Ski Touring in South Tyrol, Italy, 7 Days

South Tyrol makes it possible to build a ski-touring week around a single base with daily outings. Participants do not move their baggage between camps and return to the valley after every route. That makes the programme convenient as a first introduction to ski touring and allows the area to be changed according to the snow and the avalanche situation.

On the first route day the group goes over the basics of handling the transceiver, the probe and the shovel, and then sets out in the Plose area towards Grosser Gabler, 2575 m. The plans that follow take in Zendleser Kofel, 2422 m, Heachenberg, 2631 m, Stulser Hochwart and Eisseespitze, 3230 m. The actual set of routes is decided by the guide.

The days differ in character. In the Dolomites the routes are panoramic and of moderate altitude; in the Timmelstal and the Passeiertal the slopes are longer and more technical; and the outing to Eisseespitze crosses glacier terrain. The description ‘for beginners’ therefore refers to the absence of any requirement for previous ski-touring experience, not to an absence of requirements in skiing technique and safety.

On every outing participants carry a personal avalanche kit and must know how to use it. The training day helps to refresh the search procedure, but it does not turn a week-long programme into a full avalanche course. Route decisions are taken on the basis of the official avalanche bulletin, the weather, the visibility and the actual readiness of the group.

Participants choose their own accommodation in Bolzano or another base agreed in advance. Before booking it is worth checking whether breakfast, parking, a ski room and somewhere to dry boots and clothing are included. The daily group transfers to the routes are part of the programme.

Day 1. Independent arrival in Bolzano. Participants make their own way to Bolzano and check into the hotel or apartment they have chosen in advance. In the evening the group meets the guide, goes through the forecast and the principles behind route choice, and checks the compatibility of skis, bindings, skins, ski crampons, boots and the avalanche kit. Night in the accommodation you have chosen.

Day 2. Avalanche training and ski tour to Grosser Gabler, 2575 m. The group travels to the Plose area. Before setting out, participants check their avalanche transceivers and practise searching for and digging out a simulated casualty. If conditions are suitable, the ski tour to Grosser Gabler then follows. The purpose of the day is for the guide to assess the pace, the technique of climbing on skins and the control of the skis on the descent. If the route does not suit the situation, a safe alternative in the same or a neighbouring area is chosen.

Day 3. Ski tour to Zendleser Kofel, 2422 m. After the transfer to Villnoss the group sets out on a route of moderate length. The day allows kick turns on the ascent, work with skins and safe spacing on the descent to be consolidated. Even on a comparatively low summit, the quality of the snow and the avalanche situation can change the line of travel or lead to a change of route. After the descent, the return to the accommodation.

Day 4. Ski tour to Heachenberg, 2631 m. Transfer to the Timmelstal. The route crosses open ski-touring terrain and requires confident work on the ascent and a controlled off-piste descent. The guide chooses the aspect and the turnaround point according to the actual snow and the avalanche bulletin. In unsuitable conditions Heachenberg is replaced by another route of comparable difficulty.

Day 5. Ski tour to Stulser Hochwart. The group travels to the Passeiertal. The basic plan is an outing to Stulser Hochwart with a possible short technical section before the summit. Whether additional equipment is needed, and whether that section is acceptable, is decided by the guide in advance. If the preparation of the group or the conditions do not match the plan, a route without the technical section is chosen.

Day 6. Ski tour to Eisseespitze, 3230 m. The final planned outing takes place in the Martelltal and the Ortler group. The route leads by way of the Zufallhutte area to glacier terrain, so depending on conditions a harness, mountaineering crampons and travel under the guide’s direction may be required. This is the highest day of the programme. Reaching the summit is not compulsory: in poor visibility, wind or unsafe snow a more suitable objective is chosen.

Day 7. End of the programme. After breakfast participants leave the accommodation independently and either continue their trip or travel home. An individual transfer to the airport or the railway station is not part of the basic programme.

• Mountain Guide guides: a lead guide throughout the programme; no more than six participants to one guide
• Group transfers from the agreed accommodation to the routes and back on every route day
• A check of personal equipment and a practical session on the use of the avalanche kit on the first route day
• Daily route selection and adjustment according to the weather, the snow, the avalanche situation and the preparation of the group

• International and domestic flights
• Transfers to Bolzano and after the programme ends
• Accommodation
• Meals and drinks
• Cable cars and other paid lifts where these are used
• Personal ski-touring, avalanche and mountaineering equipment
• Medical insurance and the costs of search and rescue, transport and evacuation
• The visa and other entry documents where these are required by the participant’s nationality
• Tips for the guides
• Personal expenses and additional services
• Costs arising from changes to the programme beyond the included scope of services