Do you want to experience the appeal of ski touring for yourself, but do not know what you need to buy to get started? The basics are layered clothing, ski touring skis and the boots and bindings that go with them. How do you choose the right ones?

First a little theory

When ski touring disciplines come up, you may come across:

• Skitouring, or winter hiking on skis.
• Real ski mountaineering, in which you conquer mountain summits on skis and possibly with climbing equipment.
• Freeride, otherwise also skiing in open terrain, away from groomed and commonly used routes.

How to choose ski touring skis for each discipline?

All the disciplines above differ in some respects, but they also have something in common. They are about moving in open nature, and you have to handle skis at least a little. So you cannot do without them, and how do you choose the right ones?

All-round skis are ideal for beginners

Do you want to enjoy both the ascent and the descent? Are you a beginner who will start at home? Go for all-round skis, ideally weighing just a little over one kilogram and about 88 mm wide. A typical example is the Fischer X-treme 88.

If you already have some experience and are heading to the Alps, where you will enjoy wide plains, longer descents and half a metre of powder, choose light freetouring skis of a greater width, around 95 mm, which will hold you up in powder.

And what about athletes who mainly like to move briskly uphill? Ultralight skis are made for them, for instance the ZAG ADRET 81 with a width of 81 mm underfoot and a weight of about 920 g. With them you will be fast uphill, but you will also enjoy the ride down the hill with them.

Are you heading into open nature, off the groomed terrain, to a place where there really is a lot of snow? Then choose properly wide freeride skis, for example the ZAG SLAP 112.

With any skis you will need the right climbing skins, which let you walk uphill on skis without slipping back. The skins must be compatible with the skis in width, length and attachment system.

Watch out for the length of the skis

When choosing skis, you need to pick their length well. That is not simple at all, so we will give you a few tips on how to handle it.

• Very roughly, the range for choosing the ski length can be set somewhere between your chin and a point no more than 10 centimetres above your head.
• For moving uphill choose shorter skis, which are lighter and easier to move on.
• The more you want to enjoy the descent, the longer the ski should be.
• Keep in mind that the longer the ski, the better it tracks, but the more it also demands of our skiing ability.

How to choose ski touring bindings?

An important part of the skis is the binding. Ski touring bindings differ from classic ones in that they also allow climbing. When you want, you walk uphill with them, and as soon as the descent is near you simply switch them to down hill mode, click in and you can set off down the hill.

Pin bindings are the standard; for beginners the optimal choice is an all-round binding with a brake, 3 climbing positions and an adjustable release value (e.g. PLUM SUMMIT 12 STOPPER). Those who are aiming more at performance should prefer a lighter all-round binding without a brake (for instance PLUM OAZO). Another option is an ultralight race binding, which cannot be adjusted individually in any way.

Did you know that a special case is the freeride binding, which is very similar to a classic alpine binding?

Choosing ski touring boots

You have the skis and the bindings too, what next? Choosing the boots, of course! Set aside enough time for choosing them, do not rush anything. How do ski touring boots differ from alpine ones?

• Weight
• Stiffness
• The hinge, which allows forward and backward movement.
• The sole, which is comparable to a hiking boot and does not slip even on rocks.
• Crampons can be attached to the boot.
• The toe has pins that clip into a pin binding.

As a general rule, if you are starting with ski touring, it is best to get advice in specialist shops and have everything explained.

Source: https://www.hudy.cz/