Why Ski Touring Is the Best Thing You’ll Do This Winter
There’s a moment — usually somewhere on the second hour of climbing, when your legs are burning and your jacket is tied around your waist — when you start to understand why people get completely lost to this sport.
Not hooked. Lost.
I had mine on a slope above the treeline, maybe three winters ago. Cold enough that my water bottle had frozen at the top of my pack. No sound except wind and the soft drag of skins on snow. I stopped to catch my breath and looked back down the valley — nothing but white and blue and shadow, as far as I could see. Not a single other track.
That was it. That was the moment ski touring ruined everything else for me.
Foto: Frost Portal
So What Are We Actually Talking About?
Ski touring — or randonée if you’re being French about it — is alpine skiing, minus the lift. You attach skins to the bottom of your skis (strips of textured fabric that grip the snow going up but glide coming down), click the heel free, and walk. When you reach the top, you peel the skins off, lock the heel back in, and ski down.
That’s the whole thing. It sounds simple. It absolutely is not, and that’s precisely why it’s worth doing.
Modern gear has made it more accessible than ever. Touring bindings have come a long way — they switch between uphill and downhill mode in a few seconds — and the skis are lighter than they used to be. You don’t need to be an extreme skier to start. If you’re comfortable on piste, you’ve already got most of what you need.
The Thing That Nobody Warns You About
Here’s what catches most people off guard: the silence.
Resort skiing has noise built into it. Lifts, music, people, the constant movement. Ski touring is the opposite. You’re in the mountains on your own terms, at your own pace, in conditions that most other people haven’t reached. Some days you’ll skin for three hours without seeing another person.
That quality of solitude is genuinely difficult to find anywhere else. And once you’ve had it, the resort queue starts to feel like a different sport entirely.
Yes, It’s Hard. That’s Kind of the Point.
I won’t pretend otherwise — ski touring is physically demanding. The uphills are real. Your legs will notice. On long days, so will everything else.
But there’s a particular satisfaction in effort that has a reward attached to it. When you reach the top of something you climbed with your own legs, the descent is different. The views are different. Even the exhaustion is different — the good kind, the kind that means something.
Most people who tour regularly will tell you it’s the best shape they’ve ever been in, without intending it as a fitness programme at all.
How to Actually Get Started
If you’re thinking about trying it, a few honest suggestions:
Take a course first. Mountain safety is real, and avalanche awareness isn’t optional. A one-day intro course will teach you the basics of route reading, rescue gear, and how to read snow conditions. It’s time well spent before you head into the backcountry.
Rent before you buy. Touring gear is a proper investment, and your preferences will shift as you figure out what you enjoy. Try a rental setup for your first few outings before committing.
Start on gentle terrain. There are beautiful tours at every level — you don’t need steep faces and big vertical on day one. Find something accessible close to home and build from there.
Go with people who know the area. Your first tours are more fun, and significantly safer, when someone in the group has been there before.
Find Your People
One thing I didn’t expect: the community. Ski tourers are, on the whole, a particular kind of enthusiast — generous with route beta, happy to spend too long talking about boot fit and snow conditions, always planning the next one. Find a local touring group and winter suddenly stretches out in front of you.
If you’ve been thinking about it, this is your sign. The mountains are quieter than you think, and they’re significantly better without a queue.
Have you done your first tour yet? Drop a comment — I’d love to hear about it.
Leave a Reply