Available trips
| Sat 26th Feb 11
- Sat 5th Mar 11 |
8 Days |
| Guide TBC | £ 995 |
| Book Now | |
Skill: ***/*
This trip is an ideal trip for newcomers to ski touring. Endless long downhill runs and relatively short climbs. The group
will use the ski lifts as much as possible, although there will be climbs on skins of 2 to 4 hours per day.
Participants must be competent off-piste skiers, experienced in all kinds of snow conditions, you are able to do parallel
turns in powder snow, and linked stem turns in more difficult snow. The skiing is generally not too technical but there my be
the occasional steep section and so you need to have the right attitude to challenge yourself and go outside your comfort zone.
The challenge comes from managing the different snow conditions and trying to preserve your energy.
Previous ski touring experience is useful but not essential, during the week you will learn the basic technical ski touring skills.
Stamina: ***/*
Stamina-wise, you need to be able to ski all day for 6 consecutive days at a steady pace. On these courses the maximum
skinning will be 3 - 4 hours per day. Ski touring is hard work and we do find most newcomers are surprised by just how
physically demanding it can be! These tours differ from the beginner level tours in that ascents & descents will be more
demanding – i.e. longer & steeper.
To get maximum enjoyment from these trips you need to be working on your fitness well in advance of the tour which means
plenty of aerobic exercise like running/cycling/swimming.
An enchanting ski safari through the stunning Walliser Alps.
We make good use of the local lift systems which limits the skinning to about 7-8 hours in total across the week. No
diminishing the fantastic descents however and you'll enjoy about 25,000 vertical metres in total!!
Itinerary
This is a fantastic Off-Piste skiing trip through Graubunden, the largest and one of the most beautiful Cantons of
Switzerland. Graubunden is also one of Switzerland’s leading winter sports regions with an abundance of above average altitude
resorts and hence a reputation for great snow throughout the season – meaning we can often ski to the door of our next hotel!
Our journey covers a massive total of 160kms on skis and yet the mix of lifts means that you get to enjoy a staggering
25,000 metres of downhill vertical and just an hour or so of walking each day just to ensure you spend much of the time away
from the crowds. Each day we move to a new area experiencing constantly changing alpine scenery and a huge variety of great
skiing terrain.
Skiing our way from our start point of Klosters, in the heart of the Graubünden, the exclusive and romantic village that has
long played host to the British Royals we cross the region via Arosa, Flims and Dissentis to finish in Andermatt renowned as
one of the top off piste destinations of the Alps.
Proposed Itinerary
Day 1
Meet in Klosters in the evening for welcome meeting and briefing. Stay overnight in hotel (evening meal not included).
Day 2
Warm-up morning on the Weissflüh. In the afternoon ski across to Langwies.
Day 3
Langwies - Arosa - Lenzerheide.
Day 4
Lenzerheide - Parpaner Rothorn - Brambrüesch - Domat Ems.
Day 5
Flims - Vorab - Surselva. Train to Disentis.
Day 6
Disentis - Oberalpstock - Andermatt.
Day 7
Morning skiing in Andermatt, returning to Klosters by train. Stay overnight in hotel (evening meal not included).
Day 8
Depart after breakfast.
The itinerary may vary depending on the composition of the group and the weather and snow conditions. There are lots of alternative routes which can be taken if a lighter (or indeed more demanding) day is required!
Additional Information
Prices
Prices include 6 guided days with all guide fees and expenses, 7 nights accommodation 2 nights b&b/5 nights HB
Prices do not include: travel to/from Klosters, uplift and local transfers, personal insurance, equipment hire, lunches,
beverages, 2 evening
Local expenses
On all our trips we exclude the costs for local transfers and uplift. These will need to be paid for locally in Swiss
Francs. For this trip we estimate these expenses will be in the region of £100 per person.
Group Size
Minimum group size is 4. Maximum group size is 12 with 2 guides
Guides
This trip will be led by one of our team of Pro Mountain Guides.
Accommodation and Meals
At the start and end of the tour you will stay in a comfortable hotel/pension in Klosters on a B&B basis. For the
rest of the week you will stay in traditional Swiss hotels and guesthouses (twin-rooms) with breakfast and evening meal
included.
Equipment
A copy of our
recommended kit list will be sent to you at the
time of booking.
For this trip you will need alpine touring equipment with touring boots and skins and ski crampons. Confused about what
skis, boots and binding combination to bring with you, then read our
Ski Equipment page to find out more.
Boot crampons, ice-axes and harness are not required for this trip.
All skiers will need to carry a rucksack (30 - 35 litres) with safety gear and personal items.
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 and we have a special offer on BCA’s
excellent DTS Tracker. Please ask us for details.
Recommended Maps
Having your own maps is optional as your guides will carry all the maps needed for this tour. The BLT (Bundesamt für
Landestopographie) maps come in 1:25000 and 1:50000 scales. Because of the distance covered on this trip (150kms), 5-6 maps of
1:50000 scale are required.
BLT 247 Sardona - Flims - Laax - Chur (1:50.000)
BLT 248 Prättigau - Klosters - Davos - Chur (1:50.000)
BLT 255 Sustenpass - Meiringen - Andermatt (1:50.000)
BLT 256 Disentis - Oberalppass - Breil (1:50.000)
BLT 257 Safiental - Ilanz - Thusis (1:50.000)
BLT 258 Bergün - Lenzerheide - Savognin - Zuoz (1:50.000)
Recommended Reading
Alpine Ski Mountaineering, Volume 2, Central and Eastern Alps, by Bill O'Connor. Published by Cicerone Press. ISBN
185284373X
Insurance
It is a condition of booking that you are insured for ski touring 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.