 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi folks, newbie here with a hastily considered/written question
I'm probably going to be off to Austria for a week maybe more in January, and I'd really like to walk, to the top of the mountain I ski on, to be there as the sun rises. (cliche or what?)
I'm completely new to the whole ski touring thing, but I spent a couple of months working in Austria in the summer so I can guess how long it might take me to get up there. Adding time I guess for additional weight.
I would only be using the pistes to make it easier as I have been skiing there for years and know them like the back of my hand, so getting lost shouldn't be an issue.
As I just have regular carvers and no telemark/touring skis/bindings, I'd have to carry them up with me. what I am wondering is, can I walk up in my ski boots or would I be better to use walking boots and take the boots up in a rucksack? Seeing as my boots are fairly tricky to put on at room temperature, I imagine they’d be pretty tricky in the cold….
My ski boots are a stiff Strolz more race type boot, foamed to my foot, and my walking boots are a pair of Lowa Tibet pro GTX boots, which I think are a B1 boot to take a C1 crampon.
Can I also find a suitable C1 crampon to fit both my ski boot and my walking boot? or would I be looking at 2 pairs one for the ski boots and another for the walking boots?
Would it also be a good idea to wear some gaiters with the boots too?
Any help is much appreciated!
Also any additional tips, words of warning would also be great! Cheers!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If this is a genuine question... it isn't April 1st is it?
OK, hire some skis with touring bindings plus skins for a day. Get someone to show you how to use them. The basics are easy. If it gets too steep then just walk up with skis on your shoulder.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've hiked up in ski boots/skis on back onpiste before (St Christoff to Galzig on a full moon night in the Arlberg, ski back down Kandahar was great!) and it was fine - better than walking boots as you can dig the toes in. Some of the girls hired touring skis, but took longer - probably a fitness thing though. Should be able to hire touring skis in resort no problem. Beware of things like piste bashers using winch cables - potentially VERY dangerous.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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nope, serious question, I did say newbie didn't I? I did do some retrospective googling and found out about the (major) differences in the gear, maybe I;ll see if there's any guided tours going in the area first.... but a nighttime walk in the snow looks like fun.....
how far did you walk in the boots clarky? out of interest?
Cheers D
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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danebrewer, Not that far at all, taxi to St Christoff, walked up blue 8 to the top of the Galzigbahn, then skied down black 2 (Kandahar) to St Anton. Think the walk up took maybe an hour or so, but be weren't rushing and had taken whisky and beer with us (other people had fireworks, was a fun night!).
More recently I did a 4k round trip hike along a stony path in ski boots, but that wasn't intentional - I hoped to quickly find enough snow to skin on, but didn't, it was only on the bushes until you got much higher than I could be bothered to walk too. Standard alpine boots too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Fitting crampons to skiboots shouldn't be a problem; the strap-on type should fit your hiking boots, too. Worth trying before buying, as strap loops or toe bails might not fit over the toe lug of your ski boot. If you're walking far though, you might well be happier with either proper AT boots or some snowshoes for your hiking boots.
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How much vertical is involved? It might take longer than you think.
Take a head-torch.
Serriadh This is on pistes - very unlikely to need crampons.
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| snowball wrote: |
| Serriadh This is on pistes - very unlikely to need crampons. |
Sure, but:
| danebrewer wrote: |
| Can I also find a suitable C1 crampon to fit both my ski boot and my walking boot? |
he did ask 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Don't underestimate the amount of effort involved - it's very hard work, especially if you're above 2500m. Skinning would be easier; get some touring adaptors that you can use with conventional ski's and boots. It's not such a crazy thing to do, you'll have something extra to remember from your holiday!
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Well, I have some touring adaptors that I used before I got proper touring bindings. You could borrow them if you like and are near North London. But I'm not lending my skins.
Anyway, hiring touring skis and skins for a day in resort isn't a big deal.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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thanks for the advice folks, it'll all be pretty experimental for me, so I'll see how it goes.....
if I take a more direct route, there could be a fair bit of steepish hard piste for me to use, black and red runs, either way you slice it so I'm thinking crampons might'nt be a bad idea, if only to have with me, the resort is Kappl if anyone knows it.....
thanks for the offer snowball, I think I'll do some testing, and if It works/i like it maybe I'll invest in it a bit more....
I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!
Thanks
D
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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For steep slopes on skins you would need to zig-zag using kick turns which someone would have to teach you. Not as simple as the basic technique - and on icy slopes you would need ski crampons. However walking up most of the way on skis is much less tiring than in boots - you can just plod up for as long as it takes.
Have you looked at the piste map to see how much vertical is involved (normally they mark the height of the tops)? An average skier would, I reckon, take 3 1/2 to 4 hours to climb 1000m vertical (though this obviously depends how much horizontal is involved) If the slope is more than about 20º (red run) you have to zig-zag if you are skinning. (I expect someone with more knowledge will be along to dispute these figures.)
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