indepth reporting on the best off piste skiing in the Alps

Off Piste Skiing

Why ski off piste? If you already know the answer, you should be interested in the contents of these pages, and if you don’t know why – yet – but are an adventurous piste skier, then this could be the first step to doubling your fun.

For such a wide and compelling subject, there’s relatively little good information available. ‘Ski with a guide’, is simply not enough of an answer for most people and we aim to provide much more. This section, which will grow as the site expands, includes contributions on the best off piste to be found, written not just by guides, but by specialists in the areas reviewed. Far from jealously guarding their hard-won knowledge, guides from both the UK and the continent have been keen to help spread the word in this way, reflecting their enthusiasm for seeing skiers develop their full potential.

Publications are sometimes shy to print suggestions which might take readers into dangerous situations, and it’s true that avalanche risk, along with the hazards of skiing among rocks, trees and cliffs, should never be underestimated. But they need to be managed, and that process starts with basic information about skills, snow science and where in the world to ski off piste. Hence our extensive avalanche and related safety pages, which tell it like it is, not to put you off, but to help ensure you’ll be here next season, coming back for more.

There are more personal aspects to safety as well. It’s up to visitors to these pages to be realistic about their fitness, experience, and skiing ability before taking on some of these routes, whether with a guide or without. As a minimum you should always carry a transceiver, probe and shovel, and know how to use them; so should your companions. Above all, you should never venture off piste alone.

The most comprehensive, enjoyable, and safest way to gain experience is on courses of the kind offered by our contributors and other guiding organisations. Just be prepared for your ski experience to go to a new level. It’s not all about powder: there’s a range of less appealing and more challenging snow to master, as well as an inevitable growth in your appreciation of the mountain environment, and great camaraderie. For many skiers it’s a one-way trip, with no going back to conventional skiing holidays. If it all sounds a bit committed, trust us, it’s well worth reorganising the rest of your life for.

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Avalanche gear

Away from the marked runs, you depend on your friends and your equipment should anything go wrong.

Make sure you have the best gear, available from Facewest.

Avalanche guide

Some passages in this section are extracted from Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper, Director of the Utah Avalanche Center.
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Avalanche safety

Ski in groupsAppoint a group leader (and an alternate) to be responsible for making decisions in an emergency
Go one at a time and always think about who will do the rescue if somthing goes wrong
Be wary of cornices. Never walk up to the edge of a drop-off
Ski gently. Wider skis are better then narrow skis, and a snowboard is better yet
Remember the avalanche doesn't know (or care) that you're an expert