En-suite bedrooms from £60pn. Book your course and then call us to book your accommodation
Find Out MoreSilvretta Ski Tour
Adventure LEVEL | 6 day(s) | Ratio 1:6
Overview
The Silvretta mountain group nestles on the Austrian-Swiss border, famous for its huge, gently sloping glaciers which hold surprisingly vast quantities of powder snow. With an almost infinite number of routes and variations available, our Guides will take you on a journey that will criss-cross the mountain chain with ever-changing views of the dramatic peaks. This is an ideal option for the first-time tourer, as it has shorter days and is less committing than the other alpine tours. The region has a superb network of large and comfortable mountain huts to make this ski tour more like a holiday than an endurance test.
You can pay a a deposit to secure your booking by calling 01479 861 256 or by email to [email protected]
DETAILED INFO
AIMS
Our primary goal will be to complete an enjoyable ski tour in one of the best ski touring regions of the European Alps. Due to the friendly nature of the terrain, our experienced Mountain Guides will be able to involve you fully in the planning and decision-making process, allowing the week to be tailored to meet the groups needs and desires. Each night we will discuss and decide on the following day’s route and challenges, tailoring it to achieve the right balance between challenge and enjoyment. The Silvretta region has lots of terrain choices to suit every skier’s ability and ambitions.
PRE-REQUISITES
This tour has been graded Ski 2, Mountain 2, Fitness 2
Ski 2: You have been skiing for several weeks/years and are now confident on blue and red runs, controlling your speed by changing the size of your turns. Black runs are challenging but you are capable of skiing them under control by using skiddy turns perhaps with the occasional step or jump. Skiing off piste is a normal part of a day’s skiing but you are very much learning how to cope but mostly remaining upright. Your turns shape and size off-piste are very much dependent on the type of snow and terrain.
Mountain 2: Experience of using touring bindings and skins is necessary and some experience of ice axe and crampons is necessary. For skiers, coping techniques such as slide slipping and stem turns are essential and should be well practiced. Uphill and downhill kick turns may be familiar but require further practice.
Fit 2: All day skiing, with few stops or breaks. Off-piste skiing, top to bottom without the need for intermediate stops. Hiking and skinning for several hours with a height gain of 800-1000M and be active for 6-8 hours a day. This uphill effort will have no significant detrimental effect on your downhill performance and you will be comfortable carrying a moderately heavy rucksack of 8kg.
IS IT FOR ME?
This course is ideally suited to anyone who has experience piste and off-piste skiing and is looking to start ski touring. Alternatively, you may be an experienced ski tourer wishing to ski some great slopes and generally improve your ski touring skills and knowledge whilst enjoying some fantastic ski touring.
CONTENT
Sample Programme: This is a sample progamme, which is intended to give an outline of the type of skiing and touring we will undertake. It is based on the weather and conditions encountered over several years operating in this area and will give you a flavour of what to expect and is therefore ONLY for guidance.
Saturday: We will start this ski tour in the city of Innsbruck. Surrounded by mountains, the city is right in the heart of the Austrian Tyrol. The city has great travel connections and a number of well-equipped shops. It is also really close to a number of ski areas, perfect for us to use as our warm up for the week to follow. Meet at the hotel at 18:00 to discuss the plans for the rest of the trip.
Sunday: After hiring any last-minute equipment we will head to one of several ski areas which are close to the city and ‘find our ski legs’. We will mix piste and off-piste runs practicing our technique before undertaking some refresher avalanche training. We will finish the day by attaching skins to our skis and skinning away from the lifts to check that everyone’s equipment is working and remind ourselves of the infamous ‘kick turns’. After a final run down, we will return to our hotel and pack our touring kit for the week ahead.
Monday: After breakfast we will take a taxi to the ski town of Ischgl. Ischgl is a large ski area, and we will make use of the extensive lift system to find our ski legs before taking the impressive new cable car to the summit of Piz das Val Gronda 2812m. From here we begin our tour proper, skiing off the south side of the summit and into the wilderness of the Silvretta group. Pleasant slopes lead to the large and comfortable Heidleberger Hut at 2305m.
Tuesday: We will leave the Heidleberger hut after breakfast and begin climbing straight away. This gentle and winding ascent is a pleasant way to start the day, at each turn in the ascent a new vista comes into view. Our target is Kronejoch at 2958m. From the joch we will ski directly to the amazing Jamtal hut for a bowl of soup and a hot shower. There are several different routes from the Heidleberger to the Jamtal and we will choose the one that is best suited to the group and the conditions. There are also some satellite peaks that can be climbed along the way, and we may add these to the day, but we need to keep power in our legs because the descent from the Joch to the hut is almost 800m.
Wednesday: Leaving the Jamtal hut involves a very ‘short’ ski down, we will most likely do this with skins already on our skis. Once in the valley bottom, we have a very enjoyable skin up to the snout of the Jamtal glacier, once on the glacier proper we have stunning views on all sides. This wide glacier gently winds its way down from some very impressive peaks, which guard the entrance to our objective, the Ober Ochsencharte at 2977m. From here we have a choice of descents to the Wiesbadener Hutte. If the snow is good them we will probably do at least one ‘yo-yo’; this involves leaving our packs andv skinning back up for a second go!
Thursday: This is our options day. We will be staying for a second night in the Wiesbadener Hutte so we can leave our hut items behind and with slightly lighter packs make the most of the terrain available. We may choose to do a tour around Piz Buin, seeing it from all sides or climb one of the satellite peaks before enjoying a superb descent on a wide north facing glacier and maybe another yo-yo or two!
Friday: We finish with a bit of a bang! Skinning immediately behind the hut, we climb the Rauhkopf glacier before dropping into a hidden valley and making one of the longest descents of the tour. There is a chance for a quick lunch on the terrace of the impressive Piz Buin hotel above the frozen Silvrettasee, before skating back down the snow-covered road back to Galtur and a well-earned drink before meeting our taxi and returning to our hotel in Innsbruck
Step 1
Book your course place online
Step 2
Call to book accommodation. Prices from £60pn
USEFUL INFORMATION
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
All guiding costs and expenses
Half board accommodation, including hotels and mountain huts
Private taxi to and from the ski tour
What’s NOT included
Travel to and from the start of the course
Lunches – these can be bought at the huts or in local supermarkets
Equipment hire – this should be booked in advance, see equipment
Local bus transport for warm up day
Uplift – use of cable cars and ski lifts
Drinks in hotel and huts
Alpine rescue insurance – obligatory
We recommend taking out an insurance policy that covers both rescue and medical, check out BMC Insurance (thebmc.co.uk) or Snowcard | Adventure & Winter Sports Insurance | Activity Travel Insurance
Membership of an Alpine Club – optional
About our staff
All of Glenmore Lodge’s Alpine ski touring courses will be staffed by certified IFMGA Mountain Guides. As qualified members of the international federation of mountain guides they hold the world’s highest possible qualification for leading in the mountains and the only UK qualification valid for climbing and skiing off-piste on glacial terrain. For more information on British Guides please check out www.bmg.org.uk
Occasionally we will use aspirant mountain guides, who will work alongside qualified Guides to gain further experience. This is an essential part of their training and will not be used to alter the advertised Guide/student ratio (maximum 1:6)
Travelling to Innsbruck
The city of Innsbruck is a convenient location for the start and end of our ski tours. There are direct flights from the UK and the city has an efficient bus and taxi service. Alternatively, direct UK flights to Munich with options for train and bus travel to Innsbruck. Private and shared transfers from Munich are also available.
Austrian Railways – Home – ÖBB (oebb.at)
German Railways – Deutsche Bahn: Discover Germany and Europe by train!
Innsbruck Buses – IVB – Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe und Stubaitalbahn GmbH – english version
Private transfers – AlpinBus – Private Airport Transfers in Alps | 13 000 customers
NEED TO KNOW
WHAT WILL I NEED
Ski touring equipment is very much a personal choice, and it is advisable that you get lots of practice in your boots and on your skis before undertaking a ski tour
If you are choosing to hire, we recommend contacting one of the following shops and booking your equipment before your arrival:
Innsbruck: Die Borse – DIE BOERSE | Store | Rental | Service – Innsbruck Tyrol Austria
Sion: Follomi Sports – Follomi Sports | Follomi Sports | Sion
Leukerbad: Briandsport – Briandsport: Startseite
Martigny: Jean Pellissier Sports – Pellissier Sport | Martigny
Personal equipment
Skis with touring bindings, skins and ski crampons – (if you are hiring please ensure skis come with the ski crampons)
Ski Poles – ideally fixed length with powder baskets
Ski Mountaineering Boots – for example Scarpa Maestrale or Maestrale RS
Helmet – (A lightweight ski touring helmet is strongly recommended)
Lightweight Harness – Petzl Tour or other similar.
1 x 120cm Sling and Screw gate Carabiner.
Ice Axe 45cm– for example Petzl Snowracer
Light weight Boot Crampons – (Petzl Leopard LLF or Irvis Hybrid)
Avalanche Transceiver – A modern digital version, for example: Peips DSP Sport or Pro
3m Probe and Metal Shovel
Hut Slippers – required for Austrian huts!
Personal clothing
Waterproof Jacket – breathable
Waterproof Ski Trousers
Thermal Bottoms x1
Thermal Tops x 2 – long sleeves
Mid Layers – Fleece or synthetic
Soft Shell or fleece Jacket
Lightweight Belay Jacket
Sun hut and Warm Hat
Sunglasses – CE Cat 4 rating for high altitudes.
Ski Goggles
Warm Gloves: Thick and Thin
Ski Socks x 2 pairs
Compass and whistle – your Guide will have all the necessary maps and guidebooks.
Pen knife
Lightweight Head Torch
*Rucksack – 35 – 45 litres.
Waterbottle – 1ltr Nalgene, camelbacks tend to freeze and don’t handle boiling water very well.
Suncream and Lip salve – SPF 30 minimum
Personal first aid – some tape, Compeed, plaster for blisters and your own pain relief (aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol)
‘Very Small’ wash kit for hut – wet wipes or facecloth including toothbrush/toothpaste
Sheet Sleeping bag –compulsory in mountain huts which supply blankets/duvet.
Ear Plugs – optional
Camera, Money, Passport.
Cuddly toy
Personal Clothing – for wearing in the valley.
Guidance on use of Ski Helmets for Backcountry Snowsports
Glenmore Lodge recognises that the use of ski helmets by its staff and students is fundamentally a personal choice and it does not wish to influence or prejudice an individual’s right to choose whether or not to wear a helmet.
We are committed to educating and informing our students on both the benefits and challenges of using helmets whilst skiing and touring in the backcountry. Through holistic and unbiased education we will empower both our staff and students to make a personal decision based on knowledge and preferences.
We also recognise that at specific times we will be undertaking activities, coaching drills or mountaineering practices were the use of a helmet could be considered to be vital. In these situations the mandatory use of helmets will be at the discretion of the delivering guide, instructor or coach.
