Hut-to-hut ski touring gives access to wild, isolated mountain terrain...

Hut-to-hut Ski Touring

Hut-to-hut ski touring gives access to wild, isolated mountain terrain.

Hut-to-hut ski touring involves travelling through mountain landscape in winter on skis under human power rather than through the use of ski lifts, giving access to wild, isolated mountain terrain and a remote and pristine landscape that is rarely experienced by resort-based skiers. Ski touring with an IFMGA Mountain Guide maximises your enjoyment of the trip by ensuring you are accompanied by an expert in mountaincraft who understands the hazards associated with remote mountain travel. Travelling with a group on the tour provides a sense of cameraderie and the opportunity to meet fellow ski tourers.

The principal mountain ranges in Europe – including the Alps, Dolomites, Pyrenees and Apennine Alps - are fantastic arenas for ski touring with very varied terrain. A network of manned huts provide food, heat and shelter therefore eliminating the need to carry large heavy packs.

The main ski touring season in the Alps generally runs from March until May. Depending on weather and ground conditions, ski tourers can enjoy fantastic skiing on powder or corn (spring) snow as well as more challenging skiing on windblown hardpack, crust and ice! Your guide will be an expert in travelling under these conditions and will be able to pass on skills and techniques that will add to the enjoyment of the trip.

Our ski touring programme is probably the most extensive offered by any UK company and stretches from the High Tatras in Poland across the Alps to the Pyrenees on the Spanish - French border.


	Gran Paradiso Short Ski Tour (3-day), Italy (Intermediate)	The Gran Paradiso area in Italy is a renowned ski touring area with a huge range of ski touring options and excellent huts. The Benevolo hut, situated in the Gran Paradiso, gives access to a number of good ski peaks with great north facing ski terrain with the best chances for good snow to ski. This 3-day trip of relaxed ski touring close to... view
	Dolomites Circuit Ski Tour (Intermediate)	One of the most interesting and memorable ski tours through the dramatic Dolomite mountains. Ski touring amidst truly spectacular limestone scenery! Renowned as one of the most stunningly beautiful mountain ranges, and the location of the line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces during the First World War, the Dolomites also... view
	Imperial Crown Haute Route Ski Tour (Intermediate)	The Imperial Crown Haute Route derives its grand name from the range of 4,000m peaks that encircle the Val d’Anniviers, including the Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn and Dent Blanche. This is stunning ski touring terrain which is more remote than other better known Haute Routes but is every bit as spectacular. Travelling with a guide will give you the... view
	Bernese Oberland Traverse Ski Tour (Intermediate)	The Bernese Oberland in Switzerland is a "must visit" for keen ski tourers as it offers some fantastic ski touring amid truly breathtaking scenery. This is one of our most popular ski tours and rightly so! Our starting point is Interlaken, the capital of the Jungfrau region. Our itinerary takes in some of the best ski touring ascents and... view
	Silvretta Alps Traverse Ski Tour (Intermediate)	Ski touring in the Silvretta Alps is perfect for the intermediate ski tourer. The Silvretta Alps consist of seventy 3,000m peaks along the Austrian/Swiss border, including the highest peak in the region, the famous Piz Buin. On this ski tour you will have the chance to bag a number of peaks including the Piz Buin if conditions are right. The... view
	Western Oberland Ski Tour (Intermediate)	This high level ski tour of the Western Oberland starts in Canton Vaud and crosses through Berne and Valais. Ski touring in this quieter corner of Western Switzerland often has excellent conditions when higher areas have bad weather and wind affected snow. This area is ideal for touring with gentler gradients than the Bernese Oberland and lies... view
	Tour de Soleil Ski Tour, Switzerland (Intermediate)	The Tour de Soleil is a classic hut-to-hut ski tour that follows an old smugglers trail in a remote but charming corner of the Swiss Alps. Until a tunnel was built in 1965, no road accessed into the Binntal (Binn Valley), a small valley near the remains of the Rhône Glacier. This area still remains hidden from the rest of Switzerland,... view
	Vanoise Traverse Ski Tour, France (Intermediate)	The Vanoise is a great destination for ski touring. The Vanoise national park is a national park in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps. It is the largest national park in the Alps and is bordered by several large ski resorts - Les Trois Vallées, Tignes, Val-d'Isère, Les Arcs, La Plagne - and extends onwards to the Gran Paradiso National... view
	Stubai Alps Ski Tour, Austria (Intermediate)	A new trip that we introduced into our programme in 2013, the Stubai Alps are a very accessible range (just a 1 hour transfer) close to Innsbruck in Austria . The area has an excellent snow record and offers wonderful ski touring - similar to the Silvretta Alps with fine day tours in impressive glaciated surroundings. The terrain is ideal for... view
	Pyrenean Haute Route Ski Tour (Intermediate)	New to our programme in 2013 this trip sold out straight away, confirming its popularity and great ski touring terrain. The Pyrenees forms a natural border between France and Spain. The mountains separate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extend for about 500 km from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean. Much of... view
	Haute Route Ski Tour (Advanced)	The Haute Route Ski Tour is the most famous ski tour in the Alps. Ski touring the Haute Route is a must for any committed ski tourer and features a legendary high alpine 120km traverse with 6,000m of ascent and descent linking two historic alpine centres, Chamonix and Zermatt. view
	Ski Tour of the Bernese Oberland 4000ers (Advanced)	This ski tour is a variation on our very popular hut-to-hut ski tour in the Bernese Oberland and is aimed at advanced ski tourers who want to tackle some of the more accessible peaks. The Bernese Oberland in Switzerland offers some fantastic ski touring amid truly breathtaking scenery. This is the highest massif in the Alps and it includes a... view
	Gran Paradiso Ski Tour (Advanced)	The Gran Paradiso at 4,061m is the highest mountain entirely within Italy and sits in one of the most idyllic National Parks in the Alps. On this tour we undertake a circumnavigation of the massif, culminating with an ascent of the Gran Paradiso. The trails are generally quieter than in France and Switzerland; combined with the dramatic... view
	Piz Bernina Ski Tour, Switzerland (Advanced)	Piz Bernina is the crown jewel overlooking the Engardine Valley an,d after Mont Blanc, has the most independent elevation in the Alps (from valley to summit). Despite the proximity to St Moritz the area is one of the more isolated and quieter areas of the Eastern Alps. This tour takes in some spectacular glaciated scenery and has some big days... view
	Mont Blanc Ski Tour (Advanced)	A brilliant week's ski touring topped off with the ski ascent (and descent!) of Mont Blanc, the highest point in Western Europe. This 7-day trip, including the 2-day summit attempt, will prepare you mentally and physically for summit day and we also ski and tour some of the best descents in Chamonix during the first few days. There is also an... view
	Elbrus Ski Touring (Advanced)	This is a 10-day ski expedition into the heart of the mighty Caucasus Range. Nestled between the Caspian and the Black Sea, it's a seriously wild place! The trip combines some excellent ski-touring with the possibility of an ascent of the highest summit in Europe - Elbrus (5642m). view
	Monte Rosa Haute Route Ski Tour (Advanced)	The Monte Rosa range is above Zermatt in Switzerland and forms the end of the Western Alps. The list of high peaks - there are more 4,000m peaks here than anywhere else in the Alps - is impressive, but it is the seemingly endless vertical descent of each ski-run which makes this area popular with ski tourers. It also has some of the wildest... view
	Austrian Haute Route Ski Tour (Advanced)	The Austrian Haute Route is one of the best hut-to-hut tours in the Tyrolean Alps. It traverses mountain landscapes that are both beautiful and unspoilt. The highlight of the week is the ascent of the 'King' of the Eastern Alps, the Grossglockner (3798m). The area is steeped in history and has a fascinating blend of Austrian and Italian... view
	Ortler Traverse Ski Tour, Italy (Advanced)	The Ortler offers premium ski touring in one of the largest national parks in Europe. The area is quiet and picture-postcard perfect. This a quintessentially Italian experience, with warm hospitality and great food. The Ortler is a connoisseur's choice, perfect for ski tourers who have completed the classic tours of the Western Alps and... view
	Couscous and Couloirs in Morocco (Advanced)	A beautiful journey of discovery through the heart of the High Atlas mountains in winter ascending high peaks, enjoying some steep ski descents and experiencing remote Berber villages with their renowned hospitality. This is an opportunity to combine excellent early season ski touring with the unique culture and customs of this... view
	High Tatras of Poland and Slovakia (Advanced)	The Tatra Mountains form the border between Poland and Slovakia and are part of the Carpathian range. They offer similar scenery and landscape to the European Alps, although smaller in height. The mountains offer snow-sure conditions between January and March, while the terrain provides some excellent ski touring and backcountry skiing with... view
	Ski Antarctica (Advanced)	NEW FOR NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013 Antarctica is a wilderness of extraordinary beauty where nature rules fiercely and unconditionally. This frozen paradise will be the playground for a Mountain Tracks ski mountaineering adventure in November and December 2013. view

Skill Level Overview

Introductory

I can ski red and black runs on piste without a problem. I am new to off piste skiing or maybe I have skied a little on the sides of the piste, or even attended a previous off piste specific course. I would like to ski powder snow with confidence and learn to link turns off piste. Learning to vary turn radius and control speed is an important goal. Gaining confidence in a variety of terrain would move my skiing to the next level.

Intermediate

I have at least a couple of weeks off piste skiing experience and/or received some previous instruction on an off piste specific course. I can link at least 8 – 10 turns together in reasonable control, speed and style, following the fall line in most snow conditions. I would like to improve my skiing in deep powder, heavy crusty snow uneven terrain and trees. I am happy to hike or ski tour for short distances to get to the best snow and terrain. I aspire to ski fluidly off piste and to ski steeper slopes. At this level all ski tourers must have some previous experience of using a touring set up, skinning and kick-turns.

Advanced

I am confident skiing challenging terrain and steeper slopes. I can sideslip forward and backwards, side-step up and downhill and traverse steep slopes with no problems. I am happy to ski tour and hike for 1 – 2 hrs to reach the best snow and terrain. I aspire to ski the best snow available, push myself to ski steeper slopes and extend my ski touring experience. At this level all ski tourers must have some previous experience of using a touring set up, skinning and kick-turns.

Expert

I can ski fluidly and autonomously on all terrain. I often ski couloirs and gullies and seek out steep slopes to ski. I can jump turn in narrow couloirs and have experience of abseiling and side-slipping on steep terrain. I dream of skiing powder snow, I can ski fast, fluid “freeride” style turns, I can jump off small rocks, ski trees and challenging terrain with no fear or problems. I will often hike and ski tour to reach the best snow and terrain. I am familiar with using ice axe and crampons and some basic rope techniques. My aim is to push my skills and challenge myself further.

Stamina Level Overview

Level 1

I am fit enough to ski all day from the first lift, only taking short breaks every so often. When preparing for this trip aim for activities that increase your heart rate and build your aerobic levels e.g. running, cycling and swimming.

Level 2

I can ski all day with only short breaks and can hike up to 2 hours a day (600m of uphill).
When preparing for this trip aim for activities that increase your heart rate and
build your aerobic levels e.g. running, cycling and swimming.

Level 3

I can ski all day with only short breaks and can hike/skin for 3-4 hours most days (600-
1000m vertical). Endurance fitness is valuable so aim for longer training periods of walking, running,
cycling and swimming.

Level 4

I can ski all day and hike/skin for 4-5 hours every day (1100-1500m vertical). A prolonged period of cross training will help build endurance with 3 training sessions per week of at least 2 hours including sessions of walking, running, swimming and cycling.

Heading up to the Col de Chardonnet (day 1)	Ski Touring in the Bernese Oberland	Climbing above the clouds	Silvretta Alps Ski Tour
Beautiful blue sky day in the Silvretta Alps	Enjoying deep powder in Slovenia		Haute Route Group
Life on the Haute Route	Silvretta Alps Ski Tour Group	Rifugio Guglielmina Alagna	Skinning up
Skiing in the Bernese Oberland April 2011	Group shot in the Bernese Oberland	Bernese Oberland Ski Tour