Ski touring: why it’s growing more popular, and five essentials you need to go off piste
- It’s the purest form of skiing – you hike uphill on skis, then ski back down. We take you through the kit you need, and recommend some best buys
- Skis, boots, bindings, rescue kit and backpack – we’ve got you covered
For the uninitiated, ski touring can mean everything from cross-country skiing to ski mountaineering.
But authentic ski touring, or “ski randonnee” as the French call it, is simply hiking uphill on skis and then skiing back down. No ski lifts are involved, it’s all about hitting the hills under your own steam.
It is the biggest niche market worldwide in skiing at present, according to the Ski Club of Great Britain.
One of the main reasons for its growth in popularity has been the quantum leap in the design of ski touring equipment – everything has become lighter and easier to use, from skis, bindings and boots to clothing and rucksacks, while essential safety equipment – avalanche airbags and avalanche transceivers in particular – have also become more user-friendly and affordable.
It also helps that these days much of the gear used for ski touring also works perfectly well on ski slopes, so you do not necessarily need to have one set for use at the resort and one for use in the back country or remote areas.
