Conference - Best Practices in Ski Touring / Spring Skiing

Name: Conference - Best Practices in Ski Touring / Spring Skiing
Start: 2027-02-15T00:00:00+0000
End: 2027-04-12T00:00:00+0000
Location: La Grande Maison

Bonneval-sur-Arc

© Conference - Ski-alpinisme / Ski touring_Bessans - Terre d'Alpinisme

Ski touring / spring skiing is another type of skiing. This activity embodies discovery, adventure, authenticity, and freedom. Come learn more about how to ski safely.

Description

Ski mountaineering / ski touring / spring skiing is an activity that allows you to:
- get away from the crowds at resorts and the lines at the lifts,
- discover vast, pristine landscapes,
- enjoy a descent in powder snow,
- to engage in an environmentally friendly activity.
Ski mountaineering / ski touring / spring skiing is all about ascending to summits and passes, making your own tracks in a pristine landscape, and descending through areas untouched by human footprints.
Ski mountaineering / ski touring / spring skiing, like mountaineering, is a traditional physical activity characterized by a shared culture—an art built on knowledge (understanding the high-mountain environment, history, practice, and associated values), and practical skills (mastery of alpine skiing, climbing, and belaying techniques, as well as the use of equipment: touring skis, climbing skins, crampons, rope, ice axe, and crampons). It is characterized by the essential acquisition of diverse knowledge about the natural, unspoiled environment in which the activity takes place (snow, altitude, glaciers), about changing weather conditions, and about assessing unpredictable natural events (avalanches, storms, etc.). The culture of ski touring, Spring Skiing is also rooted in aesthetic values, as ski tourers are drawn to the beauty of the routes, the elegance of movement during ascents and descents, the contemplation of landscapes, and a sense of communion with the natural environments they traverse. The practice also embodies ethical principles based on individual commitment, resource conservation, leaving no lasting traces behind, measured risk-taking, and a duty of mutual aid and rescue among participants. Style and the sensory experience often take precedence over the successful ascent of a peak, a pass, or a traverse.

The Bessans-Bonneval-sur-Arc region, designated a “Terre d’Alpinise,” offers exceptional terrain for ski mountaineering, backcountry skiing, and spring skiing. Jean Louis Bernezat, a High-Mountain Guide, said that the Avérole Valley was one of the most beautiful spots for ski mountaineering and ski touring.