Introduction to ski touring.

https://www.wildernesssports.com.au/pages/backcountry-tours

 

K7 Adventures based in Thredbo. Good people.

 

I think Falls Creek does something in this regard.

Read this before teeing up with folk:
Would you enter the backcounty with a random?

 

What do you mean by "ski touring"? To me it means bushwalking on skinny skis. For others it means a focus on downhill runs, but out of resort boundaries and climbing back up under your own steam.

 

For paid, Wilderness, K7 are good options.

To get free instruction, post in here, as a young female from Chamonix, wanting to hook up with some touring buddies. That should get you a good experienced crew, who may be able to help you out after they get over it.

 

While you are deciding what your really want to do, start with nordic skiing on groomed trails, get some instruction, then as you gain experience and skills you can venture off the groomed in small increments.

 

Mate it sounds like you have the right attitude.
Book in for a tour with Wilderness Sports or K7 adventures. It doesn’t sound like you want to do skinny ski Nordic or classic, but out and out alpine touring. Good stuff, no new skiing skills to learn.
You’ll be tired, and need to hire some different gear at first, but you get to go to nice places and do skiing. Win win!
You’ll be tired, but same as any new outdoor adventure sport.

Enjoy!!!

 

There's nothing like a splitfest for backcountry skiiers? That's how I learnt the ropes on the split, very helpful bunch and a great community initiative

 

Is called ‘weekends’!!

 

All a matter of perspective, since I look at ski-touring as being bushwalking on skis where the travel itself is the goal, but it can be a very broad spectrum of activities but all with very similar skill-sets where safety and comfort are concerned

 

Fitness doesn’t matter a heap unless you’re really out of shape or trying to keep up with someone. If the weather is good, just plodding along at your own pace is fine. More fitness and you’ll enjoy it more but then you’ll push it more and get just as tired you just need to know your limits so you don’t run out of steam completely and get stuck out somewhere, in bad weather it could be fatal.

Consider heading to the charlottes carpark in spring, after it opens, hike down and across the snowy, find something to lap in the sun and soak it up working on getting to know the gear etc. long days, warm weather and easy access

Get a 10-15kg bag and lap a hill near you, maybe cootha or something. Happily doing a km vert a day will have you in good stead I reckon

 

5 star training run a ski touring course each winter, that leads to a qualification at the end too. With government subsidies, it will only cost a couple of hundred dollars for a week or so of training about ski touring and backcountry skills.

It might already be full, I'm not sure...

Their FB page generally has more info than their website.

K7 great too. ASM from Katoomba run ski touring courses as well.

 

Not easy from Brisbane (likewise from Perth) - hire touring gear to start. You might hate it, might love it. But at least you’ll get a feel for your preferences before you shell out the dollars.

The focus changes.
It’s no longer all about the downhill because it’s a very small percentage of your day. It more about enjoying the journey.

 

Sounds like a great intro ...... but ...... qualification??

 

Chances are it'll be like when I did my TMC course in NZ a while ago... Certificate to say you are of a set standard and competent in certain areas.

 

To me Ski touring can be off piste day trips or it can be a hut to hut trip over 3 nights for instance on the Bogong High Plains.I started doing the equivalent activity on snow shoes but compared with skiing it is painfully slow, so I have made the transition to back country skis. At least I got my snow camping skills up to scratch doing it and found carrying a heavy winter equipped pack up sustained slopes such as Mt. Bogong and Mt. Feathertop in deep snow to be a major workout.

 

You obviously haven’t seen the Thredbo back country crew, it’s fair to say most of us wouldn’t make a “men” of the back country magazine, except climberman but his moe might get him the wrong type of attention.

Seriously if your willing and as climberman said sounds like you have the right attitude you won’t have an issue.

Where do you ski most? I’ve done a few trips with people I’ve met through the forum here, skied with them in resort, had a few beers and started to organise the odd trip.

 

The Mo delivers an extra 2kmh, though sheer manliness.

 

Is that required to escape the fan club

 

But a 3kph wind resistance handicap.

 

I keep it waxed when on the big trips.

 

Spring wax?

 

And the mo?

 

Trimmed.

 

Glide wax, baby.... glide wax.

 

As a Bris lad, why not consider heading to NZ instead of down south?
Maybe get along to the next BrisVegas get together. There a couple of us who don’t mind an uphill shuffle.

 

Get down to Falls Creek.....some nice groomed trails to get the feel of x/c skiing and one can use these trails to get well out into backcountry mid winter.....then you can go out off trail to the limit of your ability.

The groomers do trail usually to Wallaces(historic cattlemans hut)and to Pretty Valley Horse Yards......There is good touring for beginners in undulating territory with some Huts that you may use for lunch breaks or rest stops if you venture a little away from the groomed trails.Falls Creek has a Cross country centre at Windy Corner at the upper end of road access....where they will have updates on groomed track conditions plus weather reports..they do some x/c ski hire from here too......the day car park is outside ....so you may be reasonably close to a vehicle if you drive up to Falls for a day of touring.

Cross country skiing is of importance to Falls Ck's revenue stream so it is taken seriously by resort management....probably more so than any other Vic resort....with the exception of Lake Mt....(keep Teckel on side .!...)

 

I don’t think our OP wants to cross country ski.

 

Though you do still need a beard.

 

Or Moe at very least

 

That includes the women

 

Ski touring=X/C skiing=Nordic Skiing. must be a NSW thing?

 

Thats Skating (groomed trails) or Chookfootin, xc skiing.

Ski Touring is for people with hair on their upper lip, it kills princesses.

 

Yes but the bright Viccos use the groomed trails to get fast access towards those areas further afield from Falls.But yes we notice NSW brains work at a different speed than their sthn neighbours!!

Only princesses I know Ski Main Range Kosy!But we hope they come via Hannels and earn those turns this winter!!My every Tom Dick and Harry is busting their butts to nude up on the much discussed Spur!

The OP says he has not been on crosscountry skis....So a area with flattish terrain is a good starting point......

 

You guys still wear gaiters down there?

 

More like the English speaking skiing world vs vicco

 

Yeah, nahh.
Ski touring /= xc in NSW main range history, nornin North America nor Europe.
YMMV

 

But OP says he wants to ski up a hill, and then down it. Not ski across a vast majority of flat. Ski touring is different to XC skiing.

 

Hahaha

 

I recently saw the light and discarded them. I was wondering why I was getting too warm, turns out gaiters over woollen ex-army pants is too much insulation. Much better without them.

 

Haha, I ran into a xc club on day, it was like a time warp

 

I still remember the distinctive smell of sodden, sweaty, grotty army pants......shudder.

 

It’d be a jump to the left, but bigger me it’s hard to jump on those things!!

 

You had me at this.

 

Don't forget Mt. Stirling for XC skiing, good huts, snow camping and some ungroomed and unpatrolled routes such as the River Spur trail .The View from the summit at Mt. Stirling in white season on a sunny day is astounding. It gets icy up near the summit so BC skis with the metal edges would be the best choice , if you are not going to ski on skinny classic XC skis.