A great introduction to ski touring, covering the essential techniques of ski touring for beginners, as well as exploring some of the great backcountry ski tours in Chamonix.
Companion avalanche rescue training
Stay overnight in a mountain hut and enjoy the winter alpine scenery & sunset
This is an excellent preparation course if you wish to join one of our hut to hut trips
Ski touring is the key to discovering all the secrets of the Mont Blanc Massif. With the right equipment and skills, no peak, hidden valley or remote mountain pass is out of reach!
Our 5 day course will provide a thorough grounding in the skills needed for ski touring in a high mountain environment. It is ideal preparation for multi-day ski tours such as the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt.
You will learn essential ski touring techniques such as how to fix skins and couteaux (crampons for skis), how to travel uphill and how to perform kick turns for traversing on steeper terrain.
We will stay one night in a mountain hut – no ski touring experience is complete without a pre-dawn start high in the mountains, watching the sun rise over the peaks.
The agenda will also cover the complementary mountain craft skills you will need when ski touring in the Alps, such as avalanche awareness and crevasse rescue.
On this course you will experience some of the most famous Chamonix classic ski tours such as Col du Tour Noir, Crochues Berard, Col du Passon or Col du Belvedere. The nature reserve of the Aiguilles Rouges is renowned for its excellent ski touring terrain and you've a good chance of encountering typical Alpine wildlife such as bouquetin (ibex) or the famous but timid chamois.
There is plenty of accessible ski touring terrain from the main Chamonix ski areas of Brevent, Flegere, Le Tour and Les Grands Montets - meaning that you can be out in the backcountry and away from the crowds in no time.
Of course, we will also be exploring the legendary off-piste terrain of the Aiguille du Midi, crossing over to Pointe Helbronner in Italy before skiing the Vallee Blanche back down to Chamonix. An unforgettable adventure that will set you on the path of many more!
You have experience backcountry or side country skiing/ snowboarding. You can descend in various snow types, without falling (excessively…) or stopping. You’re comfortable on slopes up to 35°. You have little or no ski touring experience.