Backcountry Skiing. Exploring The Mountains In Winter

Backcountry skiing means skiing outside of the controlled and groomed areas of the ski resorts. Usually backcountry skiing (sometimes also referred to as ski mountaineering or ski touring) means climbing up the mountains on special skis for the joy of mountaineering and skiing downhill through virgin powder snow (or corn snow during spring time). Thus backcountry skiers are on their own in exploring the fascinating world of winter mountains. Backcountry skiers are enjoying all the manifold benefits of outdoor sports in a truly amazing setting.

However, the joys and rewards of backcountry skiing do not come without costs. These costs are in particular the increased risks like snow avalanches, navigation loss or severe weather  since the uncontrolled world of high mountains pose certain dangers for the inexperienced and untrained.

Backcountry skiing needs some special gear. First of all a special binding system is necessary to allow climbing up an inclined slope on skis. These special binding systems free the heels of the skier allowing a movement pattern similar to cross-country skiing during the ascent. To prevent sliding downhill during the ascent the skis get equipped with special skins which usually are glued onto the skis. During the downhill run the binding system gets fixed heels making the ski touring binding almost just like a usual alpine binding.

A typical backcountry ski is somewhat fatter but at the same time lighter in weight than the usual alpine ski for the groomers. Today, most of the 'big names' of the ski industry are producing special touring skis. In addition to the famous brands dozens of smaller ski producers cater to the different needs and preferences of this particular niche.

Last but not least backcountry skiing requires special ski shoes which do have a mountain-boot like sole and are considerable lighter and softer than alpine ski shoes. Thus they allow for walking, scrambling and even climbing.

In addition to this basic equipment there are a lot of special tools which make backcountry skiing easier and safer. Examples of secondary equipment to ease the strains of the ascent are ski crampons which avoid sliding down during traverses of steep slopes in icy snow conditions, special telescoping poles, helmets, crampons, ice axe and a harness in case of serious high mountains and a lot more.

An important prerequisite for backcountry skiing is special safety equipment which today is regarded as standard. This safety gear includes a modern digital avalanche beacon (equipped with sender and transceiver), an avalanche probe and a collapsible snow shovel. This equipment is the minimum requirement for locating and rescuing skiers in case of an avalanche hazard. In addition to this standard gear specialized gear such as an Avalung (helping a buried avalanche victim to breath under the snow in certain conditions) or a so called ABS rucksack (a balloon-like bags attached to a rucksack which get inflated in case of an avalanche to avoid complete burial).

In addition to the principal safety equipment special ski clothes to protect from the rough weather conditions, special navigation gear (maps, guide books, a handheld GPS) are needed to complement the standard equipment for backcountry skiing.

Uphill skinning is basically like uphill walking. The first principle difference is that your feet weight significantly more. Skis plus binding system plus heavy ski boots add up to about six to eight kilogramm. The second difference is that you are much more restricted in terms of the length of your steps are restricted and tend to become much shorter with increasing incline of the slope.

The real challenge for the beginner are the dreaded kick-turns, serpentine-like zig-zags in steep terrain. These kick-turns usually require some maneuverability and body-movement which needs some training. However, after a few trials most beginners get accustomed during their very first ski tour. Going uphill and with heavier equipment, skinning is much slower as cross-country skiing. The rule of thumb is a vertical gain of about 300-400m (depending on the incline of the slope) and a horizontal distance of three to four kilometers per hour.

There are many rewards of skiing out of the groomed and controlled ski resorts. First and foremost it is the sheer pleasure derived from skiing through untracked snow, be it deep powder snow in mid-winter or hard-packed corn-snow during spring time. After all, making turns in unspoiled snow and marking the landscape by his or her very own lines is the ultimate goal of almost any advanced skier. And backcountry skiing combines the satisfaction of mountaineering with the pleasures of downhill-skiing. Or as the famous British ski pioneer Sir Arnold Lunn (1888-1974) has coined it: "The combination of skiing and mountaineering is the finest of all sports." 

But backcountry skiing is not only a fun outdoors sport. It is also tremendous healthy to our body. Especially the overall fitness gets a boost by ski touring since skinning up over long distances is a perfect cardiovascular exercise. Since most ski touring is done in remote areas, far from industrial pollution the human body profits from the usual clean air increasing the positive health effects of backcountry skiing.

There are no rewards without without costs. The 'costs' of backcountry skiing are the overall dangers associated with the rough winter environment in high mountain areas. The most feared hazard of the winter mountains are snow avalanches. Getting buried by a snow avalanches poses almost every time a significant risk of death. Thus learning to avoid avalanche prone terrain and learning to assess the danger levels due to the given snow and weather conditions is an important step in the process to become an independent ski mountaineer. Inexperienced skiers and mountaineers should always stick to guided tours which are led by qualified and certified alpine guides.

The often severe weather conditions like heave snow blizzards resulting in white-out conditions pose another type of risks to the backcountry skier. Sustained exposure to deep temperatures can ultimately lead to hypothermia and death. Of course, typical high mountain hazards such as crevasses, exposed dangerous and steep terrain with the risk of slipping and falling apply to ski mountaineering as well.

Since there are often no trails or other signs of human civilization backcountry skiing requires good navigational skills to avoid getting lost. While modern equipment such as GPS can help in navigation advanced map reading skills are still a prerequisite for the ski mountaineer.

All these skills require a thorough learning process which takes its time but the rewards are plenty.