Ski touring and avalanches | Furka basic course with practical tours led by a mountain guide

• Course content & procedure

  • Meeting place

    09:30 am, Realp railway station

    We’ll meet at Realp railway station. If you’re travelling by car, there are plenty of parking spaces available right there. From here, we’ll set off on our touring skis and make the two-hour ascent to the Berghotel Tiefenbach. So our mountain adventure together begins with a lovely climb through the wintry mountain landscape.

  • Day 1: Introductory tour to the accommodation

    600 Hm

    We’ll start with an introduction to ski touring and set off together on our touring skis. During the ascent to the Berghotel Tiefenbach, we’ll cover all the key topics. On the first day, we’ll learn lots of new things in a hands-on, practical way. We’ll take the time to deliberately practise the topics several times to ensure we feel confident.

  • Days 2 & 3: Learning, Practising & Consolidating

    800 metres altitude

    800 metres altitude

    During a ski touring excursion, we’ll revise what we learnt the day before and pick up some new skills. This will help you feel confident when ascending on touring skis and make your movements second nature.

    In the evenings, back at the hut, we explore topics such as route planning, weather and avalanche awareness. Together, we plan each day’s tour. This will give you your first experience of the decision-making processes required for ski touring.

  • Day 4 - Final tour

    600 Hm

    1200 metres altitude

    During a final tour, we’ll once again address your needs and provide you with personalised support to help you gain greater confidence and acquire further knowledge and skills.

  • Training content

    Over the course of the four days, you will learn:

    Ski touring technique:

    • Putting on the skins, walking techniques and kick turns
    • Equipment: what do we need and how do we pack?
    • Skiing technique: Tips and tricks (To improve your skiing technique, we recommend our Ski technique courses.)

    Avalanche awareness:

    • Searching for avalanche victims: avalanche transceiver, probe, shovel
    • Assessment of the terrain: steepness and avalanche risk
    • Avalanche awareness, avalanche bulletin and risk check

    Itinerary planning:

    • Meteorological Theory: Tools and Apps
    • Orientation: map reading, compass, altimeter

    Reflection:

    • Learning curve and outlook
    • Expectations and feedback

    After this course, you’ll be well prepared to undertake easy ski tours independently and to join guided ski tours of easy to moderate difficulty.

  • Course materials

    At the start of the course, you will receive the following course materials from us:

    • Brochure «Ski Touring Techniques» (Bergschaft)
    • Information leaflet «Beware of Avalanches» (SLF)
    • Ski touring map extract «Realp»
  • Conclusion

    approx. 15:00, Realp

    We’ll finish the course together back in Realp and head home with lovely memories and valuable experiences in our rucksacks.

• Requirements

  • No previous ski touring experience required.
  • You know how to ski on black pistes.
  • Fitness level suitable for short ski tours involving an ascent of around 800hm at a leisurely pace (~300hm/h).
  • Splitboarders are welcome.

• Price and services

  • CHF 1,075
  • Small group with 4 - 8 guests per mountain guide.
  • Including planning and realisation with mountain guide and his travel expenses.
  • Accommodation costs are included (rooms where possible; otherwise, lovely camping spots with towels and duvets – freshly laundered, so no need for a sleeping bag).
  • Half board included.
  • Travel costs not included, any train tickets, and personal expenses.

  • We also offer great deals on ski tour hire equipment:
    • Ski Rental Zueri
      • Complete equipment, i.e. skis, boots, safety set, rucksack and poles
        Flat rate of CHF 100 for 2 days and CHF 160 for 4 days.
      • You can add this to your shopping basket and collect it from Ski Rental.
    • Sport Trend Shop Hinwil
      • Touring ski package (touring skis incl. skins and crampons, touring boots, touring poles)
        • 70.- for one day
        • 95.- for two days
        • 115 for three days
        • 135 for four days
      • Package Safety (avalanche transceiver, avalanche shovel and probe):
        • 30.- for one day
        • 35.- for two days
        • 40.- for three days
        • 45.- for four days
      • You can collect this from the Sport Trend Shop with our booking confirmation and pay there. Please contact STS in advance to reserve the equipment. Collection on Friday and return by Tuesday.

• 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.

That's what our guests say:

Highlights: Furka Beginners’ Ski Touring Course

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