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A volunteer is sought to assume complete editorial control of the Club’s quarterly Newsletter from the end of 2011, soliciting content, selecting that which is most appropriate, liaising with our proof-reader and interfacing directly with the graphics designer who takes care of layout. If this challenge is of genuine interest to you, please contact the Club Secretary via the AAC(UK) Office for further details.  

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So, you want to go ski-touring?

by Jacky Rix-Brown

That is great. It is always a pleasure to know that other likeminded people want to take up the sport which has given me so much pleasure over the years. It was when I first joined AAC(UK) in 1971 that I went to a talk by Jill Risely on a ski-tour in the Bernese Oberland and I decided I MUST do that…..only problem was, I could not ski. I had always wanted to, but cost prevented, and it was still a couple of years before I could start to learn. I guess you may be in a similar position – or hopefully a few years ahead, where I had reached by 1987 when I started to ski off-piste. A couple of years later I felt confident to do a beginners course in ski touring, but found I still needed to improve my skiing a lot. I took a year off work during which I spent 10 weeks on skis, mostly off-piste, before I really got going - AND I am still learning.

Looking back on that big learning curve, I can see why so many people I know have given up after their first attempt at ski touring, which is such a shame – they are missing so much. We Brits do not have the same opportunity as our Austrian cousins to spend continuous time on snow (unless like me you take a year out). One week, maybe two, a year often means that each year we start back where we were halfway through the previous ski holiday, so it takes a long time to build up skill and experience. When we think we are doing well we may try off-piste, only to find it is like going back to square one – all the old bad habits manifest themselves again. Do not be discouraged – work at it. Keep working at it; for us mere mortal Brits it tends to take a long time.

There is another problem – all our skiing friends are probably Brits too. It is easy to see ourselves as very good indeed when compared with them. But they too have only had limited exposure to the snows. Get the mind-set that a brilliant Brit on skis is probably equivalent to a very mediocre Austrian. After all, the Austrian probably started at age 4, then skied most weekends and a couple of weeks holiday every winter for years on end. So yes, a course that an Austrian takes in their stride will be hard work for you – but it is well worth it.
So start on the Bergsteigerschule series of courses, be somewhat humbled and willing to work hard and learn. Be sure you can ski any black run competently before your off-piste course, and ensure you get fit before you go on any course. It takes more energy to get back on your skis when you fall in soft or slushy snow, so even the ‘AVB off-piste skiing course’ needs a degree of fitness, and by the time you move on to ‘AVB ski touring beginners course’ you need to be fit for the uphill at altitude, just like you do for the Alps in summer.

If you take account of your true starting point you will be better prepared to progress through the learning curve and really enjoy your ski-touring. Work at it – the rewards of reaching an Alpine peak in its winter whiteness, and of skiing down through deserted scenery, awe-inspiringly beautiful, are well worth it.

Even when you get to be an old hand you sometimes have to learn new skills. Only twice over the years have I had to ski roped up because of crevasses and/or poor visibility. We had to in 2010, and took several tumbles: but once successfully completed we all felt the thrill of another difficult task mastered. Trust your guide implicitly, do exactly as he/she says and enjoy the fruits of your labours. Happy ski-touring!

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Last updated 13 July 2011