Ski touring in Zermatt: 10 tips for your off-piste adventure
Do you dream of skinning uphill through the silent mountain world and then gliding down untouched slopes? Together with our mountain guide and equipment manager Emanuel Julen, we've compiled the most important tips for your first ski tour – from the right preparation, gear and safety to the most beautiful tours around the Matterhorn. Whether you're a beginner or already ambitious: this is how you get started in ski touring.
Ski touring in Zermatt means freedom, experiencing nature and exercise in high alpine surroundings. To help you get started with ski touring safely and enjoyably, we have put together our 10 tips for your first ski tour with a ZERMATTERS mountain guide together with our head of equipment and qualified mountain guide Emanuel Julen. As an experienced mountain guide office in Zermatt, we will guide you step by step into the world of ski touring and show you what really matters.
What is a ski tour anyway? When ski touring, you move uphill under your own power with skins under your skis and then enjoy the descent in open terrain. Unlike piste skiing, you are away from groomed slopes and are responsible for your own technique, speed and safety. It is precisely this combination that makes ski touring in Zermatt so fascinating, but it also requires good preparation and sound knowledge. If you don't have this knowledge yet, then you've come to the right place. With its 38 four-thousand-metre peaks, the excellent mountain railway infrastructure of Zermatt Bergbahnen and snow conditions that are often excellent well into spring, Zermatt offers ideal conditions for unforgettable ski tours at every level.
A good basic level of fitness is the basis for enjoyable ski tours. Endurance training helps you to tackle longer ascents in a relaxed manner. Hiking and trail running in summer are ideal for this. It is also worth spending a few days on the slopes before your first ski tour in winter. Very good and safe piste skiing is an important prerequisite for really enjoying ski tours.
Before you tackle your first ski tour, you should have experience in open terrain. Freeriding, i.e. skiing off the marked pistes, is the ideal preparation. You will learn how to move safely in changing snow conditions, adapt your speed to the terrain and deal with deep snow, hard snow or broken snow. These are all skills that you absolutely need on a ski tour.
In Zermatt, we offer a course on the basics of freeriding with our ski instructors, where you can learn and improve your technique in deep snow on easy to moderately challenging terrain. If you already have some off-piste experience, you can discover the most spectacular descents around Hohtälli, Rote Nase or the Klein Matterhorn with our mountain guides on a Guided Freeride Day. This will give you the necessary routine in open terrain before you take the next step on ski tours.
The ski touring season in Zermatt generally runs from December to May. When a tour is possible depends heavily on the snow and weather. Flexibility is therefore particularly important. Ski tours always depend on the current conditions in the mountains. You can find the current snow report at Zermatt Tourismus and the official avalanche bulletin at White Risk. You should consult both before every tour.
Together with our office team, you first determine the time period. The specific tour will then be selected by the mountain guide shortly before the start based on the conditions and your ability. This ensures you are safe and optimally prepared. You can find out more about the ideal time to travel in our blog post on the best time to travel to Zermatt.
Would you like to get to know ski touring or deepen your knowledge? ZERMATTERS has the right experience for you. A taster tour is ideal for gaining initial experience. If you want to focus on risk management, an avalanche course is the right choice.
For our taster tours, the appropriate safety equipment (without skis/boots/clothes) is already part of the offer. So you can concentrate fully on the experience. We also offer guided surprise tours for all those who like to discover new things. If you want more afterwards, day tours such as the ski tour on the Pfulwe or the Fluehorn await you - or for experienced tourers, the legendary Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt.
On our guided tours, you can hire safety equipment directly from us. This includes the avalanche transceiver, avalanche shovel and avalanche probe. Your mountain guide will explain how to use them on the way and you will practise important procedures.
If you regularly go on ski tours, it's worth having your own equipment. With the equipment from our equipment partner Mammut, you are very well advised. It is particularly important that you know your equipment well and can use it safely.
For ski touring, you need touring skis with walking and driving functions, suitable climbing skins and, depending on the conditions, crampons. A well-fitting ski touring boot is crucial for comfort and control. Make sure that they neither pinch nor are too soft. Adjustable poles (telescopic poles) with large plates are the best choice.
When it comes to clothing, the onion principle with several layers works well. A base layer, an insulating jacket and a hard shell jacket as wind protection are a good combination. Sunglasses or ski goggles and a light helmet are also essential. A rucksack with a volume of 25 to 30 liters is sufficient in most cases.
When ski touring, the rule is: as little as possible, as much as necessary. Around one liter of drink is usually ideal, supplemented with some sugar or electrolytes. Bars, something salty and glucose are also suitable. Every body reacts differently, so it is worth choosing your own food and drink carefully.
If you have a few ski tours under your belt and feel comfortable in high alpine terrain, the next level awaits with ski mountaineering. Ski mountaineering combines a ski tour with a proper summit ascent, including crampons, ice axe and climbing passages on the summit ridge. The skis are attached to the rucksack in the upper part, while you tackle the rocky or icy summit structure on foot. The reward: a summit experience at over 4,000 meters and then one of the longest descents in the Alps back down to the valley.
The ski tour to the Dufourspitze (4,634 m), the highest peak in Switzerland, is a classic. This two-day tour leads via Schwarztor and Monte Rosa Hut through a gigantic glacier landscape, over the west ridge with climbing sections up to grade 4 and ends with a 20-kilometre descent back to Zermatt. The Rimpfischhorn (4,199 m) or the Alphubel (4,206 m) are also great destinations for ambitious ski mountaineers. For these tours, you need very good acclimatization, solid mountaineering experience and the safe use of crampons and ropes. Our UIAGM-certified mountain guides will be happy to advise you on which destination suits your ability and accompany you safely to the summit.
If you want to be regularly informed about ski tours in Zermatt, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter. This way, you can find out which tours are currently possible and what conditions await you. We also regularly publish exciting stories and tips from the world of our mountain guides and ski instructors on the ZERMATTERS blog.
