The ski touring guide for the skier who can parallel ski on the red run and who has looked at the untracked powder above the lift system and understood that the only barrier is the specific technique and the specific equipment — the skins (the climbing strips that attach to the ski base and grip the snow on the ascent), the binding (the touring binding that releases the heel for the uphill walk and locks it for the downhill ski), and the avalanche awareness (the AIARE Level 1 training that gives the beginner ski tourer the risk assessment framework for the terrain selection). This guide gives the correct first touring destinations (the resort-adjacent tours that give the ski touring experience without the committing backcountry terrain), the equipment cost, and the guided option that makes the first tour safe before the self-guided tour becomes correct.
Reading time: 7 minutes | Last updated: 2026
The Equipment
The ski touring setup:
Skis: The touring ski (the lighter, narrower ski designed for the ascent efficiency — the Dynafit Blacklight or the Black Crows Orb Freebird): £400-700 new, £150-250 hire per week.
Bindings: The frame touring binding (the Marker Kingpin or the Salomon Shift — the binding that releases the heel for the uphill and locks for the downhill, the specific mechanism that makes ski touring possible): £300-500 new.
Skins: The climbing skin (the mohair or the mixed nylon/mohair strip that adheres to the ski base and grips the snow on the ascent — the skin removed at the top and stored in the jacket for the descent): £80-150.
Boots: The touring boot (the boot with the walking mode — the cuff released for the uphill walk, locked for the downhill ski): £400-700 new, £60-100 hire per week.
Safety pack: The avalanche transceiver (the Mammut Barryvox or the BCA Tracker 4), the probe (the 240-300cm collapsible probe), and the airbag pack or the standard touring pack with the shovel: £400-600 for the full safety set.
The total equipment cost (new): £1,580-2,050. The hire option (available at every Alpine resort with a touring culture — Chamonix, Verbier, Zermatt, Val d’Isère): £200-400 per week for the full setup.
The Correct First Tours
1. Chamonix Valley — Mont Blanc Massif
Why Chamonix: The Chamonix Valley gives the resort-adjacent touring terrain that begins at the lift system and extends into the backcountry without committing to the glaciated terrain that the full Mont Blanc Massif requires. The specific beginner tours:
The Flegère to Lac Blanc circuit: The cable car from Chamonix to La Flegère (the resort lift), the skin from the Flegère to the Col du Lac Blanc (2,352 metres — the 400-metre ascent from the lift top), the Lac Blanc visible from the col (the specific Chamonix viewpoint, the Mont Blanc massif visible above the frozen lake), the ski descent back to La Flegère: 3 hours total, intermediate skiing level required for the descent.
The Brévent — Plan Praz skin: The Brévent ski area, the skin from Plan Praz (1,999 metres) to the Pointe de Brévent (2,368 metres — the 370-metre ascent on the marked tour route), the descent on the resort piste: 2.5 hours total, the most accessible Chamonix ski tour from the lift system.
The guided option: The Chamonix mountain guide service (the ENSA — Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme graduates, the licensed guides available via the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix (chamonixguides.com)): €250-400 / £215.52-344.83 per person per day for the beginner touring course.
2. Kitzbühel — Austria (Beginner-Friendly Terrain)
Why Kitzbühel: The Kitzbühel ski area gives the moderate terrain (the red and blue slopes, the lower angle) that the beginner ski tourer requires — the steep terrain of the Hahnenkamm downhill race course is not the touring terrain; the surrounding Kitzbüheler Alpen give the moderate-angle touring that the beginner manages safely.
The Bichlalm tour: The Kitzbühel town to the Bichlalm summit (1,826 metres — the 600-metre ascent from the town, the moderate angle throughout, the specific Austrian ski touring terrain that the beginner ski tourer can access independently after the guided introduction): 3-4 hours ascent, 1 hour descent.
3. Aravis Range — France (Without the Chamonix Price)
Why Aravis: The Aravis Range (the La Clusaz and the Grand-Bornand resort area, 30km from Annecy) gives the ski touring terrain at 30-40% of the Chamonix accommodation price with the equivalent beginner terrain quality.
The Col des Aravis circuit: The La Clusaz town to the Col des Aravis (1,487 metres — the moderate ascent, the Aravis ridge visible from the col, the descent back to the resort on the marked piste): 2 hours, appropriate for the first tour.
The AIARE Level 1 Course
The AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) Level 1 (or the BAIAV Level 1 in the UK context — the equivalent avalanche awareness training): the 2-day course giving the terrain classification, the snowpack assessment, and the companion rescue technique. Required before the independent ski touring regardless of fitness or ski ability.
UK providers: the Mountain Training UK (mountaintraining.org), the British Mountain Guides (bmg.org.uk) — the 2-day course at approximately £250-400 / £250-400 per person.
