Ski touring is skiing where you climb the mountain yourself instead of taking the lift. With skins under your skis and a binding that lets your heel lift, you walk uphill, and at the top you lock your heels down and ski back down through untouched snow. It gives you peace and quiet, nature and some of the best descents you'll ever have, but it also asks more of your kit and your knowledge of mountain safety.
This page gathers the equipment you carry with you on a tour: rucksacks, poles, first aid and emergency gear.
A touring rucksack needs room for a shovel and probe, an extra layer, water and food, and it has to sit close to your back on the way down. Ortovox makes touring rucksacks built for exactly that. Take a look at our ski rucksacks and avalanche rucksacks with an airbag too.
Adjustable poles are a big advantage on a tour: you can shorten them a little for the climb and lengthen them for the descent. We have touring poles in aluminium and carbon from Komperdell and Leki.
Ski touring often takes place in terrain with a risk of avalanches. That's why you must always carry avalanche equipment (a transceiver, probe and shovel) and know how to use it. Check the avalanche forecast, never go out alone, and consider an avalanche course before you set off.
A first aid kit and a foil blanket also belong in your rucksack, because help can take a long time to arrive if something goes wrong. A compact first aid kit from Ortovox and a foil blanket from Travel Safe weigh next to nothing.
You sweat on the way up and stand still at the top, so your clothing has to cope with both. Long ski socks in merino wool keep your feet dry and warm, and a light layer in the rucksack keeps you from cooling down while you take off your skins.
If you also need skis, ski boots or poles for the piste, you'll find them under ski equipment.
