Ski touring, from the chalet door to your first summit
What ski touring really involves, what you carry, how the avalanche bulletin shapes the day, why the guide matters more than the skis, and where to start around Verbier, Zermatt, Courchevel and St. Moritz.
Ski touring means climbing the mountain on your own skis, with removable skins stuck to the bases and bindings that free the heel, then locking the heel and skiing back down. It takes you to quiet slopes the lifts never reach, and it is more accessible than it looks: a fit intermediate who is confident on red runs can begin on a marked uphill route beside the pistes, then move on to a short guided tour. What sets the pace is not fitness alone but avalanche judgement, which is why beginners start with a certified mountain guide.
This guide is written for chalet guests who are curious about the uphill side of the mountain. It covers how the technique works, an honest readiness check, the kit, the official avalanche scale and what it means for your day, the guide’s role, the problems everyone meets on a first tour, and where to start in each of our four resorts.
Two related activities are covered elsewhere. If you would rather fly to the top than walk, our guide to heli-skiing in Switzerland explains where it is legal and what level it takes. If what you need first is better technique on the pistes, a few mornings of private ski lessons will do more for your first tour than any new kit.
Ski touring by the official numbers
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
The European avalanche danger scale has five levels: 1 low, 2 moderate, 3 considerable, 4 high and 5 very high. At level 3, triggering is possible “even from low additional loads, particularly on steep slopes”.
Source: European Avalanche Warning ServicesSwiss data show that around 50% of avalanche fatalities happen at level 3 (considerable) and around 30% at level 2 (moderate). The SLF calls level 3 the most critical situation for backcountry recreationists.
Source: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLFVerbier has five marked ski touring routes of 3.3 to 4.5 km, taking 1 h 40 to 3 h 30. Access is free, except for the routes starting at Les Ruinettes or Moay, which need a lift pass.
Source: Verbier tourist officeTouring on closed pistes at night is prohibited in Verbier because winch cables of groomers are invisible in the dark. Night touring is allowed on Wednesdays from January to March, 6 pm to 9 pm, between Verbier and Savoleyres, weather permitting.
Source: Verbier tourist officeCourchevel’s marked, groomed ski touring itinerary climbs from Courchevel Le Praz to the snowfront at Courchevel 1850: 3.2 km and 500 m of ascent, about two hours on average, open from 1 December to 30 April until 7.15 pm, free of charge.
Source: Courchevel tourist officeZermatt’s tourist office counts 38 mountain giants around the resort for ski tours and freeride descents, and its advice is plain: never start a ski tour without a certified mountain guide.
Source: Zermatt tourist officeHow a day of ski touring works: up, transition, down
The climb is a glide, not a walk. You slide each ski forward without lifting it, the skin grips the snow on the way up, and the free heel lets the boot hinge like a walking boot. On steeper ground a heel raiser under the boot keeps your calves comfortable, and on the steepest bends you turn on the spot with a kick turn, the one manoeuvre beginners practise most.
At the top comes the transition: skins off and folded, heels locked, boots switched to ski mode, layers on. Done well it takes a few minutes; the first time it takes much longer, and that is normal. Then you ski down, usually on untracked or lightly tracked snow, which asks for a little more balance than a groomed run.
Ski touring is easy to confuse with its neighbours. The table sets them side by side, because the right choice for a holiday depends on how you want to go up as much as how you want to come down.
| Activity | How you go up | How you come down | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ski touring | On skis, with skins and a free heel | Skiing, usually off-piste | Fit skiers who want quiet slopes and the climb itself |
| Off-piste from the lifts | Lifts, sometimes a short bootpack | Skiing off-piste | Strong skiers who want descents rather than effort |
| Heli-skiing | Helicopter to a permitted landing site (Switzerland, not France) | Long off-piste descents | Confident off-piste skiers with a flexible day |
| Cross-country skiing | Narrow skis on prepared tracks, mostly flat or rolling | No real descent | Endurance on the valley floor, no avalanche terrain |
| Snowshoeing | On foot, with snowshoes | On foot | Walkers and non-skiers; see our snowshoeing guide |
Ski touring and cross-country both use a free heel, but only touring goes into mountain terrain, which is why it needs avalanche kit and judgement.
Ready for ski touring? An honest check
You do not need to be an expert, and the climb is often easier than people fear because the pace is steady. The descent is the harder part for most beginners: the snow away from the pistes is less predictable, and you ski it with a pack on your back after an hour or two of effort. Use this check before you book your first day.
- A marked uphill route
Start on a signposted route at the edge of the ski area, where the descent is a piste and the terrain is managed. You learn the stride, the kick turn and the transition without avalanche terrain.
- A first guided half day or day
Next, a certified mountain guide takes you on a short tour beyond the pistes, with a modest climb and a descent chosen for your level. This is where you learn to use the transceiver in real conditions.
- A ski touring course
A ski touring course over several days covers route choice, reading the avalanche bulletin, companion rescue and longer climbs. It suits guests who want to keep touring in future winters.
- Hut to hut
Multi-day tours from mountain hut to mountain hut are the goal for many, and a matter of later seasons, always with a guide unless you have years of experience.
| Check | Ready to start | Wait a little |
|---|---|---|
| On the pistes | You ski reds in control and link turns on steeper sections | Reds still feel like survival |
| Varied snow | You have skied some off-piste or chopped snow beside the pistes | Only groomed snow so far |
| Fitness | You can walk uphill steadily for two hours on a summer hike | Short walks leave you out of breath |
| Altitude | You have already spent a few days skiing above 2,500 m without trouble | First day in the mountains this trip |
| Mindset | You accept turning back when the guide says so | The summit is the only acceptable outcome |
Two answers in the right-hand column do not rule you out: they mean a marked uphill route first, or a few mornings with an instructor before the tour.
Ski touring kit: what you carry and what you can hire
You do not need to buy anything for a first tour. Touring skis, boots, skins and the avalanche safety kit can all be hired in the resorts, and our concierge arranges it with the guide. What matters is that everything is fitted and checked the day before, not at the meeting point at eight in the morning.
- Touring skis and skins: lighter than piste skis; the skins are cut to the ski and stick to the base for the climb.
- Touring bindings: they release the heel for climbing and lock it for the descent; the hire shop sets them to your weight and boot.
- Touring boots: a walk mode makes the climb comfortable; fit matters more than anything, as blisters end more first tours than fatigue.
- Adjustable poles and ski crampons: longer poles for the climb, shorter for the descent; ski crampons help on hard or icy traverses.
- Avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe: carried by everyone, transceiver switched on and checked at the start, as the official tourist offices of Verbier and Zermatt insist.
- Backpack and layers: a light base layer for the climb, a warm jacket and spare gloves for the top, water, sun cream, goggles and sunglasses.
- Helmet: advised by the Verbier tourist office, and worth wearing on any descent.
Avalanche safety: the scale, the bulletin and the training
Every tour starts with the avalanche bulletin. In Switzerland it is issued by the SLF, in France by Météo-France, and both use the same European five-level scale. A level is not a verdict on its own: it is a summary of how fragile the snowpack is, on which slopes and at which altitudes. The guide reads it the evening before, then checks the snow on the ground.
The statistics surprise most beginners. The dangerous days are not only the obvious storm days at level 4: in Swiss data, about half of avalanche fatalities happen at level 3 and about a third at level 2, days that can look perfectly calm. That is the main reason a first season is best spent with a guide.
- Avalanche training: ask your guide for a transceiver search session on the first morning; finding a buried transceiver in a few minutes is a skill, not a theory.
- Avalanche awareness courses: mountain guides in the Engadin and elsewhere run them, and they are the best investment for anyone who wants to tour again.
- Start early: Zermatt’s tourist office advises early starts, as the risk rises as the day warms.
| Level | Official description | What the SLF advises |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Low | Generally stable conditions | Cross extremely steep slopes one at a time and stay alert to the danger of falling |
| 2 Moderate | Heightened conditions on specific terrain features | Plan routes carefully on the aspects and altitudes named in the bulletin; cross very steep slopes one at a time |
| 3 Considerable | Dangerous avalanche conditions | Choose the best possible route and avoid very steep slopes at the aspects and altitudes named |
| 4 High | Very dangerous avalanche conditions | Stay on moderately steep terrain; inexperienced people should stay on open pistes and trails |
| 5 Very high | Extraordinary avalanche conditions | No winter sports beyond open ski runs and trails |
Descriptions from the European Avalanche Warning Services, advice from the SLF. Your guide always has the last word on the day.
Hiring a certified mountain guide, not an instructor
A ski instructor teaches technique within the ski area. A mountain guide leads you beyond it: route choice, avalanche assessment, glacier terrain and rescue. For ski touring you want a guide holding the international certification (IFMGA, also known as UIAGM), which the federation describes as the highest guide certification. Each of our resorts has guide offices and independent guides, and our concierge books one whose style suits your group.
Good ski guiding starts before the day. The guide will ask about each person’s level, fitness and experience, and keeps the group small enough to watch everyone on the descent. Tell the truth here: a guide who knows that one of you is slower plans a shorter climb, and the day is better for everyone.
- The evening before
The guide calls or visits the chalet, checks the bulletin, fits the safety kit and agrees the meeting time. We make sure the hired skis and boots are in the ski room.
- Early breakfast
The chalet team serves breakfast early and prepares water and snacks; touring days start earlier than ski days.
- To the start
The chauffeur or the first lift takes you to the start of the route; the guide runs a transceiver check before the first step.
- Climb and transition
A steady pace with short stops, then the transition at the top, with the guide watching each binding and boot.
- The descent and back
One at a time where the guide asks, then back to the chalet for the sauna, the pool or a massage, with dinner timed to the day.
Classic tours around Verbier, Zermatt, Courchevel and St. Moritz
Each of our four resorts offers a gentle first step on marked terrain, and a world of guided tours beyond it. The table sums up what the official tourist offices publish, and how a stay in one of our chalets fits around it.
| Resort | Where beginners start | With a guide, next | From our chalets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbier | Five marked routes, such as La Tzoumaz to Savoleyres or Les Ruinettes to the Cabane du Mont Fort; night touring between Verbier and Savoleyres on Wednesdays from January to March | Guided itineraries named by the tourist office: Rosablanche, Mont Rogneux and Le Six Blanc; the Mont Fort and Brunet huts open in December, Panossière and Chanrion from March | Chalet Orizon lists private guides among its services on request; Chalet Ambre is two to three minutes by car from the Savoleyres lifts. More in our Verbier ski resort guide |
| Zermatt | The tourist office’s advice is to tour with a certified guide from day one; guided taster days for beginners are offered in the resort | Many tours around the 38 mountain giants, and a guided Breithorn ascent (4,164 m) listed among the resort’s courses | Chalet Zeyr arranges private mountain guides on request, with a ski room and heated boot storage |
| Courchevel | The marked, groomed itinerary from Courchevel Le Praz up to Courchevel 1850 (3.2 km, 500 m of ascent), back down by gondola | Guided tours beyond the Three Valleys pistes; heli-skiing is banned in France, so touring is how you earn quiet slopes here | Chalet Valmont is in Courchevel 1850, where the route ends, a three-minute walk from the Croisette lift hub |
| St. Moritz | The Diavolezza Challenge, which the Engadin tourist office calls a marked, signposted and secured ski touring route; a mountain railway can save some height at the start | Ski mountaineering ascents such as Piz Palü with mountain guides; see our Pontresina guide for the valley’s mountaineering village | Chalet Azelia has a private chauffeur from 8 am to 11 pm for transfers to nearby ski areas |
Routes open only when conditions allow. Check the official tourist office and the avalanche bulletin before any outing.
First-tour problems, and how to avoid them
Almost every first tour runs into the same handful of problems. None is serious if you know about it in advance, and guides deal with all of them daily.
| Problem | Why it happens | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Blisters on the heel | The heel lifts inside a boot that is new or too loose | Fit boots the day before, tape hot spots before the start, not after |
| Too hot, then too cold | Climbing in a ski jacket, then stopping in sweaty layers | Climb in a light layer, put the warm jacket on before you cool down at the top |
| Skins lose their grip | Snow on the glue, or skins left cold and damp overnight | Keep the glue clean and dry the skins indoors; a chalet ski room makes this easy |
| Snow balling under the skins | Fresh snow warming in the sun | Ask the guide about skin wax, and scrape regularly |
| Out of breath after twenty minutes | Starting too fast, as on a piste | Take the guide’s pace, which feels slow at first and lasts all day |
| Kick turns feel impossible | A new movement on a steep slope | Practise on gentle ground first; the guide adjusts the track to your level |
Chalets for a ski touring holiday
Residences close to the resorts’ touring routes, each with a ski room and a team that can work around an early start.
Four resorts side by side
Space and wellness for the evening after a long climb.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalet OrizonVerbier | 16 | 8 | 9 | 1,000 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet AmbreVerbier | 10 | 6 | 7 | 700 m² | Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi |
| Chalet ZeyrZermatt | 12 | 6 | 7 | 565 m² | Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi, Gym, Elevator |
| Chalet AnelleZermatt | 12 | 6 | 6 | 692 m² | Nordic Bath, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi |
| Chalet ValmontCourchevel | 14 | 6 | 7 | 717 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna |
| Chalet AzeliaSt. Moritz | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1,000 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Massage Room, Jacuzzi |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
Ski touring holidays, organised around you
The climb is yours; the logistics around it are ours.
The right guide, booked early
We book a certified mountain guide before you arrive, matched to the group’s level and language, and keep the day movable across the week.
Kit fitted in the chalet
Touring skis, boots and skins arranged for the day before, so the first morning is spent on the mountain, not in a hire shop.
A house for early starts
Breakfast at the time the guide sets, the chauffeur to the start, and a ski room to dry boots and skins overnight.
Something for everyone
While the tourers climb, others can ski, take lessons or try dog sledding, and everyone meets at the spa.
Ski touring questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamWhat is ski touring?
Ski touring is skiing uphill and downhill under your own power. Removable skins on the bases grip the snow on the way up, and touring bindings free the heel so you can stride. At the top you remove the skins, lock the heel and ski down, usually on untracked snow. It reaches terrain without lifts, so it calls for avalanche kit, a reading of the official bulletin and, for beginners, a certified mountain guide.
Can beginners go ski touring?
Yes, if you already ski red runs with control and are reasonably fit. Complete beginners on skis should learn on the pistes first. A sensible start is a marked uphill route at the edge of a ski area, such as those in Verbier or Courchevel, then a short tour with a certified mountain guide. The climb is often easier than expected; the descent in natural snow is the real test.
What is the difference between ski touring and cross-country skiing?
Both use a free heel, but cross-country skiing happens on prepared tracks, mostly on flat or rolling valley ground, with narrow light skis. Ski touring uses wider skis with skins to climb real mountain slopes, then a locked heel to ski down them. Touring therefore takes you into avalanche terrain, while cross-country tracks stay away from it.
Backcountry skiing vs ski touring: what is the difference?
The terms overlap. Backcountry skiing means skiing outside the managed ski area, however you get there. Ski touring is one way to get there: climbing on skins. Off-piste skiing from the lifts is also backcountry for the descent, but involves no climb. In all three, you leave avalanche-controlled terrain, so the same kit and judgement apply.
Do I need a guide for ski touring?
On a marked, signposted uphill route inside a ski area, experienced skiers often go alone after checking the conditions. Beyond the pistes, beginners should always go with a certified mountain guide: Zermatt’s tourist office says never to start a tour without one, and Verbier’s strongly recommends one for unfamiliar or high alpine routes. A guide also teaches transceiver use and route choice as you go.
Is a ski touring course worth it?
If you want to keep touring, yes. A course over several days covers what a single guided outing cannot: reading the avalanche bulletin, planning a route, companion rescue with transceiver, shovel and probe, and efficient technique on longer climbs. Many guests take a first guided day during a chalet week, then book a course the following winter once they know they enjoy it.
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Plan your first tour with us
Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad your dates, your resort and each skier’s level: they will suggest the right chalet, including residences not published online, and our concierge will book a certified mountain guide, the touring kit and a flexible day. Prices on request. WhatsApp +33 7 80 98 05 43 or contact@lutetia-group.com; we usually reply within the day.