Alpine Ski Tour for Beginners, 3 Days, Switzerland

Alpine Ski Touring Course, Switzerland

This is an alpine ski touring course for skiers with some ski touring experience who’d like to learn high mountain ski touring. We’ll spend 3 days ski touring on some of the spectacular peaks above Andermatt, Switzerland.

Your mountain guide will work with you and the small group to plan alpine ski tours each day. Adjusting the plans on the go as needed, together with you. You will climb exciting peaks and have the chance to put your training into practice. The options are the Pizzo Lucendro at 2,962 meters, Pizzo Rotondo at 3,192 meters, or the circuit over the Lecki Pass and Mutten Glacier on the Stozigen Firsten 2,752 meters with a great final run down to Realp.

After the course, you’ll be able to start confidently planning and doing alpine ski tours taking advantage of the excitement and beauty of this high mountain sport.

Tour Details

Contents

• Track setting/safe behavior during ascent/descent
• Ski techniques for ascent and descent
• Introduction to tour planning
• Interpreting dangers using avalanche forecasts and applying this information on a planned tour
• Use of emergency equipment (avalanche transceiver, avalanche shovel, avalanche probe, and avalanche airbag backpack)

Aim

You will be able to plan simple ski tours independently and carry these out in favorable conditions. Depending on your personal fitness level, you will be able to take part in simple to moderate ski tours, e.g. an advanced ski touring course or an alpine ski tour for beginners, etc.

Technique

Piste: confident on skis
Powder snow: beginner experience necessary
Terrain: moderately steep, some steeper sections
Alpine technique (for ski touring): initial ski touring experience.

Condition

Duration from 4 to 6 hours, up to approx.1,000 vertical meters, approx. 250 vertical meters per hour. Good level of fitness for all-day skiing.

Small group

5-8 participants per mountain guide

Meeting place

9.30 a.m. Andermatt (train arrival at 9.21 a.m.)

Departure

Approx. 3:30 p.m. from Andermatt

Accommodation

Rotonduhut SAC, 2570 m

EQUIPMENT

Rental equipment

Our mountain guide will bring the ordered rental equipment to the meeting place. The following equipment can be rented:

• Barryvox (Avalanche Transceiver)
• Avalanche Probe
• Avalanche Shovel
• Ski touring equipment (skis, bindings, skins, ski crampons)
• Ski touring boots
• Climbing harness with 1 safelock carabiner
• Ice axe
• Crampons with ABS
• Eiger Extreme Hardshell Jacket to test

Technical Equipment

• Barryvox (Avalanche Transceiver)
• Avalanche Probe
• Avalanche Shovel
• Touring backpack (approx. 30l)
• Ski touring equipment (skis, bindings, skins, ski crampons)
• Ski touring boots
• (telescopic) Ski poles
• Ski helmet (optional)
• Climbing harness with 1 safelock carabiner (or 2x screw carabiners)
• Ice axe
• Crampons with ABS

Clothing

• 1x Ski jacket and 1x ski pants (Gore-Tex or similar material)
• 1x Softshell and/or fleece jacket
• 1x Short/long functional underwear
• 1x Beanie and 1x headband
• 2 pairs of gloves (1 thin pair, 1 warm, windproof, and waterproof pair)
• 1x Functional socks and 1x spare socks

Overnight in the Hut

Own toiletries, earplugs if required
Clothes and shoes to wear in the hut (Minimum)

Food

Breakfast and dinner at the hut
Tea and lunch must be brought or can be bought at the hut
Snacks (e.g. energy bars, dried fruit, dried meat)

Other

Sunglasses and ski goggles
Sun cream and lip cream (SPF 30 or higher)
Camera and binoculars (optional)
Half fare travelcard (if you have one)
Thermos flask made from break-proof material
Headlamp or flashlight with new batteries
Small medicinal supplies for personal requirements