Meeting point
OUTDOOR - Shop and Café Grindelwald
Dorfstrasse 103, 3818 Grindelwald
Advanced Course Ski Touring
4 days
Learn independent tour planning
Thoroughly analyze snow and avalanche conditions
Conduct multi-day tours safely
Season:
December March
Departure Times
10:00
Key info
At least 6 days of ski touring completed
Comfortable with 4 hours of hiking while carrying a backpack
A strong skier who handles black runs with ease
Overview
Recommended for:
Anyone who trades comfort for the view.
Plan and conduct your own ski tours safely with comprehensive knowledge of snow pack, terrain, and tour planning.
This advanced course prepares you for your own ski tours. You will learn to strategically plan tours, assess avalanche risks, and optimize your route. Theory and practice go hand in hand, with direct feedback in the field. By the end, you will know exactly where you stand and how to further develop your ski touring skills.
Course details
AcademyLearning objectives
- Learn the basics about ski touring in theory and practice
- Plan tours independently in easy terrain
- Align route choice and track setting sensibly with terrain and conditions
- Setting a safe uptrack and managing risks on the descents
- Assess avalanche danger appropriately and recognize it in the field
- Interpret avalanche bulletins, weather data and the snowpack
- Practice companion rescue in theory and practice
- Realistically assess and develop your own skills
Assessment methods
Progress is continuously assessed
Progress is continuously monitored and evaluated through personal feedback from the mountain guide. At the end of the course, an individual assessment is conducted, allowing for realistic self-evaluation and providing clear recommendations for next steps in touring.
Certification
Certificate: Advanced Ski Touring Course
Upon completion of the four-day course, participants receive a certificate. This confirms successful participation in the advanced ski touring course, but is intended as a keepsake and is not an official document.
Issued by:
Outdoor Switzerland AG
Itinerary
Meeting points Day1
Day 1: Technique & Avalanche Awareness on the Way to Waldspitz
Meet in Grindelwald and take the cable car up to First. The morning focuses on descent technique: with short ascents, we gain altitude and improve our feel for various snow conditions. Then we start our first tour: depending on conditions, we choose a descent or an exciting ascent to the Waldspitz mountain inn. Along the way, avalanche awareness begins with initial assessments in the field. In the evening, we continue with tour planning and weather forecasting for the next day.
Day2
Day 2: Choose Route and Set Track – from Grosse Scheidegg to Schwarzwaldalp
Today, you take on more responsibility: route choice, track setting, and initial independent decisions. We ascend towards Gemschberg or choose an alternative route via Grosse Scheidegg. Along the way, there are inputs on avalanche awareness, slope assessment, and risk evaluation. After descending to Schwarzwaldalp, we continue to Brochhütte where, after a break, we deepen our understanding of the theory and plan for the next day .
Day3
Day 3: Training Tour at Schwarzwaldalp – Theory Becomes Practice
Building on previous days, you implement what you have learned independently. Using the 3x3 system, you assess terrain and avalanche risk, optimize your track setting, and choose the best descent. The focus is on practical application: real-time assessments adapted to conditions. In the evening, we reflect on the tours together and enjoy a relaxed evening in the hut.
Day4
Day 4: Conclusion & Individual Assessment
The final tour takes us over Chiemattenhubel back towards Grindelwald. This consolidates what you've learned in a final tour: from tour planning to descent technique. Back in the valley, an individual assessment follows: an evaluation of where you stand and what next steps are sensible for you. We end the course with a warm drink.
Whats included
Guiding from a licenced mountain guide/ aspirant guide
Expenses of the mountain guide
Overnight stay(s) with half-board for the mountain guide
Hut reservation
Course Certificate
Not included
Costs for cable cars and travel expenses of the guest
Overnight stay(s) in bunk room with half-board for the guest
Snacks
Technical equipment
Costs for a taxi if needed (guests pay for the guide's share)
Pack list
Backpack
Backpack 30-35 l
Clothing
Warm, functional clothing
Rain jacket
Rain pants
Mountaineering or winter 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
Technical Equipment
Ski touring skis or splitboard with skins and tele crampons
Ski poles (preferrably telescopic)
LVS (avalanche transceiver)
Avalanche probe
Avalanche shovel
Avalanche airbag (optional)
Basics
Sunglasses (category 3 or 4)
Sunscreen lotion and lip balm (minimum factor 30, 50 better)
Thermos flask, drink bottle
Headlamp
Silk sleeping bag liner
Toiletries
GA or Half Fare Travelcard (if you have)
Earplugs (optional)
Camera and binoculars (optional)
Snacks
Weather info
General weather info
Weather can influence any tour, and a clear decision is often only possible on the day itself. We review conditions carefully and remain within our safety limits, and bad weather alone does not mean we have to stop.
Make sure we can reach you with current contact information in case your booking changes. Silence from us means your tour is still planned or the final call is not yet made. If we need to cancel, you can rebook, choose another activity, or get a full refund.
For detailed advice on how to prepare for (and enjoy!) bad weather days in Interlaken, check out our weather blog
Meeting points
Meeting points
Activity location