The Skiing Department Blog

Many people, especially from the UK or ‘non alpine countries', learn to ski on an dry ski slope or indoor snow domes before they go on their first ski holiday.
This is a great idea as it saves a lot of time and money when you arrive in the resort.
The important thing to remember as a beginner though is that although you have got the basics and maybe a little more on a dry slope or indoor snow slope, the mountains are different and its important to take lessons as well when you arrive.
Skiing is an enjoyable sport at every level, beginner to expert, but it is also a technical sport and takes many years to master. Many people take lessons from a professional ski teacher every time they travel on >> Continue reading

Many skiers choose to wear a rucksack (I prefer the term backpack) when skiing. Often we are out all day in the mountains and we simply need to carry stuff around with us.

As skiers, we do have different requirements for what we need to carry. For some, it’s simply a picnic lunch for the family whilst for others it’s crucial safety equipment for off piste skiing.

Some skiers do not like wearing backpacks because they feel cumbersome and heavy. This is personal preference, and if you feel that you can carry all you need in your pockets, then fine, but today you can choose from a huge variety of backpacks to suit your needs.

If an extra pair of gloves and some sandwiches are all you need, then you can use a small pack that you would hardly notice wearing at all. Of course, fashion plays a big part and the look and styling of your backpack is important to some.

Backcountry or off piste skiers need to wear well designed, strong and fairly large day packs (20 - 30 litres). This is because the equipment that needs to be carried is extensive. The pack needs to take a snow shovel and a telescopic avalanche probe. These are designed to be light and strong and the shovel handle can be removed to make it easier to fit in the pack. Sometimes a light weight rope is required, if ski touring on glaciers, as well as extra clothing, drinking water, first aid kit and food.

If you are on a multi day ski tour, then you need to carry everything on your back. The rucksack needs to be larger. Usually on ski tours you stay in mountain huts. Sometimes food is provided, but you need to carry changes of clothing and other everyday requirements.

Essentially, you need to ascertain what you want to use a backpack for. Once you know then you can choose according to your needs. Manufactures now design backpacks specifically for skiing. They will also produce packs for the different requirements we have e.g. general recreational use, off piste/back country skiing, ski touring and ski mountaineering.

What I carry in my backpack when skiing off piste:
Snow shovel, avalanche probe, first aid kit, spare gloves and hat, binoculars, energy bars, water in thermos flask to prevent freezing, penknife, spare googles, spare sunglasses, fleece, 2 way radios, sun cream and lunch, if required.

Some of the manufactures that produce good quality skiing backpacks include: The North face, Lowe Alpine, Scott Sports, Berghaus, Black Diamond, Ortovox, Camelbak.

In future posts, I will go into detail for each category of backpack.

In Part 1, of this Blog Article, I described good European Ski Resorts for Spring Skiing. Now, I am going to describe the snow conditions you can expect, why its a good time to go Ski Touring and list the Advantages and Disadvantages of Spring Skiing.

Skiing in April can be very pleasant.
The daytime temperatures can go well above freezing point. This will cause melting and slushy conditions ,in the afternoons, with a possibility of icy slopes in the mornings. But slushy snow can be fun and spring sunshine is great for the tan. It can still snow though, so be prepared and often heavy snowstorms come in and dump large quantities of powder snow on the upper slopes >> Continue reading

In the Northern Hemisphere, the ‘commercial’ or peak time ski season stretches between the Christmas and Easter holidays but many alpine resorts open well before Christmas and close after Easter.

Of course, Easter falls at different times according to the moon cycle. Sometimes Easter day falls as early as the last Sunday in March or as late as the last Sunday in April. This can have serious consequences on the skiing industry.

Because most skiers associate Easter with the end of the season, an early Easter can mean a very quiet resort for the rest of April. Great for the people that do go there, but not so good for the tour operators and travel companies! >> Continue reading