Ski tour planning – how to make the tour a success
Ski tour planning
how to make the tour a success
No matter how eager you are to go on your next ski tour, every planning starts with the checking the weather, snow and avalanche situation. Cold and stormy weather can turn even a small ski tour into a big challenge.
On every ski tour with routes in unsecured terrain it is essential to check if the avalanche situation allows it. If the warning level is too high or you don’t have enough experience, postpone the tour to another day with a better forecast. Or choose a route that runs completely in secured terrain, i.e. on the piste.
- Datum
- Level Beginner
- Kategorie Before the Tour, Tour planing
When choosing a ski tour, you should always be honest and never overestimate yourself. That goes for fitness, altitude difference and slope steepness in the ascent and descent. Your learning curve will be steeper and safer if you are not over your limits. Plus this way you will have a lot more fun. Choose the ski tour according to your strengths. If you’re a good off-piste skier, you can also dare to go off-piste – otherwise you’d better choose a piste tour or a ski tour where you can also reach the piste. And keep in mind: Finest powder snow is never guaranteed, you can always expect icy slopes or runs with extremely heavy and wet snow!
Safety and fun is only possible if the equipment fits. Check in advance that the climbing skins fit your touring skis perfectly and the touring shoes fit your feet. Crampons can be worth their weight in gold in tough conditions and make your life uphill a lot easier. Off-piste ski touring poles with large baskets are much more comfortable, save energy and provide more grip. Sufficient warm clothing and a changeable shirt for the downhill run help you to concentrate on the essential stuff during the ski tour. Sufficient hydration and good food will put you in a good mood. Additionally we recommend warm tea in a thermos flask and a few bars or nuts for a quick energy supply in between.
How to use heel lifters
Most ski touring bindings have heel lifters. The exceptions to this are ultra-light race bindings and old-fashioned bindings from the days of the ski touring pioneers. Heel lifters are a …
Stepping in and out of pin bindings
The Marker Alpinist touring binding can be easily switched from riding to walking mode and back again: for walking mode, the heel is twisted and the heel lifter positioned upright …