Equipment for Ski Touring and Mountaineering
Last updated November 2007
Pretty much everything you need to have a good day ski touring. Sunshine, snow, skis, bindings, boots, skins, poles, rucksack, crampons, ice-axe, sun-hat, glacier goggles, shovel, transceiver (worn under clothing as recommended!), companion (highly recommended as ski touring is both dangerous and boring on your own) and of course a small Italian hire-car. Photo taken at the hamlet of Forni, above Bormio, Ortler Alps, Italy, after a great days skiing on Pizzo Tresero.
..and loaded up for an expedition, which mainly involved carrying 25kg packs over slippery rock and thru trees in the pouring rain, sleeping in wet sleeping bags at night and ended ten days later when we persuaded a Chilean car ferry to come and pick us up, and the boat grounded !! These two pictures courtesy of David Roberts in Wales.
Avalanche Safety
Equipment for Avalanche safety is discussed at the foot of our Avalanche page.
Sledges and Pulks
For information and tips got to our Sledges and Pulks page
Ski Mountaineering Bindings
Alpine touring binding in uphill mode, showing the heel free to lift. The bindings are original Diamir Mark-I bindings and the boots an old pair of Dynafit Tourlites. A boot that was hard to ski in but great for walking in.
For steep slopes you can use the heel steps, makes uphill skiing much more efficient than uphill walking.
And the same bindings in downhill mode with the heel locked down.
Skins
A pair of skiing skins showing the hook over front attachment (These are glue only skins with no rear attachment). Below, the gluey side of the skin and the nice bright bag they come in (top tip - tie the bag to the top of a 2 meter avalanche probe if you need a really good navigation marker or marker for your tent or snowhole site.)
Shown below is an old seal skin, probably form about the 1950's or 60's. This is why skins are called skins, they were originally made from animal (most often seal) skin.
Equipment Links
Needlesports A good web-based climbing gear shop based in the English Lake District, mostly climbing gear.
Braemar Mountain Sports A telemark and ski-mountaineering sop in Scotland, plus mail order.
Telemark-Pyrenees A great online shop for Alpine Ski touring, telemark and all sorts of other climbing and mountaineering gear - based in France but can deliver.
Scarpa Boots for ski mountaineering and telemarking.
Garmin Boots for ski mountaineering and telemarking.
Fritschi Makers of the Diamir binding
Silvretta Makers of bindings.
Ortovox Makers of the most famous Transceivers.
