Available trips
No trips currently scheduled
Please contact us if you are intrested in future trips.
Skill: ***
You should be a competent off-piste skier,able to do parallel turns in powder snow, and linked stem turns in more difficult
snow.
Previous ski touring experience is not required.
An ideal course for good skiers who want to join the backcountry revolution!!
Stamina: ***
Stamina-wise, you need to be able to ski for 4-6 hours each day.
Ski Touring is hard work and we do find most newcomers are surprised by just how physically demanding it can be!
To get maximum enjoyment from these courses you need to be working on your fitness well in advance and we recommend
plenty of aerobic exercise to boost your cardiovascular fitness and stamina.
An early season ski touring skills week for anyone wanting to learn the essential ski touring skills for travelling safely and confidently in the backcountry. Ideal preparation for a tour later in the season. Zermatt - with it's snowsure skiing - is the ideal venue for this course.
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Zermatt and check into the hotel. In the evening you will meet up with your Mountain Tracks guide for an
initial briefing and review of the itinerary.
Days 2-6
5 full days on the mountain with your guide leading a range of skills sessions covering the following:
Route planning and navigation
Skinning skills
Glacier travel
Crevasse rescue
Transceiver training
Recognising avalanche terrain and avoiding avalanches
Emergency procedures
Using crampons and ice-axe
Day 7
Course finishes after breakfast
The itinerary is kept flexible to allow for changes in the weather and snow conditions.
Zermatt has extensive off-piste terrain with 3 main ski areas, all going up to 3100m.
For more information on Zermatt's abundant off-piste terrain read
Matt's Guide to Zermatt
Additional Information
Dates & Duration
Trip duration is 5 days/6 nights and includes full-days guided skiing with UIAGM Pro Mountain Guides.
Other dates available for private groups on request from mid-December until end April.
Prices
The price includes: 5 full days off-piste guided skiing and 6 nights B&B hotel accommodation (twin rooms)
The price does not include: Lift pass, lunches, evening meals, beverages, personal insurance, equipment hire, travel
to/from Zermatt.
Single-person supplement applies. More details on request.
Group Size
The maximum group size is 12 with 2 guides.
Accommodation
Zermatt has a range of excellent, friendly 2 & 3 star hotels in the centre of the village. We stay in the hotels on a
B&B basis so that you can enjoy eating out in some of the many restaurants in the village.
Getting There
Click on our
Zermatt page for more information on travel to/from
Zermatt
Equipment
For a comprehensive kit list
click here A copy of this kit list will also be sent to
you at the time of booking.
Alpine touring equipment is essential for this week.
All skiers will need to carry a small day sack (recommended size-20-30 litres) containing their safety gear and any
personal items e.g. camera, water bottle, favourite hill-snack!
Everyone is expected to ski at all times with the three essential items of avalanche safety equipment; transceiver,
shovel and probe.
If you ski off-piste regularly we recommend you purchase your own set. We use and recommend the DTS Tracker and these are
available to purchase through our recommended on-line retailer
FACEWEST.
Click here for details.
Alternatively the guides do usually have a number of sets available for hire.
Insurance
It is a condition of booking that you are insured for off-piste skiing covering personal accident, rescue and third party
risks. You are strongly advised also to take out cover against cancellation and curtailment.
If you are looking to purchase insurance for your trip we recommend
SNOWCARD. They specialise in travel insurance for adventure sports particularly skiing
and snowboarding. Their rates for both single trip and annual policies are very competitive.
For details on their policies and to get a quote
CLICK HERE or contact our office
for further details.