Kick turns for ski touring: instructions and video

Skitour: Mehrere Personen auf einer Skitour. Sie gehen durch eine verschneite Landschaft.

Published on: 03.11.2023Updated on: 03.07.2024

The right technique when ski touring saves you energy and makes you progress faster. In the video, mountain guide Fabian explains the right walking technique for ski touring and how to do a kick turn.

Ski touring takes you through snow-covered landscapes – maybe you’ll encounter fresh snow and be the first one to lay down tracks. The correct technique will help you avoid getting out of breath quickly and instead enjoy your winter trip to the full. On flatter terrain, you can make good headway on touring skis. The right walking technique will let you do so with comparatively little effort. And knowing how to manage kick turns is also vital – because when it gets steep, simply carrying on round the bend will see you slide down the slope.

Ski touring: kick turn and walking technique

We were out and about with our colleagues from Höhenfieber on the Hagelstock in the Lidernen area. The video, mountain guide Fabian shows you the right walking technique for ski touring and how to do kick turns on steep, tight bends.

It’s best to practise the kick turn on flat terrain. Let others watch you do it: they can definitely give you tips on how to improve your posture. If you are confident on gentle slopes, then you’ll have no problems doing the turns on steep slopes, too.

Saving energy on your ski tour

As Fabian already explained in the video, you must not lift your skis. You actually pull them with each step you make. It helps if you take longer steps, bend your knees and find a pace that you can maintain.

If there are still no tracks up the slope, look closely at the terrain. Think about where you can get up with the gentlest incline and where you could make a turn. The right planning will save you a lot of energy.

Important: safety on the slopes

Ski touring is an amazing experience with the right knowledge, the correct training and equipment and the necessary level of caution. You definitely need to learn this stuff before you go ski touring on your own for the first time, whether it’s with a ski touring course or a tour with a mountain guide. We also recommend that you continually brush up on and improve your knowledge.

Go to the courses offered by Höhenfieber

What to do if you slip: don’t lean forwards. This will reduce the pressure on the skins and the skis will probably skid even more. It’s better to stand just over the binding and apply pressure to it.

The other thing is: take a break every now and then – to catch your breath and, of course, to enjoy the view. Make sure you don’t get too cold.