Many Ski Weekend guests, who have enjoyed skiing off-piste
with us on our courses or with our team of Mountain guides,
begin to buy their own safety equipment.
Our preferred suppliers are:
Ortovox
Best known for their avalanche transceivers but also
manufacture a wide range of other products for the off-piste
skier
www.tragencies.co.uk
UK distributors of off-piste skiing equipment from Ortovox,
Fritschi, Coll Tex and Tubbs
www.patagonia.com
www.salomon-sports.com
www.snowandrock.com
As off-piste skiers become more self-reliant so their
equipment requirements grow. The following is a typical
list of clothing and equipment needed to operate responsibly
in the mountains, away from the comfort of groomed and
patrolled pistes. With safety being a prime objective
most modern gear makes it just that little bit more
comfortable when the going gets tough!
Clothing
Ski Weekend use Patagonia clothing for many reasons
- their products are tried and tested and they give
a lifetime guarantee.
• Goretex/waterproof type jacket
• Goretex waterproof type ski pants.
• Polypropylene under garments, with a thin fleece
• Gloves/mitts A waterproof outer with a removable
liner gives you the choice of increasing the layers
if it is really cold. A pair of windproof fleece gloves
provides a useful back up.
Ski Mountaineering equipment.
Safety Kit.
• Ortovox transceiver, X1 or M2,
• Ortovox Avalanche shovel, and Probes.
These sit in the specifically provided compartments
in the Ortovox range of sacs.
25l rucksack is fine for single day trips but for overnight
trips using mountain huts you will need minimum 30l
sac. Extended trips including the Haute Route require
45l sacs. Ortovox make excellent sacs, however there
are many other quality brands available.
• Mountaineering harness, from Black Diamond offer
the best compromise lightweight, comfortable and easy
to put on and take off over ski boots.
• Equipment to put on your harness i.e. dangly
bits!! Locking screw gate karabiner, Abseiling device,
2 Ice screws Prussic's, 2 slings, 1 ascender, and 1
Petzl Tibloc.
• Lightweight ski touring ice axe.
• Crampons.
Ski Boots - you can ski tour in regular ski boots, however
the latest range of ski touring boots offer a good compromise
and are not the sloppy poor fitting boots of yesteryear.
The Vibram sole when walking or climbing is indispensable,
as is the walk position, which makes it far more comfortable
when climbing using skins. Scarpa and Garmont offer
the best options.
• Skins for the uphill bits from Black Diamond,
or Nic Impex.
• Bindings - Fritschi their bindings now are good
enough for all types of skiing even on the Piste. They
are lightweight, adaptable and provide full security.
• Skis - Lightweight, some side cut and shape.
Our preferred skis are the Atomic Beta Ride 9.22 and
Salomon Space Frame 1080 for both on and off-piste.
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