This is Allan approaching the Col du Passon last week on our Intro Ski Touring & Backcountry course (itinerary). This route included glacier travel, an ascent to the col with crampons carrying ski’s, couloir skiing and the long ski out to the valley. Everyone enjoyed stunning weather and great snow, a great introduction to touring!

If you have some previous off piste experience but have always dreamt of escaping the cable cars and busy ski pistes to create your own tracks then touring is for you. The best conditons for touring in the Alps are between January and April each year, earlier in the year and it could be too icy, later in the year and you could end up with some long walk outs to the valley. Currently there is great snow as there have been almost daily snowfalls with nearly 30cm in the Chamonix valley this evening.

Apart from the great skiing, the course includes tuition on avalanche awareness and tranceiver searches, route planning and crevasse rescue, with evening instruction sessions. The next course with space is the 23rd to 1st March, and the last date for this winter season is the 13th to 19th April.