What is Ski Touring?
  • About
  • Contact
  • Legal information
Featured: Best Gifts for Skiers
alps

What is Ski Touring?

A type of skiing which involves hiking up the mountain on specially adapted skis, whereby the heel of your boot is detachable from the ski. This allows you to venture off-piste and away from the crowds of the ski resort. This can be riskier than normal skiing, as ski touring is often done out of bounds.

Ski Touring.jpg

Ski touring is a form of skiing which takes the sport back to its roots, before the luxury of chairlifts or T-bars could be used. Ski touring involves hiking up the mountain on specially adapted skis, before skiing down as normal. In order to hike up on skis, you must first attach what are known as ’skins’ to the bottom of your skis (a thin layer of material), which miraculously gives you the grip needed to walk up the slope on skis! As well as skins, you will also need special bindings on your skis which detach from the ski at the heel, to allow you to hike up the mountain as if you were walking. If your next question is ‘do I need special boots for ski touring?’ then yes, you are correct in thinking you do. Ski touring boots are made to be compatible with ski touring bindings. They differ from normal ski boots in that they are a bit lighter than normal boots, are more flexible and generally have a sole with a bit more grip on it. As you will spend the majority of your time in the ascent while you are touring, you want to make sure your boots are as comfortable as possible, while still being stiff enough for skiing down in.

Ski touring goes beyond just the instant gratification of an adrenaline-filled race down the mountain as most people enjoy skiing. Rather it is more about the hike up the mountain itself, knowing that you have put in the work to get to the top instead of easily just hopping on a chairlift to take you there. When you reach the summit, what makes the skiing even more enjoyable is the satisfaction of knowing that you have earned every turn you make through beautiful, untouched white powder in the backcountry, because you made the effort to hike up there.

Another significant attraction of ski touring is the ability to get away from the crowds of the main ski resorts. Ski touring allows you to reach areas out of bonds of the main ski area, to find peace and quiet, and get as far away from civilisation as you so desire! Obviously, this comes with it’s risks and dangers, as these areas are not patrolled, and the avalanche risk increases significantly when you ski off-piste. For this reason, it is essential to carry all the necessary avalanche equipment with you any time you are skiing off-piste or away from patrolled areas.

You can see some footage of touring and the relevant equipment you need right here!

As you might expect, ski touring is a very physical activity and requires a high level of fitness as well as determination. As you could be hiking for hours before you even get your first turn in, I would advise you to have done a few hikes or a bit of hillwalking prior to giving ski touring a go, just to give yourself the best chance of succeeding and enjoying yourself.


Related Articles with Tags:

advanced
off piste
Heli Skiing Colorado
There are two companies that offer heli-skiing in Colorado - Telluride Heli-Trax & Silverton Mountain Heli. Prices per person for a full day of heli-skiing start at $1395 with Telluride Heli-Trax, and $1190 for a 6 run trip with Silverton Mountain Heli.
FIS Alpine Skiing
FIS Alpine skiing is the top international competition involving a series of different alpine skiing events. The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is made up of 5 different events; slalom, Giant slalom, super G slalom, downhill & the combined, which includes slalom and downhill.
Heli-Skiing
Heli-skiing is exactly as it sounds. You climb into a helicopter kitted up with your skis and avalanche gear, and let the helicopter take you high up over the mountains, away from any notion of a groomed ski run or any other skiers.
Kite Skiing
Kite skiing or snowkiting as it is also known is, is a form of skiing in which you are attached to a kite and ski down the mountain, or straight off a cliff if you’re experienced enough! The kite allows the skier to get big air off jumps, and enables the skier to ski in areas of the mountain that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Parallel Skiing
Parallel skiing is the skiing technique used by intermediate to expert skiers, and is considered the best technique for skiing. Skier will generally transition from ‘snow plough’ technique of skiing to parallel skiing once they have reached the stage of skiing on blue runs, or when they feel comfortable keeping their skis parallel.
Tree Well Skiing
Tree well skiing is skiing off-piste amongst the trees. Skiers often ski close to the trees as they make their turns, just avoiding the dangerous tree wells. This can sometimes be done within the boundaries of a ski resort, but sometime skiers venture out of bounds for fresher powder though this is not advised without expert supervision and adequate equipment.
What is Cross Country Skiing?
Cross-country skiing takes place on flat groomed tracks, using skis which are longer, lighter and narrower than alpine skis. The skier propels themselves along using the grip under the skis. There are two type of cross-country skiing; skating and classic, which although they differ slightly in technique, are very similar in principle.
Best helmet for skiing
The best ski helmet is easier to define and decide upon than picking a new pair of skis. Ski helmets have progressively more and better safety technology included in each model as the price increases. This means that if you see a more expensive helmet from a reputable brand, there is a very good chance it is going to be a better helmet, and will keep your head safer than a cheaper and more affordable ski helmet.
Best off piste skis
The best off piste skis will help you to float in the deep snow while making turning effortless and easy. There are many ski brands which make top quality and fun off piste skis. The best brands to look out for when choosing off piste skis in my experience are Salomon, Rossignol, Head & Atomic.
Best thermals and baselayers for skiing
Ski thermals are an essential item for any ski holiday. They are specially constructed and made of very high-quality materials to ensure maximum heat is retained by the body, and moisture can be wicked away from the skin easily. Thermals can be made in a large range of different materials, each attracting a different price tag.
What is the best all-mountain ski?
All-mountain skis let you ski almost everywhere on the mountain, both on-piste and a bit of off-piste. All-mountain skis have characteristics of both carving skis and powder skis, which is why they are generally the broadest range of skis available, and the most popular choice of skis for holiday makers.
Skiing in Canada
Canada offers the best quality snow for skiing in the world. Canada offers many different resorts to ski at with a huge variety between each of them. Although Canada doesn’t receive as much snow as Japan, the snow quality is superior. The infrastructure is not as extensive as that of Europe, and therefore the resorts are not as large.