Backcountry conditions...on piste

Where's the piste? | Grands Montets, CHAMONIX

Last weekend brought even more snow to Chamonix! With the majority of the ski areas closed on Saturday, a few of us decided to go on an adventure...and we weren't the only ones. The photo is the home run (Pierre a Ric) of Grands Montets ski area. It was more like a backcountry ski tour than the usual well groomed, wide, fast piste.

We managed to get beyond Couloir Philippe with each of the group taking turns to cut the pack. Boy was it seriously hard work! We passed a group snowshoeing with their skis and boots(!) strapped to their backs...one said he hadn't expected to be doing this on his holiday and was going on a diet when he got home.

After 2.5 hours we felt like we'd done ourselves proud and decided to head down. But skiing down didn't prove that easy because the snow was so deep and it wasn't the lightest of powder. After several face plants and a few snow angels later...we worked out that the only way down was in the tracks we'd created going up. It was an amazing experience and a super mini-adventure for a Saturday afternoon!

Ski touring: Getting started

Before the lifts had opened | Le Tour, CHAMONIX

It’s a great feeling being able to get up the mountain without using a ski lift. After the first fall of snow or a fresh dump of powder you’ll find ski areas dotted with people who have toured up.

Ski touring is travelling uphill on skis to access backcountry areas which you can’t get to on a lift. A ski tour can be a few hours, a day or longer by staying the nights in mountain huts.

Skinning or snowshoeing up the home-run of a ski area is a great way to start. The same considerations, precautions and kit are recommended when going backcountry skiing (i.e. check conditions and weather, let someone know where you’re going, take avalanche transceiver, shovel, probes, mobile phone, rucksack etc.).

If you’re a skier you need touring bindings and touring skins. The skins stick to the underside of your skis and allow the ski to glide forward and not slip back; you release the bindings so your heel lifts up to allow a walking movement and off you go. Snowboarders use snowshoes; your snowboard straps to your rucksack and by using telescopic poles you walk on up. We’ll talk more about kit in a future post.

When you first start it is difficult to know what speed to go at. Try and keep the pace steady and constant if possible. Be prepared to get very warm. Having layers with you is essential, as when you stop, you can get cold quickly. Remember to take some food and water with you too so that you remain fuelled up and hydrated.

Ski touring can be hard work, but the rewards are amazing. Fresh tracks away from busy pistes in stunning mountain scenery are definitely worth the effort! It is a fantastic experience.

We’ll be posting regularly on different aspects of ski touring from buying kit to advice on longer tours…if you have any questions or tips it would be great to hear from you.