Touring : How to get started?

tronned

tronned

Active member
I did a quick search and didnt come up with the info that i need. Let me start by saying that I have interest to get into touring the slack country and maybe eventually when i feel comfortable enough some back country. The problem I am having is that the people I ski most with are not really into the idea of touring so much it seems, and more than half of them are snowboarders which can also lead to problems with touring. The snowboarders have no interest in getting split boards or anything of the likes. The info im looking for is there a good way to get started with learning how to tour or getting my one other skiing friend into touring? My girlfriend wants to go snowshoeing around some hilly areas, Personally I think its a good way to get used to skinning but I thought I would ask you guess for some advice. Right now my touring rig would be 186 moment night trains and I would have to get some trekkers because they have some deadbolt 18's mounted on them right now. The biggest concern I have with learning how to tour is there is no one locally in edmonton to really ask it seems, its too far away from easy access backcountry it seems. If you guys have any tips or suggestions it would be awesome because I have no local source of information it seems and taking the step to buy all the gear is hard when you dont know if you will ever get to use it.
 
do your best to get a buddy on board and get educated. im not sure what the scene is like in edmonton but areas with a lot of backcountry access around will offer avy classes pretty frequently and i believe you can hire a guide privately for some of the certifications. essentially dont go out alone and dont go out uneducated, your life depends on it.
 
I would say go out with some experienced people first and then go for your AST 1 to get a little more knowledge. I believe it is good to go out with people who will take care of you and slowly educate you versus taking a course and getting a false sense of security and going for it.

Seeing how you can't seem to find any experienced people, find a course, meet people there, and then ease into it. Just make sure they are actually competent and not your typical AST 1 clients.

It's a great thing to go into, just don't die. Have fun.
 
-use your beacon often (have a friend hide a beacon from you and find it)

-tour mellow glades away from large faces for a while

-have sex with girlfriend before you drop in

-enjoy the :backcountry:

 
I cant agree with this.. You need knowledge, skills and equipment before you can go with other experienced people.. main reason? Because you need to be able to resuce them and know what to do if things go wrong.. You just cant think 'oh hey they have knowledge and skills, I'll be alright', it goes the other way around aswell.. even skilled guys make mistakes and can get caught in an avy so everyone that goes on a trip needs a solid base of skill and knowledge...

Search for as much info on the internet, buy or borrow books about avy risk managment etc, than get an basic course or some days with a guide so after that you can go with other guys with experience and learn you more..

You dont need to buy an beacon,probe and shovel immediatlly.. most of the time you can borrow them at a course..that way you can really check if you are into it before you spend a lot of money..

Get educated so you have a solid base of knowledge and skills, than you can go on some really fun trips with others or get some friends stoked..

Be safe and make it happen, touring is great!
 
if you think taking an entry level avalanche course makes you prepared for the worst circumstances you are far from correct. That is the exact attitude I was talking about, false confidence. Although I agree with the fact that you can gain lots of knowledge from reading extra books it still is no substitute for experience.

Maybe I should clarify that you should go out with more than one person at a time. That way they are not relying on you to save them. There are plenty of places to tour where you are at very low chance of getting in an avalanche. Its all about terrain management. Find experienced people, get out in the snow, see how everything works. Hands on is the way to go. Obviously practice beacon searches and shoveling techniques before hand.

The Avalanche Skills Training 1 has been scaled back in the last few years because they felt they were giving beginners too much information. Without experience the info was overwhelming and didn't mean a hell of a lot. Now it is primarily focussed on terrain management. I still believe you comprehend much more of what they are talking about if you have actually been out there and seen it first hand.
 
Total newb question...do you need touring specific boots or crossovers to do some minor touring?
 
i tour in alpine boots, AT boots will be better/more comfortable/lighter, but whatever is fine

OP, first step is to get educated. The backcountry is awesome and tons of fun, but at the same time, it can kill you.

Take an avalanche level one course, this is a great first step, and will really open your eyes. There you will probably meet some people in your same situation, and possibly meet some touring partners.

i wouldn't invest in gear, except avy stuff (beacon, shovel probe) before you take a class. once you get a beacon, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. An AT setup (AT bindings, skins, and avy gear) would be a good investment, if going the cheap way, trekkers would be alright.

You could try posting on the TGR boards to find partners, too.

But really, I can not stress it enough, GET EDUCATED BEFORE YOU GO INTO THE BACKCOUNTRY. It can kill

Enjoy!
 
A lot of good responses in this thread thus far, but if I may, I'd like to jump in.
First off, where are you located? (i don't know where edmonton is... sorry. guess i could google, but fuck it.)
As someone who does a fair mix of slackcountry mini golf, backcountry and multi day hut trips, this is what I have to say:
The first thing I would do, is get some books on snow science and back country travel. I would recommend this book:http://www.amazon.com/Free-Skiing-How-Adapt-Mountain/dp/9163313138
its called "Freeskiing" by Jimmy Oden.

This book is great because it puts a lot of things in layman's terms. This is a great place to start with getting your mind in "Backcountry mode", thinking about different types of snow, how the sun/wind affects snow, tools you might need, that kind of thing. Really, I cannot stress how important I think it is that you start your BC career with reading this book.
BUT WAIT!
don't think that you're educated after reading that. You are still clueless. Take what you have read and use it INBOUNDS. This is a good way to get the gears turning while you are still under the safety umbrella of a resort. Look at the snow. Try to identify what is going on with it, what changes it is going through and how that will affect the way new snow interacts with the snow you are observing. This will serve you well when you take your education to the next step.

Secondly, I would really work on your situation of having less-than-enthused touring partners. Find people that are stoked on riding, have the same aspirations/ risk acceptance as you, and get those motherfuckers to take an avy course with you. Being on the same page with the people you are riding with is key, cause if one person isn't feeling it and wants to turn back, it's a lot easier to call it when everybody is trying to get after the same thing, and has the same background of knowledge and RISK ACCEPTANCE. This, in my opinion is the most important piece of the puzzle, and here's why:
Right and wrong really don't mean shit in the BC. there is no correct answer when evaluating terrain and risk. What does matter is what level of risk you are willing to undertake. The truth is, it is an extremely complex, varied, and imprecise task evaluating whether or not a particular slope is going to slide. You can get a good idea of how layers are going to react, but in the grand scheme of things it is an inexact science to say the least. Taking that into consideration, what becomes important is how comfortable you are with skiing a slope after evaluating the risks involved. This includes creating a plan, a plan B and a plan C for when the shit does inevitably hit the fan. Having people around you that are on the same page as far as getting after it will serve you well, because elevated aspirations for shredding gnarly shit requires elevated awareness and response techniques from all members of the group.
That being said, getting out there and being away from a resort is a truly liberating, gratifying experience, and when you shred your first untracked line, you'll know what i'm talking about. All of this IS meant to scare you, but only to be SMART. Skiing as a sport carries with it an emotional aspect that is uncommon in other sports. This is exactly what will get you in trouble when you are staring at an untouched slope that you are just dying to get a crack at and express yourself on. Just use your head dude, its the most important piece of equipment you can carry with you.

Have fun out there!
 
Anyone know what the touring scene is like around Grenoble? I'm heading out there next year and wouldn't mind taking an avy course and a few guided tours.
 
definitely work your way into it...start in the slackcountry and move from there....friends, beacon practice, avvy courses, ect are all essential in due time
 
lol, clearly you have a higher risk acceptance than I do. Sorry dude, you're too gnar to roll with my crew haha
 
There is no point taking unnecessary risks when you're on your own. I know my limits when touring solo, thats all. If i fell a line has a certain degree of risk involved, i won't go near it. End off.
 
Beyond snow-geek knowledge, I'd suggest wilderness first aid training as well. Having the knowledge to save/treat yourself or others when shit hits the fan far away from help is VERY good knowledge to have.
 
Dude, I thought you were joking. Going out solo is in and of itself an unnecessary risk. Not very smart imo. there is just too much that could go wrong even when you are taking it easy.
 
Thank you guys so much for the guidance. I have a very similar book to the one Logan that had posted that is strictly about skiing in backcountry and sidecountry that ive started to read. The biggest thing standing in my way at this point in time i think is learning what is exactly a good "starting" point for touring? The only one of my crew of people who even remotely entertains the idea of touring is my girlfriend because she enjoys cross country skiing and she would just do that while i used a touring rig... does that seem like a good starting point or almost null and void? Another issue is the mountain area is roughly 4 hours out from me, little tough to get out there sometimes. Im 25 years old and take everything pretty serious in regards to safety and knowledge of the sport, im not a young kid who thinks it would be "rad" to just build a booter and think its "backcountry". Thank you all again, its helping me start to get start venturing into the slack country/ back country.
 
forgot to add that i do have plenty of safety training at an EMR/EMT level. Its just hard being so far away from the mountain ranges to get a crew together to get out there. Might have to relocate before i can take touring seriously.
 
touring boots are typically lighter. But I have full tilts so it doesnt make much of a difference to me. haha
 
Lots of good advice in here, I thought I'd try to address some things that haven't really been touched on, and not beat a dead horse too much. 1) The idea to get out with your girlfriend while she snowshoes and you sorta just get used to your gear(probably not really aiming to ski anything) is a great idea. 2) Like mentioned before first aid knowledge is a great idea. I have been injured a couple times in the BC and been with a friend who had a pretty serious head injury. I have been really glad to have had enough knowledge to tell my friends what to do, and to be able to help my friends out. Definitely a class I will never regret taking. 3) On that last note I am also a believer of going in groups of three. If something does go wrong and someone gets seriously hurt, two people can stay back while the other goes for help. 4) The weekend warrior syndrome can really strike hard when touring. What I mean is that after skinning for 2 hours and you get to your line, all you want to do is ski it. Sometimes you get there and realize that the conditions aren't right and you just have to call it off and take a different route down as disappointing as it is. 5) Like someone else mentioned I would definitely check out the TGR forums. A lot more BC focus over there, its a chance to read some cool stories and get stoked, and also just begin to build your knowledge base. Hope that helps!
 
And over on TGR, make sure you search and read everything possible before making a thread of your own. You will get hung out to dry with a low post count and asking a question that has been discussed before.
 
god I wish ns was still like that
few years ago people would scream repost and then the thread would die
now people say repost and then discuss the topic

 
Meh, not to get off-topic or anything, but the internet is nothing more than one giant repost to begin with. If we weren't constantly talking about things that had been hashed out time and time again already, the forum would be deader than a cheap hooker with a coke addiction.

I encourage the use of the search function, but also am not crushed when legitimate topics get brought up again and again.

/offtopic
 
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