When you go ski touring, you’ll often find yourself outside the marked slopes, where proper preparation and equipment are essential. In this article, we provide a complete overview of everything you need for ski touring. From gear like skis, clothing, and avalanche equipment to the right knowledge. Below, you'll find clear explanations of when to use which gear, along with tips for staying safe while exploring off-piste terrain.
Why proper preparation is essential for ski touring
When ski touring, you're not dependent on ski lifts, but where your legs carry your. You walk uphill through nature and descend through untouched snow. It's the ultimate adventure, but one that requires thorough preparation in terms of knowledge and gear. When you're far from civilization, it's crucial to be ready for all types of conditions and situations.
Off-piste ski touring requires the right knowledge
Ski touring off-piste comes with additional risks. Avalanche knowledge is absolutely essential. If you don't have this expertise yourself, make sure you're with someone who does. It's highly recommended to go with an experienced guide who understands both the terrain and current conditions. Additionally, knowing your gear is helpful so you can fix minor technical issues on your own.
What materials you need for ski touring
In addition to knowledge, you also need a complete ski touring setup:
- Touring skis
- Touring bindings
- Touring ski boots
- Climbing skins
- Touring poles
- Crampons
- Avalanche safety gear
- Appropriate clothing
Below, we’ll explain each item in more detail.
Touring skis: which skis do you need?
If you’re going ski touring, it’s highly recommended to use dedicated touring skis. These skis are specifically designed to perform well both uphill and downhill. Touring skis are usually lighter to make climbing easier and wider to offer better floatation in deep snow.
We distinguish between three types of touring skis:
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Lightweight touring skis: built for optimal uphill performance. Perfect for long ascents and tours with a lot of elevation gain.
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Allround touring skis: balanced option that performs well both uphill and downhill. Ideal for allround ski tourers who want to be ready for any conditions.
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Freetour skis: designed to maximize downhill performance. A great choice for freeriders seeking the ultimate powder descent.
All ski touring sets
Read our buyer's guide for touring skis for a detailed explanation of the different types of touring skis.
Touring bindings for ascending and descending
Ski touring isn’t possible without touring bindings. These specialized bindings have two modes:
- Walk mode: your heel is free, allowing you to walk uphill.
- Ski mode: your heel is locked in place for skiing downhill.
There are three types of touring bindings to choose from. The right choice depends on the type of touring you plan to do:
- Frame touring bindings: similar to traditional alpine bindings, but mounted on a hinged frame.
- Tech touring bindings: lightest option, designed for maximum uphill efficiency.
- Hybrid touring bindings: combination of lightweight design, efficient climbing, and solid downhill performance.
Read more about the three types of touring bindings in our touring ski buyer’s guide.
All ski touring bindings
Touring ski boots
Touring ski boots are lightweight and optimized for walking uphill. Every gram is minimized to make uphill more efficient, though this comes at the cost of downhill skiing comfort. These boots are ideal for ski tourers who go on multi-day trips or cover a lot of vertical meters, where the focus is more on climbing than descending.
A popular alternative is freeride ski boots. These boots are slightly heavier but offer more comfort and better downhill performance compared to specific touring ski boots. They provide a good balance between uphill efficiency and downhill control.
All touring ski boots
Climbing skins
Climbing skins provide the grip you need when ascending the mountain. You attach them to the base of your touring skis for the uphill, and remove them once you reach the summit to ski back down.
Climbing skins are made from mohair, nylon, or a mix of both:
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Mohair: offers minimal resistance and maximum glide for efficient uphill travel.
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Nylon: provides excellent grip and high durability.
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Mixed: combination of mohair and nylon, designed to balance grip, glide, and durability.
Choosing the right climbing skins
When buying climbing skins, always make sure they fit your skis. There are three types:
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Custom: you cut these yourself to fit the length and width of your skis.
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Trim-to-fit*: available in various lengths and you need to trim them to the correct width.
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Pre-cut: manufactured to fit a specific ski model perfectly.
* If you purchase a touring ski set with trim-to-fit skins from Snowcountry, we will cut them to size for you.
All climbing skins
Touring poles
A good touring pole has a large basket to provide support in deep snow and is height-adjustable (telescopic) to suit different conditions. Additionally, an extended and softly padded handle can offer a comfortable grip along the entire pole during traverses and big steps.
All touring poles
Crampons
Crampons are used to provide extra grip on icy or steep slopes when climbing skins are no longer sufficient. Before heading out, consider the conditions you might encounter on the mountain and whether you’ll need crampons. When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to bring them along. Keep in mind that crampons are not universal, each ski binding requires its own specific crampons.
All crampons
Avalanche gear for safe ski touring
If you want to ski tour safely, having proper avalanche gear is essential. At a minimum, avalanche equipment includes the “avalanche safety trio”:
- Avalanche beacon (tranceiver)
- Avalanche shovel
- Avalanche probe
In the event of an avalanche, these three tools are necessary to locate someone buried under the snow or to be found yourself. It’s important that everyone in your group carries this avalanche gear and knows how to use it. Read more about avalanche transceivers in our buyer’s guide on choosing the right avalanche beacon.
You can complement the avalanche safety trio with an avalanche airbag. If caught in an avalanche, an airbag can significantly increase your chances of survival. Learn more about avalanche airbags in our buyer’s guide on choosing the right avalanche airbag.
Clothing advice for ski touring
When ski touring, you often find yourself in remote areas where you’re on your own. It’s essential to be prepared for anything. Weather conditions can change quickly while you’re on the move, and physical exertion varies greatly. Walking uphill makes you warm, but during the descent, you can easily get cold.
That’s why we recommend choosing technical clothing and applying the three-layer system. Technical clothing is designed to protect you from the elements and regulate your body temperature.
- Base layer: wicks away sweat
- Insulation layer: provides warmth
- Outer layer: shields against wind, rain, and snow
Wearing three separate layers allows you to easily adjust your clothing to the conditions. If it’s warm during the uphill climb, you can remove the insulation layer. On the way down, you put it back on to stay warm.
Read all about technical clothing and how to apply the three-layer system in our article: Why Choose Technical Clothing?
Snowcountry tips for touring skiing
When you’re far from the slopes, in “the middle of nowhere,” you’re truly on your own. It’s an amazing adventure, but it requires thorough preparation. Over the years, we at Snowcountry have gained extensive ski touring experience and would like to share some practical tips:
- Bring tools to fix minor technical issues yourself, such as a multitool and duct tape. Knowing your equipment well is essential.
- Carry a ski or snowboard strap to easily secure, bundle, or even repair gear on the go.
- Always have a small first aid kit with you to provide emergency care on the mountain.
Also, check out our buyer’s guide for ski touring to find out which touring skis and bindings are best suited for you.
