Basic Skills Course Glacier Ski Touring
This 2-day, basic skills course for alpine ski touring offers an introduction to ski touring on glaciers. Your training will include crevasse rescue, tour planning and navigation, avalanche safety, risk management and more. The practice ski tour on the second day includes a summit of Aebniflueh at 3962m.
Tour Details
- Fitness Level: Moderate
- Experience Level: Advanced Beginner
You have at least 4 days of ski touring experience and you are a good skier in different snow conditions. The terrain is easy, so you don't need to have prior glacier experience. A hiking duration of 4 hours with a backpack is not a problem for you.
- Tour planning
- Navigation
- Track setting
- Avalanches
- Risk management
- Crevasse rescue
You will learn the basic skills of ski touring on glaciers. This course will prepare you to join a more advanced glacier ski touring course.
Group Course (4-6 participants)
| CHF 490 per person | |
Private Course
| 1-3 people | CHF 1890 per group |
| 4-6 people | CHF 490 per person |
To book a private course please contact us:
Day 1: Up and along the “Grosser Aletschfirn” to the Hollandia Hut at 3240m
Meet your guide at Grindelwald Terminal and journey together to the Jungfraujoch. From there you will ski down to Konkordiaplatz. Along the way you will learn rescue techniques for a crevasse fall. You will put on your skins and hike up the «Grosser Aletschfirn» to the beautifully situated Hollandia Hut. Here, the evening light enhances stunning views of the north face of the Grosse Aletschhorn. After dinner we will discuss and plan the tour for the next day.
Day 2: Practice tour to Aebniflue 3962m
Early in the morning you will follow the Aebniflueh Firn all the way up to the summit. During this part of the tour you must consider when to rope up, how to set the track to avoid a crevasse fall, how to identify snow-covered crevasses, and how to determine if you are on the correct route. You will consider your planning, your expectations, and the reality of the terrain as you hike along the route. The track begins a bit steep, and then flattens out a little before you reach the gentle summit headwall. From the summit you will enjoy a panoramic view of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The descent follows your up-tracks back down to the Hollandia Hut and then further down to Blatten in Lötschental – one of the longest ski descents in the Alps. You will journey home in the late afternoon.
| Season | March - May |
| Departures for official tours | See "Closest Bookable Dates" |
| Departures for private tours | Private tours can be booked daily |
| Meeting point | 7:10am at Grindelwald Terminal |
- Guiding from a licenced mountain guide/ aspirant guide
- His or her expenses
- 1 night in bunk room with half-board
- Tea for the next day
- Course Certificate
- Your expenses
- Snacks
- Rental equipment
- Costs for cable car / train / bus tickets
- Costs for a taxi if needed (guests pay for the guides share)
Backpack
- 25-30l
Clothing
- Warm, functional clothing
- Rain jacket
- Rain pants
- Mountaineering or hiking pants
- Sunhat
- Gloves (ideally one thin and one thick pair)
- Beanie or headband
- Extra underwear and socks
- Thermal underwear
Footwear
- Ski touring boots or snowboard boots
The basics
- Sunglasses (category 3 or 4)
- Thermos flask, drink bottle
- Silk sleeping bag liner
- Headlamp
- Toiletries
- Sunscreen lotion and lip balm (minimum factor 30, 50 better)
- SAC/DAV permit (if you have one)
- GA or Half Fare Travelcard (if you have)
- Earplugs (optional)
- Camera and binoculars (optional)
Technical Equipment
- Harness
- Crampons with anti-snow plates
- Ice axe
- 3-4 Locking Carabiner
- 120cm sling
- Prussik and 4m accessory cord
- Ice screw (if you have one)
- Microtraxion or Tibloc (if you have one)
- Ski touring skis or splitboard with skins and tele crampons
- Ski poles (preferrably telescopic)
- LVS (avalanche transceiver)
- Avalanche probe
- Avalanche shovel
- Avalanche airbag (optional)
- Ski helmet (optional but recommended)
General Information for Mountaineering School
Our team is here for you. If you have any questions, please contact us or visit us in our shop in Grindelwald. We are happy to help!
OUTDOOR - Mountaineering School Grindelwald
Dorfstrasse 103
3818 Grindelwald
Switzerland
Trip status for group courses
1-2 days before your tour or course we will review the weather forecast and conditions with the mountain guide to determine if we can operate. We will contact you by phone with an update.
Minimum of participants (group tours)
As soon as the minimum number of participants is reached, we will send you a confirmation by email.
Cancellation
If we have to cancel your tour, you have the option to reschedule to a new date, or you will receive a full refund.
Equipment
Please refer to the equipment list for your tour or course. At our shop in Grindelwald, you can purchase technical equipment, mountain clothing, shoes, and backpacks. We also have technical equipment available for rent.
Clothing
Choose functional clothing that is moisture-wicking and quick-drying. Dress in layers so you can easily react to temperature changes. The range at our shop in Grindelwald is tailored to mountain tours and our expert staff are happy to advise you on the best clothing for your tour or course.
Lunch
Lunch is not included in the offer. We recommend bringing bars, dried fruits, nuts, or a sandwich. The amount you will need to drink depends on your individual needs and the length of the tour. We recommend .75 -1.5 liters of water, warm tea, isotonic drinks, or whatever you prefer. We also recommend that you hydrate enough the day before, so your body is well prepared for the tour.
Huts
A mountain hut is not a hotel. Running water is not guaranteed and electricity is not available everywhere, so it is not always possible to charge batteries or phones. If you have special dietary needs, please inform us in advance so we can make arrangements with the hut.
Safety
Our tours and courses are led by IVBV certified mountain guides or mountain guide aspirants. We prioritise your safety by requiring regular training to ensure our guides have relevant, up to date knowledge. Outdoor is certified by the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) and our safety and emergency concepts are audited by this organization annually.
General terms of contract
Our General Terms and Conditions apply.