What is Ski Touring all About?

by Rob Ward

Sara and I have been winter hillwalkers for many years, and have also been on many skiing holidays. However, I have only occasionally combined the two activities and Sara has hardly done so at all. So, when the AAC(UK) announced a new training course for skiers wanting to develop ski touring skills, we both jumped at the chance and are both very pleased that we did!

There are quite a lot of obstacles to starting ski touring; you need to acquire the correct equipment, learn new skills and become familiar with avalanche risk factors - and rescue techniques, too. These are topics that a new AAC(UK) course was designed to address. Held at Obernberg in the Tirol, in our opinion this first course, run by mountain leader Sean McGachie, was a great success. It has changed us from being complete novices to being no longer novices, although we know we still have lots to learn. And most importantly, it confirmed our suspicion that ski touring really is a great way to enjoy the mountains in winter.

What exactly is it?
Well, it is primarily walking or climbing up snow-covered hills and mountains, but with skis and ski boots, rather than boots and crampons or snowshoes. That doesn’t sound great – you can watch the faces of most walkers and skiers fall when you describe this. They imagine stomping up steep hillsides with uncomfortable boots and heavy skis on their feet, sliding two steps back for every step forward. In fact, it is not like that at all. First, ski touring boots are significantly lighter and more comfortable than their downhill equivalents. In fact, I have upgraded my conventional downhill boots to touring ones to gain the weight advantage, even when just piste skiing. Secondly, the skis and bindings are also much lighter than those designed solely for downhill skiing. Thirdly, the bindings are such that only your toes are attached when going uphill, so you can lift your heels as you walk uphill. And finally, while you do walk uphill, you temporarily attach “skins” to the base of your skis, which stop you sliding backwards. This technology means that walking uphill on snow with skis is, in fact, easier than walking without. You don’t lift your feet, you glide them forward, so you don’t notice the additional weight, and your weight is distributed over a wide surface area so you rarely sink into even the softest snow. This means you can establish a steady rhythm, definitely the best way to walk uphill.

Arrival
The course began on the Sunday evening when we met at Almi’s Berghotel in Obernberg. It was clear that we all met the profile outlined in the course requirements: competence at downhill skiing, and some winter mountain experience. I think that this was a significant factor in making the course so successful. At that initial meeting we also reviewed the equipment we either already owned, or had hired in Innsbruck. Most of this was good, though we later discovered that some bindings were more fiddly to use than others.

Day 1
The first day of the course was conducted on the pistes of a small local ski resort (day pass fee €46). This enabled us to use our kit in earnest for the first time, and also enabled Sean to evaluate our competence and confidence downhill. He then reminded us of techniques that some of us hadn’t used for years, if ever - sidestepping, stem turns, kick turns and snowploughs. This was of great benefit later in the week when the conditions and locations, well away from any piste slopes, meant that “defensive” skiing, the avoidance of falls if at all possible, became the order of the day.

Day 2
The next day we embarked on our first tour, with not a piste or uplift in sight. We caught the bus from the hotel up the valley to Unterrainsalm, then it was on with the skis and skins. We all soon found a comfortable rhythm skinning uphill through woods, past a mysterious abandoned hotel, and the beautiful Obernberger See. Then on to what would, in summer, be grassy alpine meadows, but were now fully snow-covered. At this halfway point on the climb we had a break while Sean went off to simulate an avalanche scenario, burying a rucksack containing a transmitting transceiver, out of our sight. We practised searching for it, using our transceivers and probes, before finally digging it out with snow shovels. There is a carefully thought-out protocol behind each step of the process which needs to be applied, but also a need for urgency. It was sobering to imagine how hard it would be to locate and dig out an avalanche victim quickly in anything other than optimum conditions.

In the shelter of a locked hut we ate the lunch we had prepared from the breakfast spread – a welcome feature of Almi’s. Because of the conditions – unconsolidated snow obscuring the underlying forest tracks and paths – Sean opted to return the way we had come, though this wasn’t without interest. The path had at times been narrow, bumpy and across running streams, easy enough to negotiate when we were walking up using skins, less easy to negotiate when skiing down. It was definitely a venue for practising defensive skiing; no points for going fast, maximum points for always being in control and being able to stop instantly.

That evening, and most subsequent evenings, Sean provided theory training about weather, avalanches, the use of transceivers and so on, and then discussed the proposed route for the following day. Sometimes these routes involved further short bus rides, but on two occasions we started directly from the hotel, walking through the village to the hills with our skis on our backs. That clearly shows what an excellent base the hotel is.

On some days there was new snow which contributed to increased avalanche risk and prevented some summits being reached. However, this provided great powder skiing for those who were competent enough to make the most of it; not me, sadly! For most of the week there were cold winds on top. This was a trying environment in which to practise changing from uphill to downhill modes. This involves removing the skins from your skis and folding them away carefully, keeping them as dry as possible. Then you have to tighten your boots, and clip them fully into your bindings. In my case I usually had to do this with bare hands, which inevitably meant starting each downhill section with numb fingers.

Day 3
On the final day, it all came together. The forecast was as predicted; clear and bright. We caught the bus to Steinach, and for only the second time in the week invested in uplift to the top of the resort. Then it was skins on, and a race to the very top of the Nösslachjoch under a glorious blue sky. From there we could see our final objective, the Eggerberg (2280m). It seemed a long way away, but on skis the intervening distance flew by. It was a fitting end to a great week. Thanks Sean, and the other course members, for a memorable week. Roll on next year!

Return whence you came