Taking you away from the crowds and into the mountains, our ski mountaineering course is the ultimate winter alpine adventure – get your skis, crampons and ice axe ready!
Learn the essential skills for safe skiing in the Alpine environment
Develop the basics of steep skiing & master your ski touring skills
Stay overnight in a mountain hut & experience the magic of a mountain sunset
Ski mountaineering is, unsurprisingly, a combination of skiing and mountaineering - allowing you to access more remote and rugged terrain. Our Chamonix ski mountaineering course will take you into the backcountry of the Mont Blanc Massif to tackle iconic off-piste routes such as the Pas de Chevre, the Rectiligne Couloir and the Vallee Blanche. Much of the course will take place at Les Grands Montets, on the Argentiere glacier and on the vast amount of off-piste terrain accessed from the Aiguille du Midi.
Ski mountaineers can travel over mixed terrain such as snow, rock and ice by using a variety of skills including ski touring, off-piste skiing and alpinism. You'll learn how to scale steep couloirs using crampons and ice axes, traverse mixed terrain over rock and ice, abseil over cliffs, and ski safely over glaciers and other unpatrolled environments whilst strengthening your off-piste skiing technique and gaining confidence in your mountaineering skills.
This is an excellent preparation course for our ski mountaineering trips such as the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, Ski Mont Blanc or the Monte Rosa Ski Tour.
This ski mountaineering course builds on from our Ski Touring Introduction Course, which is ideal preparation if you're not quite ready for the ski mountaineering course just yet.
You regularly practice backcountry skiing and have a solid repertoire. You ski confidently in all types of backcountry snow, and are comfortable in couloirs (gullies) up to 35°. You’d like to improve by learning the methods of ski alpinism - climbing couloirs with an ice axe and crampons - skis on the backpack, skiing longer and more committing itineraries. Randonnée (ski touring) applicants are comfortable with the necessary techniques and material for, and have participated in, longer hut tours - spending consecutive nights in mountain huts.