 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have done a few day tours on hired equipment; great fun and a fantastic feeling of being away from it all in the mountains , but unfortunately not really compatible with a family skiing holiday, so it had been a few years now.
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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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Yep. Check this out of you're looking for introductory courses and pretty much anything else:
www.eagleskiclub.org.uk
I did my first touring with them and have just started leading tours. Think my favourite flavour has more of an emphasis on using the kit to access interesting descents rather than travelling through the mountains a la haute route (although those are fun too).
Setup? You realise that touring opens you up to a whole new world of kit geekiness? You start having to think of uphill performance as well as downhill... I now think that there isn't much point in alpine bindings unless it's a pure piste pair of skis. Touring bindings give so much flexibility and their performance isn't much worse than alpine bindings particularly in soft snow.
My current set-up is a pair of Dynastar Legend Pros and Fritschi Freerides. This set-up is VERY MUCH biased towards downhill performance. You wouldn't have to try that hard to get a set-up which was half the weight of that. I'm investigating a lightweight set-up for longer tours but it's hard to give up that downhill performance... Will definitely be using Dynafit bindings for that set-up though.
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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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I occassionally tour in scotland (plus some crosscountry in Norway) single day tours so far. At the moment I either use my AT kit (Atomic TC9 with Fritschi Diamir bindings) or my nordic touring kit (Fischer Boundless wax with Voile releasable three pin and cable bindings and crispi CXT boots, light, low ankle plastic tele boots). The AT kit is what I use on piste as well. The AT skis and Nordic skis are very similar in size and shape so my skins fit both if necessary. I'll use the AT skis if I'll be doing anything steep and the nordic skis if I want to do distance. My telemarking is a bit iffy and the low boots don't give a lot of control paralleling in dodgy snow conditions.
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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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If you are looking to tour with a board this site may be helpful.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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DB, Mrs Ski uses Denalis, Fritschis and Dynstar Altitrail Wides. I tele-tour - so Scarpa T1s (old ones), Tua Big Easys, and Superloop bindings.
We both carry transcievers, harness, rope, crampons (ski and boot) etc. I use my Big Easys for all things tele, but Mrs Ski prefers burlier kit for piste and lift-served off-piste.
Modern AT kit seems to be getting bigger and heavier  and (unless you can already) don't learn to tele to tour, Alpine kit is lighter, easier, more versatile, and (much) more reliable.
Have fun !
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Thanks for the info just being nosy really 
Done a fair few back country hikes using Alpine boots but only done a one day tour and then a week trip to the Sivrettas last April with http://www.pistetopowder.com/.
Bought a pair of these last season http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=1_48_242&products_id=214, rented skis & bindings up to now but need to get my own. Thinking of going for Fritschi Freerides and Dynastar Legend 8000's (downhill orientated).
Many at work go touring so I will probably do day trips with them and the Alpenverein (Austrian equivalent to the BMC) and probably another trip with PistetoPowder.
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I tried a SCGB touring holiday last year, and had a fantastic time. Qualified guide (Rob Collister). Patient instruction. Wouldn't have missed it. Here's a holiday with Rob that might suit you (I love "lift pass not needed").
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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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Hi DB, I did a double take when I saw your opener there - as I was sure I remembered you talking about heading off to the Silvrettas last season. Did you post a report about it?
You may remember me saying I'd discovered this a couple of years ago. I've done a few one-day trips around Chamonix, + a few hours climbing on some SCGB trips this last year, and then the Haute Route at Easter - loved it, loved the fitness gain and weight loss, and much regretted the subsequent reversion to type . I have to say that setup you mention in your second sounds just about perfect - as it's the one I have (although Denalis rather than Adrenalines), and now use for pretty much all regular on- and off-piste stuff. As I'm not going for any climbing records, I didn't find the extra weight over a 100% touring-oriented setup (e.g. Dynafit bindings, 'supernoodle' skis) any problem at all - until one day I had a dreadful problem with wet snow balling up under the skins, which was an absolute nightmare, but clearly not the fault of the skis/bindings.
I'm currently eyeing up the SCGB trip to the Gran Paradiso for next season, or possibly their Berner Oberland trip, or as an outside possibility of a tour of the 4000m peaks near Saas Fee with the outfit I went with last year - but was meaning to ask you what the Silvrettas would have to offer
(I've just checked the PisteToPowder link - that Norway Sail trip looks wonderful - maybe one for the year after).
Choices...choices.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We've been talking about getting into ski touring recently - what woudl you recommend as the best introduction? thoughts so far had extended to asking the bureau des guides in resort ...
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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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| poma wrote: |
| We've been talking about getting into ski touring recently - what woudl you recommend as the best introduction? thoughts so far had extended to asking the bureau des guides in resort ... |
Any particular resort?
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poma, depends how much time you have. Doing a day tour with the Bureau des Guides is a good start. It needn't be too much of a slog - you may only be skinning for an hour or so from the top of a lift and if you don't like it, you've only wasted a day. I'd get a guide just for your group though and make it clear that it's your first time and you want a bit of instruction. The kit is a bit of a fiddle when you use it for the first time and the uphill kick turn takes a while to master. It's worth taking the time to learn it because it's an invaluable skill.
If you have a bit longer, I'd thoroughly recommend one of the introductory weeks done by the Eagle Ski Club. That was my introduction. They always do it in a place called Arolla which is just off the Haute Route and a lovely little place. I've had some of my bext powder days ever there, incidentally. It covers uphill technique, off-piste skiing, crevasse rescue, avalanche awareness, and you get to do some really good skiing too. It's pretty good value too - cheaper than SCGB offerings anyway. Run this year by a guide called Andy Teasdale who's very competent and a good laugh too.
Depending on your age and a few other factors, you may be able to get a grant from the ESC to reduce the cost of the course.
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You know it makes sense.
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(Ah - looks like Arno has pretty much the same idea as what follows)
poma, it depends how committed you feel towards the uphill stuff.
You could try hiring a guide for a day (either bureau des guides or, probably better, one of the independent ski schools) within a normal holiday. Any preferences where you want to go? My first experience was on an easter weekend in Argentiere with the SCGB and the snow was so rubbish the guide suggested a day tour - the Crochues-Berard traverse, which is the standard beginners tour there, with 2 clibms of about about an hour each. In Chamonix I've also used http://www.chamonixmountainguide.com/index-en.html , http://www.evolution2.com/sommaire_gb.htm and http://www.chamonix-experience.com . There are also a couple of touring intro weekends from SCGB which have a couple of days off-piste and skinning practice then a full day tour. The combination of a little skinning from a lift gets you off the beaten track into (normally) isolated untracked descents, but without too much slog - and I suspect I'll be doing a fair bit of this in the future.
If you're sure you want more than a day, which then gets you further off the beaten track, try a safari, which mixes some day tours and maybe a couple of nights in huts. This gives you the opportunity to get to grips with the idea and a taste of the real thing before being completely committed - the last thing you want is to find you hate it when you're two days from anywhere. If you like (summer or winter) hiking through the mountains, and get your enjoyment from just being surrounded by these wonderful beasts this could well be the right level to start at, as one guide once made the important point that touring is more about moving through the mountains that about the actual skiing. If your only mountain experience is lift-served skiing I'd probably suggest the other route. The course DB did sounds like that, as is also that link from Nick Zotov, and there's a couple more from SCGB in that style.
Arno - thatnks for remining me about Eagle - I found out about them last year but had forgotten to check out what they have on offer.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Fri 9-09-05 11:28; edited 1 time in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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will be in Courchevel for convenience, and we have our eyes on a route we've hiked in the summer, overnighting at a refuge, as our ultimate goal ... (although I have a suspicion this sort of thing will prove addictive and there will be no ultimate goal!)
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your age and a few other factors
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... we fail on all counts. But on the subject of age, what would be the youngest suitable age for taking part? My 10 year old is keen (and it might make him realise there's more to skiing that going fast through gates).
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Poster: A snowHead
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poma,
If your 10 year old can walk for a long time uphill while carrying a backpack and his skis but can also ski offpiste conditions (powder, crud, etc) then I don't see any reason why not. Probably best to try a one day tour with your 10 year old in your own group as others have said. A route that can easily be cut short is probably good too just in case anyone gets tired. Getting rental gear for your 10 year old may be difficult - best to check availability well in advance.
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FAQ
