Ski touring in Switzerland: for beginners and pros

Looking for a ski touring route? It’s not always so easy to find something suitable. The weather might help you decide which region to visit; after all, there needs to be enough snow and a little sunshine is always welcome. What next? Depending on your ability, some areas might be more suitable, others less so. It’s best to get a comprehensive overview. Read on for some tour suggestions and winter sports regions that boast beautiful ski tours.

Ski touring in the Bernese Oberland

You’ll find numerous ski tours in the Bernese Oberland – for beginners and experienced skiers alike. An easy tour starts at the top station of the Lavey chairlift. It goes up to the Tierberg via the Laveygrat. The descent takes you across Seewelen and Gutenbrunnen – and it’s packed with excitement: Although this ski tour only climbs around 180 metres in altitude, the descent to Lenk is over 1,300 metres.

Ski tour on Pizol

In the ski area of Pizol, a specially prepared ascent track takes you 3 kilometres from Pardiel up to Laufböden. After 600 metres of ascent, it goes downhill via the slopes. This ski tour is ideal for training at the beginning of the season or for beginners.

Ski tour to Tödi

The ski tour to Tödi is only suitable for experienced ski tourers. Depending on the starting point, you will need around 6 hours for the ascent and will climb around 1,500 metres in altitude. The tour to Tödi is available as a multi-day, guided ski tour with our partner Höhenfieber. On the first day you climb up to the Claridenhütte, on the second day you go up to the Clariden and then the first descent leads to the Fridolinshütte. On the third day the tour leads to Tödi, on the fourth day the descent takes you to Urnerboden.

This ski tour goes over glaciers and high Alpine terrain, which is why it is an Alpine ski tour. Safe ascent and descent on steep terrain is essential.

Ski tour in Valais

In Val d’Anniviers in Valais, you’ll find ski touring trails with varying degrees of difficulty – some only cover two kilometres, others seven kilometres. There is something for beginners and experienced ski tourers alike. On each of these tours, you’ll enjoy a wonderful view of the Valais mountains.

Ski tours in the Engadin

Ski tours in the Engadin start, for example, on the Bernina Pass or Julier Pass, at the Muottas Muragl cable car in Scuol or in Zuoz. In the Engadin, there is usually plenty of snow early in winter and spring. As always when ski touring, keep an eye out for any protected wildlife areas and find out about the current avalanche situation in advance.

Ski tours in Central Switzerland

From the Mutteristock to the Blüemberg, from the Eigenthal to the Fräkmüntegg and Krienseregg or the Titlis round trip: in Central Switzerland, you’ll find plenty of routes, some are easy, others are just for experienced ski tourers. Although you can reach the heart of the mountains quickly, the tours are easily accessible by public transport.

Difficulty level of ski touring: what the abbreviations mean

On ski tours, you will often find terms such as ‘L,’ ‘ZS’ or ‘AS’. But what do the levels of difficulty mean? You can find an overview and explanation here.

• L: (leicht) easy, slope gradient up to 30 degrees

• WS: (wenig schwierig) moderate, slope gradient of 30 degrees or more

• ZS: (ziemlich schwierig) somewhat difficult, slope gradient of 35 degrees or more

• S:(schwierig) difficult, slope gradient of 40 degrees or more

• SS: (sehr schwierig) very difficult, slope gradient of 45 degrees or more

• AS: (ausserordentlich schwierig) exceptionally difficult, slope gradient of 50 degrees or more

• EX: (extrem schwierig) extremely difficult, slope gradient of 55 degrees or more

It’s important to note that most avalanches are triggered on slopes with a gradient of more than 30 degrees. An avalanche on slopes that are less steep is unlikely. However, you should be particularly careful if your route runs along a slope with a gradient of less than 30 degrees and there are steeper slopes higher up, as this is where avalanches could break loose and also hit you on flatter slopes.

In contrast to ski tours, Alpine ski tours lead over glaciers and through high Alpine terrain. They are technically very demanding, so safe ascent and descent on steep terrain is necessary. These kinds of tours are only recommended for experienced ski tourers and not at the start of the season.

You can find more information about the difficulty levels for ski tours here.