Alpine Touring / Ski Mountaineering

[Eskimo]

Hi folks,

Anyone on here got any experience of this type of skiing?

Quite fancy giving this a go this winter but its a minefield out there when it comes to different ski/ boot/ binding options.

Any personal recommendation on kit? Any recommendation of stores to actually visit and get some expert advise from?

Thanks

[prog99]

Done quite a bit here and abroad. Have you skied before( not a daft question)
Best shops -
Cairngorm / braemar mountainsports
Mountain spirit(Aviemore)
Freeze(Edinburgh)

[jmarkb]

Anyone on here got any experience of this type of skiing?

Yes!

Any personal recommendation on kit?

My kit is 4/5 years old, so can't really advise. I have Diamir Eagle bindings, which are very easy to use, but a bit heavy: if I were buying now I'd seriously consider tech rather than frame bindings.

Any recommendation of stores to actually visit and get some expert advise from?

See prog99's post above: can't think of any others.

[Eskimo]

Thanks guys, I'm in Aviemore on Saturday So I'll pay Mountain Spirit a visit.

Prog99 - yea I've done a bit of skiing here and there, nothing too serious and not for a couple of years now.

Thanks

[prog99]

I should warn you that ski touring can be a nice big bucket to throw money into but the rewards are substantial when the snow and weather come together.

There was a recent thread on winterhighland discussing bindings - http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?5,170589 Fiona posts here as well so may contribute.

[Fiona Reid]

I ski tour in Scotland and abroad.

Cairngorm Mountain Sports are also in Aviemore so probably worth visiting both.

Best advice would be make sure you get boots that fit - it took me a few goes and a lot of blisters to get something that worked, I now have a pair of boots I love and don't intend to part with until they fall to bits. Personally, I find that touring boots need to be a little bit bigger than downhill ones as you're going to be walking or skinning and thus need a wee bit of space for your feet to move.

For bindings the modern tech bindings are pretty good - quite a few are ISO DIN certified these days so should release when you want them to. Frame bindings are heavier but have a more familiar feel as they work in a similar way to regular downhill bindings.

For skis there's a massive choice depending on how lightweight, wide, long, stiff etc you want to go. Personally for Scottish stuff I'd stick with something 90mm or less at the waist and nothing silly heavy as you may have to walk a bit to get to the snow.

Lots of fun to be had and a very good way to spend a lot of money. However you get to places you'd never go on foot and when the weather and conditions play ball it's a brilliant way to explore the hills.

Cheers
Fiona

[Eskimo]

Great info Fiona, thank you!

I paid a visit to Mountain Spirit on Saturday and had a good chat with the guys there. Well worth it.

Now need to decide (like you all have said) whether or not to spend some serious money!