Ski touring
What beginners should be aware of
Ski touring is absolutely trendy right now.
© Lena Widmann
Ski touring has developed into an absolute trend sport. If you want to try winter sports, you should pay attention to a few points.
In the past year, skiing was out of the question in many places due to the Corona. Passionate winter sports enthusiasts had to look for an alternative – and they often ended up on ski touring. You go up a mountain with special skis, mostly off-piste, and then go down.
What sounds simple is actually “a very complex matter,” says Flo Scheimpflug. Beginners in particular should consider a few points before they go on their skis for the first time. The author of the book “On the trail of pleasure: 50 ski tours in the Austrian Alps” explains in an interview with the news agency spot on news what is important when it comes to ski touring.
Do not start alone on the first tour
Before anyone interested in ski touring should try “more and more of the slopes into the terrain,” says Scheimpflug. It is best to slowly increase the number of trips until “you feel safe and have the necessary confidence”. Because freeride experience is always a good basis for touring. However, that is not the end of the preparation.
“Planning, avalanche danger and risk management are often underestimated and it takes time to gain experience,” says the expert. He therefore recommends taking the first tour accompanied by experienced people and “definitely taking an avalanche course”. After all, you never know who it will get. “I think that you have to be able to save your comrades. You owe that to your friends, regardless of whether you are a beginner or a professional.”
This is what matters when planning a tour
Tourers should therefore have “functioning avalanche transceiver equipment” with them. What is meant is an avalanche search device. Always wear the transceiver on your body. Important: Switch on before starting and check for functionality. An avalanche shovel and a probe are also part of the basic equipment. A buried subject cannot be pinpointed without a probe, and nobody can dig him up without a shovel.
When planning a tour, always keep an eye on the avalanche situation. “You can’t see what’s going on in the snowpack,” explains Scheimpflug. When planning, “the weather and, above all, how you feel” should also play a role. “You can’t do the tour of your life every day.” However, if the local conditions such as snow and weather are right, “you can do the best tour even on the most inconspicuous hill”.
Those are the biggest mistakes in ski touring
The author knows the biggest mistake that winter sports enthusiasts can make when ski touring: “Overconfidence”. “You not only have to make it safely to the summit, you also have to make it back down unscathed.” Therefore nobody should be put under pressure or stressed. “It’s not about the most vertical meters or the best time.”
If you don’t want to go up the slopes, but are looking for solitude, you should consider two things when choosing a route. “In Austria you should avoid wilderness areas and afforestation areas and choose your line considerately.” The German Alpine Club is also appealingTo respect protected and sanctuary areas for plants and animals and to avoid noise. It is best to choose nature-friendly ascent and descent routes.
Ski touring “has a positive effect on mental health”
Winter sports are nonetheless criticized for being harmful to the environment and for disturbing animals in their habitat. “Ski tourism and its infrastructure, such as lifts, reservoirs and snow cannons, are definitely harmful to the environment,” says the native of Vienna. When touring, however, the effects are less. “After all, there is no infrastructure that you need.” However, ski tourers would also have to put up with the accusation that they disturb animals in their winter rest. “Respect for nature and caution on the mountain are important. We are only guests up there and should behave like that.”
But more and more people are drawn to the mountains. According to the German Alpine Association there are 500,000 ski tourers in Germany alone. “The trend cannot be stopped,” says Scheimpflug. The effects of the high number of ski tourers will only be seen in a few years. “If the awareness of considerate and respectful treatment of nature can be established among the many newcomers, I don’t see a big problem.” Winter sports also have many advantages: “Going touring or spending time in the mountains has a very positive effect on mental health. Walking yourself is better than taking a lift.”