10.00 am, Sellamatt valley station
Introductory Course in Ski Touring and Avalanche Safety | Toggenburg with a mountain guide
We’ll guide you through the world of ski touring – over 4 days, with plenty of time to spare! Another special highlight is our accommodation – the cosy Alderen Lodge, complete with a hot tub and sauna.
Technics
Endurance
Wildhaus, St Gallen
This four-day course is varied, exciting and provides a solid foundation for planning and undertaking ski tours independently in the future. During the training and practical tours, we’ll teach you the basics of moving efficiently on your touring skis, as well as key fundamentals of avalanche awareness. We’ll also provide you with targeted support through personalised feedback. Over the four days, we’ll have plenty of time to cover all aspects of ski touring. Nestled between the majestic Churfirsten and the Alpstein, the Toggenburg offers a first-class touring and training area that impresses with its versatility and perfect peaks. Thanks to the excellent location of our accommodation, we start our ascents right on our doorstep. The gentle slopes provide the ideal starting point for easy tours with enjoyable descents.
In the evenings, we enjoy the welcoming atmosphere of the Alderen Lodge. Our hosts welcome us back after our first successful tour with a delicious afternoon snack and cook for us every evening. We round off the day in a relaxed manner in the sauna or the hot tub.
Target price: You’ll learn all the basics of ski touring and will then be able to complete easy ski tours on your own and join guided ski tours of easy to moderate difficulty.
Course content and procedure
We’ll meet in Alt. St. Johann, at the Sellamatt Bahn valley station. There, we’ll get to know each other with a brief round of introductions and then start the course. We’ll leave our luggage in our own cars.
We’ll kick off the course with a leisurely ski tour. Throughout the tour, we’ll explain and discuss the key aspects of ski touring. On the first day, we’ll learn a lot of new things through hands-on, practical exercises. We’ll take the time to deliberately go over the topics several times to ensure everyone feels confident.
Daily destination: You have learnt the basics of ski touring and gained experience in using safety equipment.
Course content:
Basics of ski touring
- Operating touring skis with tips and tricks from professionals
- Mounting the touring skins
- Walking techniques
- Hairpin bends
Materials and equipment
- What we need and don't need for ski tours
Theory Meteo (evening)
- Which apps and tools do we use
Our hosts treat us to a generous breakfast buffet every day, from which we’re also allowed to put together a packed lunch for the day.
Feeling refreshed, we set off into the snow to go on a practical tour, where we’ll revise everything we learnt the day before and pick up some new skills.Daily destination: Stay safe whilst ascending on touring skis – the sequence of movements for techniques such as kick turns becomes second nature.
Course content:
Repeat what you have learnt
- Operating touring skis with tips and tricks from professionals
- Mounting the touring skins
- Walking techniques
- Hairpin bends
Avalanche victim search
- Correct and efficient operation of safety equipment
- LVS - avalanche transceiver
- Probe
- Shovel
Tour planning (evening)
- 3×3 tour planning
- Avalanche bulletin
- Avalanche awareness
- Risk check
During a practical session, we revise what we learnt the day before and learn some new things.
Daily destination: Your perception goes outwards: Where am I and what are the conditions like? You gain your first experience of the decision-making processes that are necessary for ski touring.
Course content:
Repeat what you have learnt
- Ascent techniques
- Tips and tricks
Assessment of the terrain we are moving through
- Steepness
- Avalanche danger
- Risk check in the field
Ski technique
- We can’t teach you how to ski on the slopes whilst ski touring, but we’re happy to offer a few tips. If you’d like to improve your skiing technique, we recommend taking part in one of our skiing technique courses.
Materials and equipment (evening)
- Repair kit - what makes sense to have with you
- How to pack lightly and ergonomically
Reflection and tour planning
- Expectations and feedback
- Where do we stand - what is still missing?
- Tour planning
During a final tour, we’ll once again focus on your needs and provide you with personalised support to help you gain more confidence and knowledge.
Daily destination: Your expectations are fulfilled and you go home satisfied and with a lot of joy.
Course content
Orientation
- Reading maps in the field
- Compass
- Altimeter, contour lines and slope
Reflection
- Feedback
- What's next?
Filled with sunshine and armed with new knowledge, we finish the course together back at the Sellamatt valley station.
Requirements
- No previous ski touring experience required.
- You know how to ski on black pistes.
- Stamina for short ski tours with an ascent of around 600 - 800 metres at a leisurely pace (~300m/h).
- Splitboarders are welcome.
Price and services
- CHF 1190.-
- Small group with 4 - 8 guests per mountain guide.
- Including professional planning and realisation with a mountain guide and his travel expenses.
- Including accommodation and half-board. Accommodation in twin rooms.
- Includes an afternoon snack on the first day and packed lunches for days 2 to 4.
- Excluding travel expenses, possible train tickets, personal consumption.
Material and equipment
- For this tour you need the material from this PDF. We carry our equipment with us the whole time. Only pack the essentials.
- General material and packing tips we have also put together for you.
Bergschaft tours and courses are conducted in German as standard. However, our mountain guides speak good English, as do many of the participants. If you speak English, you are of course very welcome. Depending on the tour, it may be worth asking us in advance whether the guide and the group are comfortable speaking English.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us, preferably via the Contact form.
Accommodation
Alderen Lodge, Wildhaus
The Alderen Lodge is a 200-year-old farmhouse that was extensively and stylishly renovated in 2026. The house is situated on slightly higher ground, surrounded by nature, with a magnificent view over the valley. In summer, after a day’s climbing, you can enjoy the peace and quiet or socialise on the terrace. In winter, the interiors, with their abundance of wood, create a warm and cosy atmosphere when we return from a long ski tour. Our hosts take care of the culinary delights, cooking for us with passion and dedication. The sauna and hot tub are also a particular highlight, perfectly rounding off this relaxing experience.
If you’re travelling by car, you can park it free of charge on the grounds next to the main road.
Highlights: Introductory Ski Touring Course in Toggenburg
Here’s how to join us for the basic ski touring and avalanche course in Toggenburg
- 14 - 17 January 2027, Thursday - Sunday, 4 daysFreie Plätze
Mountain guidesStill PendingCHF 1,190 - 25–28 February 2027, Thursday–Sunday, 4 daysFreie PlätzeMountain guidesStill PendingCHF 1,190
As Private Tour on your desired date with your group:
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