Ski touring technique – a summary

• Do not lift your leg and ski when walking, but push the ski forward and glide over the snow.
• Load the entire sole evenly in steeper terrain and adapt the climbing aid to the angle.
• Practise the kick turn so that you can master it safely in the steeps.
• Do not hold the ski poles in the hand loops for safety reasons.
• Practice off-piste skiing on unprepared sections in the resort. As a beginner, choose a ski tour where you can easily escape into the resort.
• Take part in a guided ski tour or a ski touring course to practise the technique (especially the kick-turn) and get some valuable pointers.

When skinning: Shuffle in style.

Walking with touring skis under your feet is relatively easy. It’s almost like a normal walking, except that you don’t lift your legs. Instead, you shuffle or better glide uphill. The weight is on the standing leg, and the unburdened leg is pushed loosely forward. With each step, the skins glide audibly over the snow.
When you lift your feet, you quickly realize: this takes a lot of strength – and you look like a prat. So push the ski forward and walk with your hips open. If you keep your legs too close together, your knees, ski boots, and skis will rub against each other, and you will quickly lose your balance. However, the skin track is sometimes so deeply trodden and narrow that walking like John Wayne can cause problems. Take care: Danger of tripping up your behind!

When skinning: Adjust the climbing aid appropriately

How long the stride depends on the terrain. On a straight stretch without a slope, you usually automatically take longer strides; you can almost glide as if you were cross-country skiing. If the slope becomes steeper, you take shorter steps.
On slopes with a 25 per cent or more gradient, it is advisable to raise the climbing aid on the ski binding. This helps to optimize your skinning posture on the ski. Ideally, you should always stand in the middle of the ski, i.e. you should put weight on the whole sole of your foot and not just on the front of your foot. If the terrain is steep, ski touring beginners, in particular, tend to lean forward instinctively. However, this is a catastrophic mistake! This shifts the entire body weight to the ski’s tip, and the ski can slip backwards. Therefore, always ensure that the whole sole is loaded evenly and that the climbing aid is adapted to the actual slope incline.

When in the steeps: The right way to kick turn

As long as the slope is relatively flat, you can go straight up. If the slope increases, you compensate for the steepness with inclining traverses and switchbacks.
When stepping in arcs, the radius of the curve becomes considerably narrower and the stride length shorter. With each step, the skis are lifted slightly – yes, now you may raise the ski! – and turned significantly in the direction of the turn before setting. You need about five steps for a 180-degree turn.

If the slope is inclined more than 35 degrees, you can’t get any further by stepping on the bow. The only thing that helps now is the kick turn. And it goes like this: You walk to the end of the track or to the point where you want to change direction. The flatter the track before the turn, the easier it is. It is best to stand completely horizontal and support yourself using your poles. Then shift your weight to the downhill ski, lift the uphill ski and turn its tip in the new “desired direction”. You are now standing with your legs straddled and repositioning the second ski. Put weight on the already turned ski and lift the other one to do this. If you swing the end of the ski downwards with a targeted kick, it is much easier to turn it around your lower leg in the new direction. In addition, you won’t get caught up in deep snow so easily.

Kick turns are perfected by practising them repeatedly – ideally on flat terrain at first, as this gives you more confidence in your movements. When you have mastered them well, you will notice how energy-saving this type of transition is and how securely you can stand on your skis even in steep terrain.

Ski touring poles: Use them correctly and shed those hand loops

The ski poles are used opposite to the skis when ascending, i.e. right ski/left pole and left ski/right pole. The poles help you to stay balanced. On a steep ascent, you can also use them to push yourself uphill. If you cross a slope or the terrain slopes away to one side, grip the mountain pole further down and make it shorter. This way, you stay straight and don’t bend your hips to the side of the valley. It is vital for both ski touring and freeriding: Never reach into the loop of the poles. Poles can make falls worse and act as anchors in the event of an avalanche. If you are fixed in the loop, you will not get rid of them in time, possibly spelling catastrophe.

Downhill technique: How to descend in the backcountry

To enjoy ski touring off-piste, you should be a reasonably good skier. The best way to get to grips with off-piste skiing is to practice in the ski area next to the slopes. Here you can play a bit and vary your position on the ski; for example, lean backwards, forwards or sideways. This is the best way to get a feel for the ground underfoot. In general, your movements on the downhill run should be smooth and not jerky, and your body tension should be higher than when banging down groomers. The best way to ski is with tight, almost touching skis. The heels are slightly loaded without your upper body going into a backward position. An up and down movement from the knees upwards will make it much easier to turn the ski.

Crude is not a fun place to ski. This old snow has become very compact due to thawing and refreezing and sometimes forms crusts on the surface. As long as the icy slush carries your body weight, you can edge up but don’t break through the crust. The skis will abruptly be brought to hold in the soft snow underneath. Therefore, don’t edge up, ski tight, load evenly, utilizing an active coiling/uncoiling motion. It’s not fun, but it’s bearable. This technique also applies to heavy and wet snow. Loose short turns are not the best choice in such snow conditions; instead, make wide turns if the terrain grants them.

Ski touring on groomers

Rules must be observed so that ski tourers and skiers do not get in each other’s way and both can enjoy their sport. The piste rules of the International Ski Federation FIS also apply to ski tourers and help to avoid collisions, for example. The German Alpine Association has found amicable solutions in all Bavarian ski areas for years. In doing so, it works closely with all parties involved: the Association of German Cable Cars and T-bar Lifts (VDS), the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior and Environment, the State Office for the Environment, the German Ski Association, the Avalanche Warning Service as well as the lift and cable car operators, municipalities and responsible DAV sections. The ten DAV rules for piste ski tours should be well stored in your memory bank.