Trekking

If you’re the sort of person that enjoys hiking or trekking through the countryside and enjoying the wonders of nature at your leisure, you should definitely give a thought to trying your hand at ski trekking. Ski trekking is also sometimes called ski touring, ski mountaineering and alpine touring and it is basically a form of back country skiing that involves trekking through the wilderness.

Ski trekking is the snow-based equivalent of hiking and it can be the perfect activity for nature-loving enthusiasts visiting a snowy country.

One of the many advantages of ski trekking is that of being able to ski down the slopes that you climb which uses much less energy and allows you to travel faster than if you were to walk. Ski trekkers have specialized skis which make it possible to climb hills, ski downhill and walk comfortably. The boots are a combination of a ski boot and hiking boot – providing the protection and stiffness needed when skiing downhill but the flexibility needed for easy walking. The back of the boot can be clipped out in to make walking up hills easier while skins (synthetic or genuine) are attached to the underside of the skies to provide enough grip to climb hills.

The skier moves by sliding his feet forward one at a time. The skins prevent the ski from sliding backwards so he will always move forwards. If the terrain is particularly icy or hardy he may have to use crampons instead. To change direction the skier uses a “kick turn”. When he reaches the summit, he removes the skins, locks down his heels and enjoys the descent. Of course it requires quite a high level of skill to be able to ski these rough slopes and you will also need to have good navigation skills and an awareness of the mountain environment. If you are ski trekking in a foreign environment, it is a good idea to see if you can arrange a guide. Ski mountaineering, or trekking, can be immensely enjoyable and very rewarding. Think about giving it a bash on your next trip into the great outdoors.