Ski Touring and Off-Piste Skiing Equipment

ISM has a large stock of mountaineering equipment which is lent to clients at no extra charge. Experienced skiers will find it best to bring their own tried and tested personal equipment. Your Guide / ISM will supply all ropes.

Technical Equipment which ISM can provide (free of charge)

Rucksack
Ice axe
Crampons
Helmet
Harness
Ropes

Personal Clothing

Dressing properly for the mountains can make the difference between an enjoyable trip and an uncomfortable one. Clothing should give the right degree of warmth for the activity, wick perspiration and be easy to ventilate. You should avoid clothes made from cotton as they become cold and clammy when wet.

Equipment List

Waterproof jacket (Goretex or equivalent)
Waterproof ski trousers
Ski touring boots or comfortable ski boots (see ski boot section below)
Ski gloves or mitts Good quality, Gore-Tex covered  (and spares as they will get wet)
Inner gloves Thin for hand protection and warmth whilst using the hands
Thermal Top (a wicking base layer, long sleeves are good to protect the arms from sun)
Mid layer thermal Top (layers are much more versatile at regulating your body temperature)
Fleece Jacket
Thermal trousers (not cotton)
Loop-stitch socks, and spares.
Map (not essential, the guide will have the correct map. Please see course information for details of the correct map. Maps can be bought form Stanfords: www.stanfords.co.uk
Compass and whistle (optional).
Head torch and batteries (light weight for hut use only)
Rucksack 45 to 50 litres (compact so not to flap about when skiing)
Small personal first aid kit ('Compeed' and tape for blisters, pain killers such as aspirin or ibruprofen).
Water Bottle/'Camel pack' (1litre or 1 ½ litre recommended). NB. Camel packs external tubes can freeze
Pen Knife (to use for packed lunches)
Sunglasses ('glacier' quality, CE 3 or 4)
Ski Goggles
Sun cream (factor 25+) and lip block
Sun Hat
Cotton Scarf (can be used as a small towel for the hut as well as stopping your neck getting sunburnt)
T-shirt (Spare to wear in the hut)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Money (for drinks and occasional lunch) and Passport (and alpine club card if you are a member)
Ear plugs for hut nights
Spare clothesfor wearing in the valley (during away courses we usually have one valley night in which to freshen up)
Training shoes (for travelling and evening wear, when in the valley) 

Technical Equipment

*Ice axe. A light weight mountaineering axe such as those made by Charlet Moser, Grivel, and Simond are ideal for ski touring
*Crampons (Light weight or 10 point crampons are useful as they are not often used)
*Helmet (this is a personal choice, most skiers do not use)
*Harness (with adjustable leg loops)
*Large locking karabiner (HMS, pear shaped)
*Avalanche Transceiver and spare batteries (Trackers, Barryox and Ortovox are good makes and the digital models are much easier to use).
*Snow shovel
*Avalanche probe 

# Skis with ski touring bindings (Fritschi Daimir/Explore or Freeride bindings are recommended)
# Ski touring boots (see section on boots below)
# Ski Poles (fixed length are better than the telescopic as they are stronger)
# Ski Crampons an essential touring accessory (harscheisen / couteau)
# Skins (If these are cut to fit the ski then that is an advantage. It is important to only have the ski edges showing at the ski waist when the skins are fitted) 

# These can be hired at the resort where the course convenes.
* ISM can provide these free of charge

Ski Boots

Choosing the correct ski boot for touring is a very important decision.

A comfortable downhill boot will work and will be perfect for skiing downhill, but as most time touring is spent skinning uphill they can be a little too stiff for comfort. It can also be difficult to stop snow getting into the boot when they are slackened off for skinning uphill.

A better solution is to buy or rent a ski touring boot. These come in various shapes and sizes. Size is important if they are too big you will have difficulty controlling your skis; too small and they will be painful when skinning up a glacier in the heat of the day. A ski boot which is comfortable with no heel lift is ideal. One recommended solution is to get a 'thermofit' inner boot and custom foot insoles which ensure a snug fit whilst still being comfortable (after they have been broken in!).

A comfortable boot is really important and we recommend breaking your boots in before joining one of our courses. 

Scarpa make a good and extensive range of ski touring boots: 

Scarpa Denali XT: These light blue boots are a stiff heavy boot which give excellent support for downhill/off piste skiing but they are a little too stiff for walking in. If you have small or narrow feet the tongue can be too stiff to get far enough forward on when skiing downhill. This problem can be corrected by exchanging the tongue with a softer one.

Scarpa Denali: These red boots are like the XT's but a little softer and are a good compromise if you intend to use the boot as a downhill boot as well as a touring boot.

Scarpa Laser or new Magic: These orange boots (the Magic are blue) are a lighter weight softer touring boots. If you are a good skier and like a soft boot these are a good choice.

Scarpa FI: These yellow boots are for the ski racer, ultra light weight with quick release for changing into uphill mode.

Garmin and Lowa also make good ski touring boots. 

Skis

Skis have been much improved for ease of ski over the last few years. They have generally become short wider and more 'waisted', allowing for easy turns and still keeping the skier afloat off piste in soft snow. Heavy skis are good for the descent as they give a more solid platform, but the lighter touring skis are much easier on the uphill. As a rough rule the length of ski should be with the tip of the ski just above eye level when held vertically on the ground.

Recommended skis are:

Atomic Beta Rides, general purpose ski and a good touring ski
The new Atomic Beta TM22 general purpose ski and a good touring ski
The new Atomic MX9 lightweight ski touring ski
Rossignol Bandits 2B's a solid (heavy) general purpose ski and a good touring ski

Bindings

The market leader is currently Diamir and they have a great range of ski touring bindings. Their bindings are all step-in for ease of use. They have a good toe and heel release making them a safer option in a fall. In fact most off-piste skiers use these bindings for all their skis regardless of whether they ski on or off-piste.

Leashes come as standard but ski breaks enable one to get away from sharp edges in a fall and are an essential purchase.

Ski crampons (Couteau or harschiesen) are essential when touring as they give an excellent grip on hard snow (such as neve or hard wind slab) 

The Diamir Fritschi range is currently most popular and the new model for 2005 is called the Diamir Explore. The Diamir Freeride is a slightly heavier version and is sold with ski breaks included. 

A range of ski touring hardware can be found at www.facewest.co.uk

Ski Hire at Hefti Sports, Leysin

NOT NEEDED FOR SKI COURSES: Ice hammer, rock boots, belay plate, karabiners, prusik loops, tape sling.