Try out Ski Touring in La Plagne this Spring

Ski-touring is the best way to explore the mountains, enjoy the quiet slopes and have the thrill of making fresh tracks.

It’s usually easier to get down a slope than ski up, until you try ski-touring, a discipline that enables skiers to climb the mountain using specially adapted equipment.

No doubt you have questions – Is it hard? What do I wear? How do I clip my skis on? But the experienced guide from Oxygene Ski will be on hand to explain everything, and reassure you ‘It’s going to be alright’.

If you have never tried ski-touring, but are curious, why not join us in La Plagne this April and take part in a 5 day course with Oxygene (3 hours each morning). All equipment will be provided and a maximum of 5 people in the group.

Where: La Plagne

When: Week commencing 10 April

Cost: £1009 per person (price includes flights from London Gatwick, transfers, catered chalet & 5 mornings ski touring and equipment)

Ski-touring may seem relatively new, but both the kit and the technique hark back to the days of skis being a practical means of transportation rather than toys. Their first recorded usage was in Norway as long ago as 1555. Since then, climbing skins, which prevent skis from sliding backwards and are so called because they were originally made from seal hides, have been replaced with synthetic ‘prickly’ strips. 

Ski-touring first gained traction as a sport around 20 years ago when only adventurous athletes would be seen battling uphill. They were essentially back-country skiers venturing off-piste to access untouched powder – the Holy Grail for winter sports enthusiasts.

Today, ski-touring is no longer limited to off-piste terrain. People go ski-touring to access an isolated section of a mountain, to get in shape or simply to experience skiing differently. “The pleasure of the sport lies in travelling under one’s own steam” claims Thomas from Oxygene. Ski-touring is one of the only winter sports that truly allows you to immerse yourself in nature and have the satisfaction of deserving the view.