Ski tour select. Beginners do their first attempts best in the ski area on the secured slope. But be careful! During skiing operations, it is essential that ascending skiers stay on the edge of the piste to avoid collisions with descending skiers. Many ski areas now also have specially signposted routes for ski tourers. After the ski areas close for the day, the pistes are closed - also for ski tourers. The reason is grooming and maintenance work with snowcats, which can endanger winter sports enthusiasts. Of course, at the beginning you can also tackle simple forest trail tours to alpine pastures.

What is important is that one's Tours plans correctly. To do this, you have to know the Weather forecast read the Avalanche situation report and choose a tour that is appropriate for the conditions.

2. how to go ski touring?

At Ski touring there are a few things to keep in mind. You should not lift your skis when walking. It is much more efficient to slide the skis forward on the snow with each step. As soon as the track hangs off to the side a little, you have to give in at the ankle so that the skin always rests as completely as possible on the snow. In this way you can avoid the annoying slipping away. It is equally unhelpful to use the large climbing aid too early. With the climbing aid, you can exert less pressure on the ski and then slip backwards more easily.

A propos Climbing aidIf you use the crampons in very hard snow conditions, it is essential to deactivate the climbing aid. Otherwise the crampons will not grip the snow properly.

As soon as the terrain becomes steeper (>30°), one must Hairpin bends walk. At the beginning, it is still possible to avoid hairpin bends by bending clock curves. However, as the steepness increases, hairpin bends are indispensable. Hairpin bends require agility, some skill and above all practice.

"Ski touring is a fascinating sport. It's best to start easy and slowly increase your choice of tours."

3. how strenuous are ski tours?

The question "How strenuous are ski tours?" is of course always to be seen in relative terms. Due to the slow, steady walking, ski tours are a pleasant endurance sport. The pulse is rarely driven into extreme regions. However, you should of course have good basic endurance to be able to ascend for at least 2 hours at a moderate pace. And you need to have some energy left for the descent. Not to be underestimated is the additional weight you have to carry along with your equipment, rucksack, etc. If you regularly do at least 45 minutes of strength and endurance training 3-4 times a week, you are certainly well prepared for your first ski tours. Like any sport, ski touring can be done in an extreme way, pushing the effort to the limit.

4. which ski tours are suitable for beginners?

Ski tours for Beginners in Tyrol should be carefully selected. Particularly for beginners, both the objective (avalanches, weather) as well as the subjective (own ability, psyche) Dangers must be carefully assessed.

Anyone who does not know how to move in alpine terrain and correctly assess dangers should definitely a guided tour connect. In order to be able to go ski touring on your own responsibility, the attendance of Training courses strongly recommended.

Here is a selection of tours suitable for beginners in the Tyrolean Oberland region:

Frudigerkopf (2149 m) in the Pfundser Tschey
Family-friendly ski tour over gently sloping slopes. Valley location: Pfunds
Dawin - Gratl (1940 m) m above Grinner Ski Hut
Good beginner's tour in the area of the timberline. Valley location: Grins
Simmering (2096 m)
A tour for beginners who want to take the next step after piste touring. A bit of alpine assessment is needed for the last 250 metres in altitude. Valley location: Obsteig

5. who is allowed to lead ski tours?

Especially for a beginner this is an important question. Only two professional groups are authorised to commercially guide ski tours in Austria: Firstly, State-certified mountain and ski guides. And secondly, State certified ski instructors & ski guides. What exactly the differences are, how the training works and how to recognise authorised ski guides, I have described in this article: Who is allowed to lead ski tours?

Ski tours with ski guide

Guided ski tours with a state-certified ski guide.

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Alex Kunert

Alexander Kunert is a state-certified ski instructor & ski guide. With ridewithme.guide he works as a self-employed licensed ski instructor & ski guide. He is mainly on the road in the Arlberg, in the Ötztal Alps and in the Silvretta.