Skitouring in winter and early spring is one of the greatest winter sports experiences. The way up is a tough challenge which pays off in multiple ways on the descent. Instead of a difficult and strenuous way down there is only fun. After a lonely and quiet hike up, we'll be whizzing down with a cry of joy.
Follow the traces in soft swings down into the green valley
If high Alpine tours are summer's supreme discipline, then ski tours deserve the same title for the winter months. The cold time of the year never seems more beautiful than on a ski tour far away from noisy and overcrowded skiing slopes and long queues at the ski lifts. Ski tours are becoming increasingly more popular these days, but we know where to find solitary routes and quiet, peaceful spots.
Successful and safe ski touring requires preparation and know-how. You need to be informed about the weather and the snow conditions, including the risks of avalanches. Knowing and understanding the element you are moving in is essential. You must know how to make your way up, finding a good track, and you need to judge the landscape, its inclination and the snow conditions correctly for a safe descent. These aren't topics for discussion. These things one simply needs to know about.
In deep powder up to your belly button
Mountain guides like myself train Alpinists and pass on the knowledge required for moving safely in the mountains at all times of the year. The preparation includes learning how to react and behave in case of an emergency. How can I make an emergency call? How do I search for somebody buried under an avalanche? How can I help an injured person and how do I treat wounds correctly? These may not be the most entertaining aspects of ski touring, but they are essential and a necessary aspect of the sport.
Of course we hope our ski tours in winter and spring to always start well and end well, too, with happy customers who enjoy the hike up just as much as the zippy ride down, reaching the valley all happy, healthy and satisfied. Most advanced skiers dream of descending in deep, fresh powder. Back down in the valley, a look over your shoulder will show you the traces you left in the untouched snow. Maybe the traces you and your partner left form a perfect plait...
White exhilaration
Skitouring is great in winter, but spring also offers fantastic rides. The old corn snow often creates ideal conditions for exciting descends. Amazing crossings such as the "Hoch Tirol" route or the "Haute Route" in the Valais Alps (from Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland) are amongst the best tours the European Alps have to offer.