minimise kick turns, especially in exposed places where the consequences of a slip are serious
minimise bunching together, especially in areas of suspect snow stability. Don't overload the slope.
Going uphill, a safe and efficient track should:
avoid unneccesary kick turns, but not be too steep
be within everyone's ability
avoid cutting the slope above other members of the group
ensure rests and regrouping occur only at safe locations
use vantage points en route to plan and assess the route ahead
allow observation of snow transportation and accumulation to help build a picture of snow stability.
Going downhill a controlled and disciplined descent allows you to:
assess snow stability and be aware of changes casued by slope aspect, elevation and angle
ensure that safety measures are in place to minimise the dangers to the maximum number of skiers within the group – speed and spacing are all-important
communicate with all members of the group, and ensure all understand the hazards and what is required – have an agreed signal system
maintain organisation and discipline and not let the descent become a free-for-all
stick to your route or planned options – don't just ‘go for it’ into the unknown.
I began this section by mentioning the three Ps – planning, preparation and practice. Well, there should really be six Ps because – ‘Planning, preparation and practice will prevent a poor performance!’
Grading and Difficulty
There are several well-established systems used for grading ski mountaineering and off-piste skiing objectives. The Swiss, French, German, Italian and Austrian Alpine clubs have adopted these, or variations of them, for use in their guidebooks. Two widely used grading systems are the Blachère and Traynard scales, which are described below and have, more or less, been incorporated into this guidebook.
Blanchère Scale
On tours where skiing rather than Alpine climbing skills are required the adjectival grades in the first ‘Blanchère Scale’ box are used.
For ski-mountaineering objectives in high mountain and glaciated terrain where Alpine mountaineering skills are essential, the Blanchère scale uses the grades in the second ‘Blanchère Scale’ box.
The Blanchère scale has been used in this guidebook. Invariably this means that the equipment carried must include rope, crampons, ice axe and the means to ensure safety on steep terrain and glaciers. This roughly relates to mountaineering grades as: SAM = F (facile); BSA = PD (peu difficile); TBS = AD (assez difficile). The mountaineering grades of D (difficile), TD (très difficile) and ED (extrêment difficile) were not covered by the Blanchère scale and have traditionally been relegated to the realms of Extreme Skiing.
Traynard Scale
As the skier's ability to ascend and descend steep slopes has increased, the need has arisen for a more precise scale to highlight difficulty – the equivalent of the ‘numerical grading’ given to rock climbs. The Traynard scale (see box) offers a way of highlighting a section of steep skiing. This is most useful within a tour where the general standard is suitable for someone with moderate Alpine and skiing ability (SAM), but where there is, for example, a short section S3 difficulty. A ski party may be capable of skiing S3 terrain but would prefer a more relaxed tour where the overall grade is less challenging, yet are prepared to ski a few steep sections. This scale allows for that specific difficulty to be recognised and highlighted.
Traversing the summit ridge of the Breithorn during a round of the Zermatt and Saas Fee 4000ers
Using tensioned skis to provide a secure belay during a steep descent
It is essential to apply common sense when using this numerical scale, which quite reasonably is based on ideal snow conditions. On a good surface with stable conditions an S3 slope, 300m high, sounds inviting. However, the same slope in icy conditions is far less appealing, feels a lot steeper and can be quite daunting! Similarly a pitch or two of 40° skiing in a confined couloir can feel intimidating. My advice is, when using this scale, to consider the conditions and terrain and imagine how they will affect the slope and your skiing.
For pure climbing difficulty the established Alpine grading system using the following symbols has been adopted: F = easy; PD = not very difficult; AD = quite difficult; D = difficult; TD = very difficult; and ED = extremely difficult. This can be distinguished further by adding a + or – sign to the grade, giving PD+, AD-, etc. This grading system takes into account both the technical difficulty and overall seriousness of a climb and will be familiar to users of mountaineering guidebooks.
Thus a ski tour may be given a grade of: BSA. With the option of an AD+ ascent and involve sections of S3 steepness. Combined, these gradings hopefully provide the skier with a lot of useful information about the difficulty and demands of the route prior to setting out on tour.
Equipment List
This is the equipment list I use for my own ski tours. It is not a definitive list, but in my experience it covers the essentials for a hut-based, multi-day tour.
Given that you are not self-catering, your packed sack for a week-long ski tour, including your share of group equipment, should weigh between 8 and 12 kilos. Obviously there will be some variation in the weight and warmth of the clothing depending on whether you are touring early or late season and on anticipated weather conditions. If your sack weighs much more than indicated above, you need to take a close look at what you are carrying.
Personal Kit List
The Three Essentials
Shovel – ideally a large metal-bladed shovel suitable for digging in hard snow.
Transceiver – to be worn at all times when skiing. All transceivers should be a single-frequency 457kHz model. Some earlier models had a different frequency: avoid these. Take spare batteries.
Probe – 2 metre minimum.
Clothing
Base layers (x2) – one to wear and one spare. These should ‘wick’ moisture from your skin. Cotton is not a good base layer, since it absorbs moisture like a sponge and feels cold and clammy after a rest. Longjohns are a useful option early season.
Mid-layer – Shirt or roll neck top. Ideally this should also be lightweight and wicking.
Fleece jacket or sweater – I use a Mountain Equipment Windstopper fleece. Highly versatile, it allows me to ventilate well but also offers protection in windy conditions when a shell jacket may not be appropriate. Some skiers prefer to carry two lightweight fleece pullovers.
Touring pants – touring pants in a windproof stretch fabric are ideal. Available from a number of good Swiss manufacturers, or try Mountain Equipment's G2 pants or Stretchlite pants in the UK. They should be warm, and wind and snow proof. Some people are happy using stretch fleece pants under a light shell.
Shell jacket – lightweight gore-tex is ideal, offering protection