Let's begin with the question: What is ski touring? When ski touring, you go where your legs take you, ascending mountains through forests and pristine nature. Many ski tourers venture to places where you wouldn't typically reach. This way, you can find descents where you are alone, and the snow is at its best.
Ski touring requires physical effort, skiing experience, avalanche knowledge, and, of course, the right equipment. In our article "What do you need for ski touring?", you can find more information about all the necessary gear. In this buyer's guide, we are here to help you choose a pair of touring skis that match your preferences.
To tour, your skis must first have touring bindings. In theory, you can tour with any ski equipped with these bindings. However, Snowcountry recommends using a specific touring ski designed for ski touring. The type of touring ski you need depends on your plans and priorities. The extensive selection of touring skis falls into three categories: lightweight, all-round, and freetour.
If you want to make multi-day trips or ascend mountains with significant altitude gain, you need lightweight touring skis. As your tours consist of a lot of climbing and walking, weight and walking efficiency are crucial. These skis are designed to make climbing as comfortable as possible, featuring a low weight and a narrow waist (midsection). They are also narrower and have a profile focused on edge grip since tours often occur later in the season on hard snow.
Characteristics
Width: between 80 and 95mm
Profile: rocker-camber-flat
Rocker in the tip for floatation, camber and a flat tail for excellent edge grip. The flat tail does reduce maneuverability during descents.
Weight range: from 1000 grams to 1500 grams per ski
Binding recommendation: lightweight tech binding, possibly without brakes
Pros and Cons
As an all-round ski tourer, you aim to ski tour throughout the season regardless of conditions. For this type of skiing, you want skis that not only excel in ascending but also offer comfort during descents. This is where all-round touring skis come in. They are slightly heavier than lightweight touring skis but provide more comfort during descents. This is mainly due to their increased waist width, more rocker in the tip, and improved damping in the ski.
Characteristics
Width: between 90 and 100mm
Profile: rocker-camber-small rise
A very versatile profile. Rocker in the tip for floatation, camber for edge grip, and a small rise for improved maneuverability
Weight range: from 1300 grams
Binding recommendation: tech binding with brakes
Pros and Cons
Freetouring is all about finding the perfect powder descent. You are always on the lookout for the ideal powder run. For this purpose, you typically choose downhill-oriented touring skis. Freetour skis are wider than other touring skis and prioritize performance during descents. While these skis can handle ascending, the focus is less on efficiency during the climb. Freetour skis share many similarities with "regular" lightweight freeride skis, which are also suitable for this type of use.
Characteristics
Width: between 100 and 110mm
Profile: rocker-camber-rocker
Rocker in the tip and tail provides maneuverability, while camber offers edge grip.
Weight range: from 1500 grams
Binding recommendation: downhill-oriented tech binding or a hybrid binding
Pros and Cons
The ski profile (shape) determines how a ski feels and responds under different conditions. In principle, touring skis are available in all common ski profiles. However, some specific features are essential to consider when ski touring.
Rocker enhances ski maneuverability but too much rocker results in reduced grip. Additionally, a ski with excessive rocker uses a very limited surface of climbing skins, which is a drawback during ascents on hard snow.
Camber under the binding aids in edge grip and is an advantage in steep and/or icy terrain.
Selecting the right ski length for touring involves considering factors such as height, weight, experience, and specific intentions. In general, a touring ski's length should be equal to your height or up to five centimeters shorter.
Additionally, when determining your touring ski's length, it's wise to begin with your off-piste experience. The touring ski doesn't necessarily need to be longer or shorter than what you usually use.
Other factors to consider include:
Touring ski bindings have both ski mode and walk mode for ascending the mountain. We distinguish three types of touring ski bindings: frame tour bindings, tech tour bindings, and hybrid bindings.
A frame binding is essentially an alpine ski binding ("regular ski binding") on a hinged frame. The main advantage is that these bindings can also be used with regular alpine ski boots. Purchasing specific touring ski boots is not a requirement. The disadvantages of these bindings are their higher weight. Additionally, the entire binding moves with your boot with each step, adding even more weight.
Tech tour bindings, also known as pin bindings, hold the boot in place with pins in special boot inserts. Because your boot hinges over the pins with the inserts, you don't carry any extra weight. These bindings sacrifice some ski performance due to reduced contact points with the boot.
Hybrid tech bindings are more of a combination. During ascents, a pin system provides walking efficiency, and during descents, the bindings function as regular alpine bindings. This makes hybrid tech bindings versatile with excellent features.
In true ski touring boots, skiing properties take a back seat to walking efficiency. These boots are designed to weigh not a gram more than necessary. They are intended for skiers of the touring type who embark on multi-day trips and/or cover significant vertical meters.
A popular alternative is freeride ski boots. Freeride boots offer skiing properties similar to alpine boots, providing more comfort during skiing than touring ski boots. However, freeride ski boots are somewhat heavier, with their weight falling between alpine and touring ski boots.
Climbing skins are made of mohair, nylon, or a combination of both. Mohair provides minimal resistance and offers high walking efficiency, while nylon is more durable and generally provides more grip. Manufacturers typically opt for a combination of the two, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of both materials.
When making a purchase, it's crucial to ensure the climbing skins fit your skis. There are 'Custom,' 'Trim-to-Fit,' and 'Pre-Cut' options. With Custom skins, you'll need to customize the skins yourself, adjusting both the length and width. If you choose Trim-to-Fit skins, they are available in various sizes (lengths), and you'll need to trim them to match the exact width and waist of your skis. When you purchase a touring ski set with Trim-to-Fit climbing skins from Snowcountry, we will cut the skins to fit your skis. If you opt for Pre-Cut skins, they are pre-sized for a specific ski by the manufacturer.
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to purchase your touring ski equipment. On the Snowcountry website, you can choose a complete touring ski set. A set includes touring skis with matching touring ski bindings and climbing skins. This ensures that you always have a set that complements each other well.
A ski pole is suitable for touring when it features a large basket for deep snow. This is essential for stability in deep snow while walking. Two additional features that make for a great touring pole are:
Telescopically adjustable in height, allowing you to set the height based on the conditions. Additionally, it can be comfortable to ascend with a longer pole and descend with a shorter one.
An extended and softly padded handle. This makes ascending more comfortable. Moreover, a good grip on the entire pole allows you to hold the pole differently during traverses or when taking large steps while still maintaining comfort.
Crampons are not always necessary for ski touring. This depends on the steepness and icy conditions of the slopes you're ascending. You use crampons when climbing skins no longer provide sufficient grip. Therefore, consider the conditions you can expect on the mountain beforehand. If in doubt, it's never a bad idea to carry crampons with you. When making a purchase, keep in mind that each ski binding has its own crampons, and they are not always interchangeable.
When you go ski touring, you are almost always off-piste, which comes with certain risks. To tour safely, it is essential to be well-prepared. In addition to your ski touring equipment, you also need avalanche gear. An avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe are absolute musts when you're off-piste, and consider an avalanche airbag as well. Make sure everyone you're touring with has avalanche gear and knows how to use it. Besides the equipment, knowledge of avalanches is essential. If you don't have this knowledge, make sure to tour with someone who does, such as a mountain guide.
When ski touring, you often find yourself in places where you are self-reliant. It's crucial to be prepared for everything. Weather can change while you're on the move, and the physical exertion varies. Climbing uphill can make you quickly warm, while descending can make you easily cold. Therefore, we recommend choosing technical clothing and applying the three-layer system. Technical clothing is specifically designed to protect you from the elements and regulate your body temperature. Moreover, you can adjust the clothing as needed using the three-layer system.
Over the years, we at Snowcountry have gained valuable ski touring experience. Here are some practical tips:
Explore all of Snowcountry's touring skis.
