This Article first appeared in
AAC(UK) Newsletter 168
published Winter 2005

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Last updated 04 December 2007

Ski Touring Course and Ski Tour, Silvretta 2005

By Berni and Guy Beaumont

Berni's tale:

Fuelled by tales of clear blue skies, good snow and skiing in shirt-sleeves, I signed up for the Introduction to Ski Touring Course based at the Heidelberger Hut in the Pitztal valley in March. I joined Johannes, our guide, and the other 7 members of the course on the Sunday evening, for an interesting snow cat ride up the valley to the hut, as the light was fading, crossing the border between Austria and Switzerland. A warm welcome, an excellent meal and comfortable bed got us off to a good start.

The 1st day met all of my expectations, sunshine, crisply cold and ideal for a full day on-piste 'refreshing' our skiing skills; finishing with a tow behind a skidoo back up to the hut. Next day everything changed with strong winds, snow and drop-ping temperatures. Day 3 brought more of the same. I had been warned to ensure that there was space in my rucksack to carry all the layers I would be taking off, but it was now empty as I was wearing them all! However, the hot Apfelstrudel on return to the hut was a great restorative.

By now I was questioning why I was doing this and could I keep up with the 'hard men' and the youngsters on the course? Next morning things improved. After all Guy was arriving and the sun always shone' when he ski-toured! The group conquered its first true peak, albeit with one or 2 of us left behind to sunbathe, and by day 5, everyone was on the top of the Breite Krone (3079m) and at last I knew why I was doing this. The air was clear, the views spectacular and the sense of space out of this world. We came down to earth on the descent, when one of the Silvretta tour group, who had joined us for a couple of extra days preparation, suffered an injury and had to be helicoptered off the hill. Overall, it was a truly challenging week and there was still another week to go but that is Guy's tale

Guy's tale

After a ride up to the Heidelberger hut on the snowcat, the tour was on! Just as Berni expected, the sun shone, although it was initially a little cold. Snow conditions forced us to change our plans, as the avalanche risk remained high. However, after a straightforward skin, chasing the hut owner's experienced ski touring dog, the true panorama of the Silvretta was revealed. The ski down had variable snow conditions, and it soon became apparent that there was a wide spread of abilities in the group. The following day a quick ascent of the Breite Krone and descent to the Jamtal hut was completed in glorious sunshine. A wide gully with variable snow conditions on the descent resulted in wide-spread carnage amongst most of the group. Fortunately only pride was damaged!

The wide range of abilities required a revision of the tour plan, because a transit to the Tuoi hut would have been fairly demanding, with no prospect of an easy route option. We chose to stay at the Jamtal hut for an additional day, which gave the opportunity to climb the Gemsspitze (3114m), in addition to the planned Augstenberg (3228m). The traverse of a large snow fin, to reach the final ascent, was a little daunting for some.

Finally, carrying all our equipment again. we made the last high crossing over a col and a long descent down to the Wiesbadener hut. Throughout the tour the sun shone and at times it was positively hot. However, the final morning was grey and gloomy and it started to snow as we left the hut. As we descended, it turned to rain, continuing until we rejoined civilisation at Wirl.

What had we learnt from the first AAC ski touring meets?

Berni: Firstly one needed to be much fitter than I had anticipated and secondly, you must be a technically competent skier. If you are not, the descents will be exhausting. Would I do it again? Check out the names of the organisers of the 2006 meets!

Guy: There was too wide a range of abilities on the tour to ensure that everyone enjoyed rather than endured it. We need to be more specific about the skills and fitness level required and individuals need to be realistic about their abilities. The 2006 ski touring list provides a wider range of opportunities hopefully to cater for all.

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Last updated: 04 December 2007

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