- Private Dates: January – April
Do you want to really escape the crowds, properly experience the back country and aren’t afraid of a bit of a good workout? Then ski touring is for you!
The Chamonix valley and Mont Blanc Massif are excellent for ski touring. Ski touring is a great way to access nature as it was intended to be seen. The Massif is a vast area of spectacular, glaciated mountains.
Your skis become a mechanism for hiking in the mountains, giving you access to anywhere you want to go. The wilderness, the views, the fresh tracks and feeling of personal achievement is what makes ski touring a true passion.
During this course we spend lots of time developing the techniques and skills needed to become a good, safe ski tourer. As you progress both your speed and technique will improve.
Program Ski touring course – 3 days
In our ski touring course you learn all you need to start to explore the mountains by yourself.
Are you a good red slope skier? Then join us on one of our ski touring intro courses in the Chamonix Valley.
Earning our own turns is our favourite way to get up close with mountain terrain in the winter months.
In our 2-day intro course we provide the perfect base from which to launch into the backcountry.
Arrival Chamonix
Time to make yourself at home at our basecamp for the trip: a cosy backcountry ski lodge. We’ll meet our guide for a briefing and tuck in to some traditional Alpine food ready for a day of adventure tomorrow.
- Night at ski lodge, Chamonix valley
Day 1: Aiguilles rouges discovery – developing backcountry skills
We ski at Brévent or Flegere ski area out of Chamonix. This day trip involves a short skin up to improve your skinning technique and we will work on your back country skiing technique. This will give us an introduction to backcountry skiing and skinning, help us to familiarise ourselves with the gear and we’ll discuss avalanche risk, the importance of weather forecasting and practice using transceivers.
- Night at ski lodge, Chamonix valley
Day 2: Perfecting skills
Develop your back country techniques on a short ski tour and practice with your transceiver. Today you will get an answer to all your questions regarding snow safety and route planing.
- Night at ski lodge, Chamonix valley
Day 3: Mountain hut Prés, ski touring (if Prés hut is not available we will go to an other hut in the Chamonix Valley)
We’ll transfer to Les Contamines and Val Montjoie, and ski tour up to a brand new ski refuge. It has a spectacular setting in the heart of the Contamines nature reserve, facing the Mont-Blanc range – spectacular views all round!
- Night at mountain hut
Day 4: Skitour and descend from hut
Depending on the conditions and weather we’ll enjoy a morning of ski touring before heading back down to Les Contamines and back to Chamonix by car.
Please note: this itinerary is given as an indication; weather conditions and safety requirements may mean changes are made to the programme.
What you will learn:
- Navigate safely in the backcountry
- Develop a smooth and safe skinning technique
- Plan your route
- Kick turns
- Transceiver training
- Recognising avalanche terrain
Level
Advanced piste skier, good off piste experience, new to ski touring. Ideal course as an introduction
Mountain Skills
This is all about being safe on the mountains. How to read snow conditions, assess avalanche risks, how to navigate, make sense of the weather forecasts and what they mean to skiers.
Costs: (1-8 skiers)
- 2 skiers: 1800.- € / skier
- 4 skiers: 1532.-€/skier
- 6 skiers: 1328.- € / skier
- 8 skiers: 1160.-€/ skier
Included in the costs:
- 4 days with a fully certified ski instructor or mountain guide
- Accommodation – 3 nights at lodge with breakfast, 2 dinners at lodge, 1 night at hut in small dorms with half board
- Ski passes
- Transfers from Chamonix to Les Contamines and return to Chamonix for the hut day, transfers in Chamonix during the course
Not included in the costs:
- Transport to and from Chamonix
- Lunches, 1 dinner in Chamonix, drinks at dinners at lodge and hut
- Personal insurance – you’ll need this to join
- Personal equipment – this is very personal so you can bring your own or we can help you hire
- Tips
Accommodation
If you have your own accommodation for the first 3 nights please let us know. The lodge we stay in is a sporty Ski lodge in the Chamonix valley.
Material needed
Ski touring skis with ski touring binding, ski touring boots, skins for the ski, poles, backpack, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe, skiing cloths, thermos bottle, pack lunch
