Ski touring
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Ski touring, also referred to as ski mountaineering, ski randonnée, and alpine touring (or AT), is a form of backcountry skiing (off-piste skiing) involving trekking from place to place in the wilderness, that has parallels with hiking, backpacking & Alpine climbing or mountaineering.
How to ski tour
Ski touring is travelling over the winter landscape on skis under human power rather than through the use of ski lifts or snow vehicles. It can take place in terrain ranging from perfectly flat to extremely steep. In either case, unlike alpine skiing, the skiers heels must be free to allow a natural walking motion while ascending & traversing.
Going uphill or across a flat also requires grip, so that the ski will glide forward but not slide backwards when weighted. Dedicated cross-country touring skis may have a fish-scale pattern engraved into the base of the ski to enable the ski to grip, but other types of ski require the use of sticky wax or climbing skins. Skins are removable pieces of plush fabric whose knap runs at an oblique angle, allowing the ski to glide forward, but not back. If the snow is particularly icy or the skin track very steep, then the ski tourer may choose to clip on ski crampons, sometimes called harscheisen (German), couteau (French), or cortelli (Italian).
Ideally, the toe hinge of the binding attaching boot to ski will offer no resistance to the rise of the foot--this saves energy and allows a more relaxed stride. As the slope angles increase, the climbing ski-tourer will begin doing so-called "kick turns" to change direction, much like hairpins in a mountain road, typically resulting in a line that climbs at a moderate angle of 20-30 degrees. A free toe-hinge facilitates these kick turns & allows them to take place on very steep, restricted slopes.
On reaching the summit or other intermediate destination, skins (if used) are removed and the skiers prepare to descend. In traditional cross-country skiing equipment and heavier resort-style telemark equipment, the skier's heel is also free on the descent, while AT & alpine skiers can lock down their heel for more support on steeper slopes and in more challenging snow conditions.
Ski touring requires the ability to ski off-piste, good navigation skills, and good awareness of the risks of the mountain environment in winter. In particular it requires the knowledge to assess and test snow conditions to minimise the risk of avalanche. Avalanche rescue equipment including radio transceiver, probe and shovel should be carried, and the ability to use them quickly and efficiently is required.
Additionally, ski mountaineering implies glacier travel and the use of rope, ice axe and crampons for ascending slopes too steep to skin up. When skiing on glaciers it is wise for the party to wear harnesses, carry crevasse-rescue gear and sometimes rope together to allow crevasse rescue techniques to be employed.
Why ski tour?
Touring on skis allows access to the winter landscape that would be difficult or impossible on foot since skis, like snowshoes, spread out the load of a person & prevent slow, exhausting post-holing. Unlike snowshoes, however, skis allow fast, fun, easy hill descents. Skis are also more stable & secure than snowshoes on sidehills & steep slopes.
Ski touring--or hiking for turns--is also popular with people looking for powder skiing since these conditions do not last long after storms inside ski area boundaries due to intense competition.
Ski touring can be faster & easier than summer hiking in some terrain & some conditions (like on talus slopes, for instance), allowing for traverses & ascents that in some ways would be harder in the summer.
Equipment for ski touring
All ski touring equipment has the common ability to free the heel for level & uphill travel. However ski touring can be carried out using a variety of equipment. The choice of equipment is determined by the ski touring goals & to some degree, the other types of skiing the individual participates in:
AT/Randonee
Alpine Touring (AT) or Randonee equipment is specifically designed for ski touring in steep terrain. A special ski binding is used that allows the heel to be clipped down for more support when skiing downhill, and allows it to be released to swing resistance-free from the toe when climbing. Like telemark gear, this equipment is popular with people from an alpine skiing background; but unlike telemarking, it requires no learning of a challenging new type of downhill turn. Because the fixed heel provides additional support & lessens the force on the toe hinge in downhill mode, AT gear can be & typically is significantly lighter in weight than comparable telemark equipment, a distinct advantage on long, difficult tours.
Most AT bindings have DIN safety release as in an alpine binding. Special ski boots are also used, something of a cross between a downhill ski boot and a hiking boot, which are light and flexible enough to be comfortable to walk up in while still being stiff enough to provide good control when skiing down. These boots have a vibram sole for traction & the ability to hold a crampon when climbing steep slopes with the skis on one's back.
Nordic
Nordic ski touring is skiing with bindings that leave the heels relatively free all the time. At the lighter, simpler end of the scale, nordic skis may be narrow & edgeless cross-country types for groomed trails with boots that resemble soft shoes. These skis may have fish-scale bases which allow for very natural, seamless travel up & over hilly terrain due to the lack of a need to change modes for ascending and descending.
Telemark
At the other end of the Nordic skiing equipment spectrum lie Telemark skis for steep backcountry terrain or ski-area use. These skis are similar to alpine skis & AT skis: heavier & wider than other Nordic skis with a smooth base & metal edges for carving turns into hard snow. Telemark equipment is frequently used for ski touring because of the popularity of its characteristic, difficult, stylish turn.
Like all Nordic boots, telemark boots flex at the toe for more natural walking, but they are heavier & more supportive than other forms of Nordic ski boots.
As terrain becomes steeper, the equipment demands of the up & down hill portions of a tour begin to conflict. Although telemark ski tourers do not need to change binding modes for descending, at up-down transitions in steep terrain all ski touring boots will typically need to be tightened/loosened, climbing posts will need to be raised/lowered to preserve calf muscles & prevent blisters, skins must be applied/removed. And while the AT skiers lock/release their heels, the telemarkers may need to loosen or remove their cable bail to prevent arch cramping while climbing, then retighten it to hold the ski tight to the boot sole on the descent.
Telemark equipment does have some unique disadvantages for ski-touring, including stiff resistance to heel rise while climbing and kick-turning as well as less lateral stability than a heel-locked binding which becomes especially problematic crossing off-camber fall-lines in hard snow conditions. Additionally, while telemark boots are capable of holding some crampons, the duck-bill toe & flexible toe-bellows interfere with front-pointing & step-kicking. It is also very difficult to obtain harscheisen for telemark bindings. But the most serious disadvantage to using telemark gear at speed & in avalanche terrain is the lack of DIN safety release. Dedicated telemark skiers find the athletic turn so appealing that they are willing to overlook these shortcomings, however.
Alpine
Alpine skiing equipment can be used for ski touring with the addition of a removable binding insert that allows for free heel swing on ascents. The advantage of this set up is maximum support & safety release at higher speeds, in more difficult snow conditions and on steeper slopes as well as no new ski equipment needs other than the insert (assuming one already has alpine ski gear & avalanche rescue equipment).
The major downside of this equipment arrangement is that it is very heavy, stiff & uncomfortable on uphills & long traverses. Also, the wide, deeply side-cut skis currently popular for resort skiing are optimized for downhill turning & are less effective than narrower (by today's standards), straight sided skis for "survival" techniques sometimes used by ski tourers to cope with steep, difficult or unskiable snow conditions, for instance: jump-turns of various flavors, side-slipping, traversing, snowplowing, uphill herringbone & side-stepping.
Snowboard
Snowboard touring is a variation of the activity in which a snowboard is used for the descents. To ascend, the snowboard tourer removes the board & uses snowshoes, stubby skis or a snowboard that can split in two pieces lengthwise (splitboard) to be used like skis with skins on the ascent.
Snowboards are the tool of choice for some difficult snow conditions like breakable crust, spring slush or dense new snow. Many people also prefer them for powder. Unfortunately, travelling over flats & uphill is somewhat contrived & difficult, with transitions taking much longer than skiers.
Ski touring around the world
U.S.
Ski touring takes place anywhere there is snow in the U.S. In much of the country, this means skiing in low-angle terrain, often on snow-covered roads packed down by snowmobiles. Skiing along prepared tracks on golf courses or in city, county or state parks is generally referred to as cross-country skiing rather than ski touring; the distinction is subtle with the essential difference being that the decision where to ski is predetermined by the track setters.
In steeper terrain, U.S. ski touring is in large part driven by the desire for powder snow, so early & midwinter skiing is the norm. Peak ascents, traverses & other ski mountaineering considerations are generally secondary since logistics tend to be challenging. Mountain access typically takes place from high paved & plowed roads & passes (or from ski areas boundaries), so elevation gain & loss is moderate & horizontal distance travelled tends to be minimized. A typical tour may rise 1,000-3,000 feet over 3-5 miles, and skiers may "yo-yo" to make multiple runs on the best descent sections. It is, however, possible to find much more striking vertical relief in places like the Pacific Rim volcanoes, i.e. Mt. Rainier, Mt. Shasta & in abrupt fault-block mountains like the High Sierras & the Tetons where up to 7,000 feet of descent (& ascent) is possible for the truly energetic in some seasons.
The drive for backcountry powder skiing has caused several problems. First, in-area skiers crossing over to the backcountry for off-piste or lift-assisted ski touring without learning the additional skills of avalanche awareness, first aid & winter mountaineering frequently run into serious, media-grabbing problems as they slip under ski area ropelines.
Second, this lackadaisical attitude creates conflicts with ski area operators who are understandably unwilling to accept liability for injuries & deaths in the backcountry outside the ski area's controlled terrain. Attempting to minimize this potential liability in the past, resort managers typically enacted blanket prohibitions on backcountry access via their boundaries. While skiers are entirely free to hike into these same areas from the parking lots, most U.S. backcountry skiers prefer to spend as much of their day as possible making downhill turns rather than slogging up long approaches. Since most ski areas are partially or entirely on public land, the issue failed to die & many ski areas are accommodating with open boundaries or backcountry gates as they receive support in the courts against claims resulting from backcountry accidents. In the interim period, many serious backcountry skiers gave up & moved on to Europe.
With a soft snow emphasis, fall-line climbing & relatively small elevation & distance change, many of the disadvantages of ski touring with telemark equipment are minimized. Additionally, telemark equipment renders in-area skiing more challenging. Also, until recently AT equipment was difficult to obtain in the U.S. &--due to its almost exclusively European origins, the weak dollar & stiff import duties--it remains quite expensive. As a result, telemark equipment has become very popular for steep terrain in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming & elsewhere, to the point that many backcountry skiers don't realize there is any other option. A cult-like devotion to telemarking is even sometimes encountered, with proponents suggesting--as with bumper stickers like "Randonee = French for can't tele", "Free the heel, free the mind"--that AT is somehow an inferior compromise rather than a legitimate &, for many applications, superior choice. These skiers often perpetuate unsupported mythology about the relative benefits of their equipment choice including blatantly false claims about relative weight, stability & durability.
Due to the almost complete absence of public transportation in remote U.S. mountain areas, ski touring from point-to-point requires often lengthy & onorous car shuttles; a spectacular example is the 5 hour car shuttle required for the Sierra High Route: that's 5 hours there to drop a car, 5 hours back & 5 hours to return with the car at the end...15 hours of driving; therefore, most U.S. ski touring is out-&-back.
Most U.S. ski touring is also day touring, since the rarity of mountain huts means that skiers must carry all required camping gear, food & fuel for multi-day trips, rendering the actual skiing quite difficult on a multi-day traverse. However, "corn camps" are reasonably popular in the spring, with skiers packing in & setting up a base camp for several days of ski touring in the area during this period of warmer weather, stable snow & longer days.
Popular ski-touring areas in the U.S.:
- The "East Side"; California's High Sierra
- The Cottonwood Canyons; Salt Lake City, Utah
- Teton Pass; Jackson Hole, Wyoming
With similararities to both Europe & the U.S., ski touring in Canada is also possible using remote lodges for basecamp staging. Accessing & stocking the lodge by helicopter or snowcat, ski tourers then make day-trips into the surrounding area, with or without the services of a mountain guide who may own the lodge.
Popular ski-touring areas in Canada:
- Roger's Pass; British Columbia
- Wapta Traverse; British Columbia
The European Alps are a Mecca for ski touring with an elaborate & interconnected ski lift system for high mountain access, open ski area boundaries & excellent public transportation within & between mountain valleys.
The extreme elevation gain of the Alps--over 12,000 vertical feet in Chamonix, for example--leads to a long season, glaciers & dramatic descents. This challenging alpine environment favors the greater stability of spring snow & many routes are dangerously not in condition until then.
Point-to-point ski tours are facilitated by a system of manned alpine huts that provide food, heat & shelter, eliminating the need for carrying massive packs of camping gear & enabling skiers to go high & stay high over long distances rather than having to drop way down into a valley at night. Many point-to-point, multi-day Alpine ski tours have become popular & famous, the best known undoubtedly being the spectacular Haute Route. Examples of other tours of this type in the Alps include the Berner Oberland, Western Bernese Alps, Monte Rosa (Spaghetti Tour) Circuit & Tour Soleil.
Ski touring from point-to-point, skiers must deal with many aspects & elevations. This means that the snow conditions & terrain will likely be highly variable & ski mountaineering techniques like climbing with ice-ax, rope & crampons, mountain navigation, minimizing gear weight, preparing for crevasse-rescue & covering longer distances will be required. These increased demands favor Alpine Touring equipment & also create a real need for professional mountain guiding services that are less necessary for the ski touring goals, conditions & terrain typically encountered in the U.S.
Popular ski-touring areas in the Alps:
- Chamonix, France
- La Grave, France
- Zermatt, Switzerland
- Davos/Klosters, Switzerland
More information about ski touring in the Alps
- [Cosley & Houston Guides] This web-site includes an equipment pack list, maps, photos & route descriptions of the winter Haute Route, the Berner Oberland & other multi-day ski tours.
- [Mark Seaton, Mountain Guide] This web-site includes an equipment pack list, photos of ski tours, links to snow, avalanche & mountain conditions in the Mont Blanc & Pennine Alps, stories about the Haute Route, Spaghetti Ski Tour, Davos/Klosters off-piste & other routes, a blog with descriptions of recent trips & Google-Earth coordinates for the winter Haute Route.
- [Swiss Topo] the Swiss make beautiful 1:50,000 topographic maps with ski routes in red.
See also
External links
- [Eagle Ski Club] the UK's largest and most active ski touring and ski mountaineering club, with over 800 members. It organises up to 40 ski trips a year, ranging from hotel and chalet-based day tours to ski expeditions in the Arctic and the Greater Ranges.
- [Couloir Magazine] A backcountry skiing resource.
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