Plunging Into the World of Alpine Touring

Freeing the Heel, Part 1

By Carson Bennett, 11-24-08

	from www.treksandtracks.com

I’ve been skiing for twenty-three years. Not until the last two or three years have I become what I consider an expert skier. I finally have an understanding of form and technique that makes me confident and comfortable when dropping into anything the mountain can throw at me, from steep and deep to ice and crud. But I still want to improve, and I still want to expand my horizons. This season, I’m going to enter the world of Randonnee skiing.

I had never heard of Randonnee skiing (Alpine Touring, AT) until this season. I currently work part-time at a shop that sells AT equipment, and after playing with the gear and talking about the joys of AT skiing with one of my co-workers, an expert in winter mountaineering and Alpine Touring, visions of untracked backcountry bowls dance in my head.

What is the difference between Alpine Skiing and Alpine Touring? Alpine Skiing, or downhill skiing, is what most of us think about when we think about skiing – riding on terrain accessible by lifts (requiring a lift ticket), and skiing on bindings that secure the heel and toe to the ski. Alpine Touring bindings, on the other hand, allow the binding to release the heel while keeping the toe engaged, like a telemark or cross country binding. Slap a pair of skins on the bottom of your skis, release the heel, and you’re free to seek snow wherever you want (no lift tickets! no lift lines! no designated runs!) Then, when you reach your destination, you can remove the skins, lock the heel back into the binding, and ski as you would on a regular downhill binding.

I need to try this. The best runs I skied last year were off the ridges at Taos, New Mexico and Wolf Creek, Colorado. After taking the lifts as far as they would carry me, I would click out of my skis, throw them over my shoulder, and keep going. I skied the “side country” for most of last season without realizing it, and I didn’t know there were tools that could help me access the side country more easily while also introducing me to the backcountry.

I’m going to write a series of posts about my first experiences with AT skiing, from learning about the gear to snow safety to planning a trip to charging down my first off-piste runs in the Colorado Rockies. My ultimate goal this winter is to ski one of Colorado’s many 14,000 foot peaks.

If any of you Snowblog readers are AT skiers, please send me hints, tips, and advice. I’m excited to discover new things and share what I learn.

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