Introduction to Ski Touring

3-7 February 2025

Lou Reynolds BMG, BASI Level 3

Bourg St Maurice, France

FULLY BOOKED!

Looking to take your downhill skiing to the next level? Wanting to get away from the crowds and learn how to make a journey on skis? Wanting to experience the world of hut-to-hut ski touring? If you think yes to any of the above, then this course is for you. As part of this exciting week you will have the opportunity to learn and develop all the foundational skills for ski touring, getting to grips with the equipment, safe travel in the mountains and how to go about planning a ski tour whilst in the company of other likeminded women. The trip will culminate with a journey in the spectacular and wild mountain range where we will experience the unique charm of Alpine refuges in the magic of winter. Based in the beautiful town of Bourg Saint Maurice in the heart of the French Alps and situated between the wild and wonderful mountain ranges of the Beaufortain, Haute Maurienne and Vanoise national parks. This is the perfect place to learn all the ski touring skills, under the guidance and instruction of a female IFMGAMountain Guide and BASI level 3 ski instructor, so you can venture off on your own ski touring adventures with more confidence in the future.

From Bourg Saint Maurice we have a plethora of places to visit within just a short distance and thebrilliant ski resort of Les Arcs to warm up our ski legs and access some excellent off -piste ski descents.This trip will consist of three days learning the basic skills and two days with an overnight in a mountain refuge putting it all into practise. This is a small and bespoke course with just a small group of six. This enables us to learn and develop individually and as a group.

During the week we will learn:

 Ski technique skills to help deal with off-piste skiing and variable snow conditions.

 What kit to carry and how to use it.

 Learn how use our ski touring kit both up and downhill.

 Transceiver, shovel and probe training and avalanche rescue skills.

 Avalanche awareness training and how to read the snow.

 Planning and route choice.

 Basic ski touring navigation and emergency procedures in the alps.

 Basic glacier travel on ski’s if the conditions allow.

About your guide: Lou Reynolds

I was lucky to first experience skiing as a twelve-year-old child in St Gervais, France. Skiing has always been my first love as it introduced me to the mountains and was the beginning of this journey to becoming a mountain guide. I have worked and guided across the UK as a WMCI before qualifying as a high mountain guide. Now living and working in the Alps during the winter, I can pursue my love of skiing over the winter months. Along side guiding I also hold the BASI Alpine level 3, which gives me a good background from which to help my clients develop their skiing skills. I am passionate about empowering my guests to learn and develop both their skills and confidence to become more self sufficient in the mountains, so they can enjoy their own adventures in the future.

Accommodation and Travel

We will be situated in Bourg Saint Maurice which is accessible by car and train from various locations, and you can find reasonably priced flights to Geneva, Grenoble, and Lyon if you book in advance.

During the winter seasons there are regular airport transfers from Geneva and Grenoble as well as trains and even the snow train going from London to Bourg Saint Maurice in just under 9 hours. For more information visit: https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-companies/eurostar/eurostar-ski-train

In Bourg there are regular buses to get around town and we will use a taxi to access any ski touring out of town unless one of the group travels with a car or rental car. Lou will have a vehicle with space for four to help with shuttles as required. 

You will need to book your own accommodation and travel to Bourg Saint Maurice. Here are some ideas and options: 

Camping Huttopia: There are options to rent a chalet individually or as a group, as well as space for camping and van camping so hopefully there will be something to suit everyone here. Jenny Dart and Lou have used this venue before and highly rate it.  

Hotel Base Camp Lodge – Bourg Saint Maurice

Air Bnb

Ski Level and Fitness

This course is designed as an Introduction to ski touring so we want to make it accessible to as many people as possible, however this is a course for people who can already ski

Fitness: 

You need to have current fitness, ability and experience out in the mountains hiking for 6- 7 hours at a time. You need to be comfortable going uphill for a few hours at a time with a day bag and keeping a pace of 200-300m altitude gain per hour. 

Ski Ability: 

You need to have recent experience of skiing in a ski resort with the ability to link medium radius turns on black pisted runs whilst controlling your speed and with the ability to stop or avoid obstacles whenever needed. Ideally you will have some experience skiing small off-piste sections next to a ski run for example. Skiers need to be confident that they can safely negotiate the off-piste equivalent of red runs. You do not need to have any previous experience ski touring or mountaineering experience; we will learn all these skills during the week. 

Please give Lou a call or drop her a message if you are unsure about your ski ability and/or fitness level. +33749584705

Equipment: 

You will need a full ski touring set up which you can either bring with you or rent from Inter Sport in Bourg Saint Maurice. This will need to be reserved, please contact Lou for more information and any questions.  

This will be: 

  • Skis

  • Skins

  • Ski touring boots.

  • Poles

  • Ski crampons.

  • Transceiver

  • Shovel

  • Probe

  • 30L rucksack with the ability to carry ski on the side

  • Ski helmet.

  • Ski touring clothing (this can be rented from ECO Ski or similar kit to mountaineering wear.) 

Lou will provide any group equipment and can provide harnesses, boot crampons and ice axes should these be required for a glacier touring day during the trip. 

There will be a full kit list attached by e-mail once you have booked and paid a deposit. 

Price

£850 per person for five days guiding 

This includes the use of any harnesses, ice axes and boot crampons from your guide and all the guides expenses and travel.  

Additional costs not included in this price: 

  • Accommodation in the valley.

  • Flights

  • Transport to Bourg Saint Maurice

  • Transport whilst in Bourg Saint Maurice (buses and taxis)

  • Lift pass whilst in Bourg Saint Maurice (maximum 3 days of lift passes ranging between €70 per day and €20 depending on whether the lift is just one journey to access ski touring.)

  • Equipment rental

  • Food and lunches apart from the breakfast and dinner provided by the Alpine refuge. 

  • Overnight in Alpine refuge (approximately €80 for bed, dinner, and breakfast. You will need additional money for extra drinks and snacks at the refuge.) 

  • Ski Insurance

Example Itinerary

Sunday evening dinner and briefing, equipment check and general information for the week

Day 1: Warm up day. Ski around Les Arc on and off-piste looking at ski technique and tools for dealing with off-piste snow conditions. 

Day 2: Introduction to ski touring up hill, turning and skinning techniques, route choice, navigation, snow and avalanche awareness and transceiver training

Day 3: Glacier touring day if appropriate, looking at safe travel up and down hill on a glacier and experiencing the high mountains in winter. Evening briefing for hut trip, route planning and weather/ avalanche conditions. 

Day 4: Set off from Pars on route to the Refuge de la Coire in the Beaufortain national park. Spend the night at a beautiful alpine refuge which will provide dinner and breakfast in a magical setting and give us time to discuss route planning and answer questions from the week. 

Day 5: Ski journey from the refuge back down to the valley rounding off all the skills we have learnt. Taxi back to Bourg Saint Maurice where we will grab a drink and tasty treat whilst rounding up the week. 

Depending on the weather and conditions this itinerary could change, and every trip is unique. We will cover all the skills and find locations for 

Booking

This course will be run on a maximum of six people and a minimum of four. 

To book your place please fill out a booking form: Booking form | Lou Reynolds Mountai (loureynoldsmountainguide.com)

If you would like to enquire or find out more information you can e-mail Lou at info@loureynoldsmountainguide.com or call on +33749584705 

On receipt of the booking form Lou will then ask you to pay a 20% deposit to secure your place on the course. Once the course has four members or more, we will confirm the course is running at which point, we encourage you to book your travel and accommodation. This will be no later than October 2024.