Backcountry ski trips in the Alps 2025
Backcountry skiing in the Alps in January 2025
Backcountry skiing is a way of progressing in the mountains
Backcountry or Rando skiing is uphill and downhill skiing in the mountains with skis suitable for off-piste skiing. The skis can be designed and weighted with features for light and fast uphill skiing or for stiffer descents, which makes it easier to control the skis on a steeper slope and at a faster speed.
Cross-country skiing on the slopes or off the slopes
Backcountry skiing is popular in Chamonix. After the lifts close, cross-country skiers take over the slopes and work out 1,000 meters up and down. Cross-country skiing is often done on ski trips in the mountains, going up and down different routes. With cross-country skiing, you can go up and down off the slopes or on the slopes.
Avalanche risk 1 – 2 and below 25 degrees
I ski in familiar areas, where I have skied before, so that I can assess avalanche risks accurately enough. Avalanche risk is assessed on a progressive scale from 1 to 5. My recommendation is to only ski with an avalanche risk of 1 to 2, and on slopes below 25 degrees, when most avalanche risks are preventable.
New powder snow
In the Alps, it rains a couple of times in winter, 1 to 2 meters of snow in a few days, which makes powder snow tempting to ski. The avalanche risk is high for the first couple of days, when helicopters drop bombs on the mountains from six in the morning and detonate them to trigger avalanches in avalanche risk areas. On the third day, avalanche risks start to decrease, because the snow has already started to settle. I have participated in six snow safety and avalanche trainings in Finland, Norway and the Alps. Often in the spring and winter, the culvert has already been concreted during the winter, so it is usually safer to lower than at the beginning of the season.
I organize Backcountry ski trips in the Alps in January
I know suitable routes for skiing tours in the Chamonix valley and Vallorcine. We ski a different route every day if the avalanche risk is 2/5 or lower. In skiing, local knowledge is emphasized, allowing you to go directly to the right places on the right days.
Alpine Skiing in Verbier, Zermatt and Grandes Montets
If you want to improve your skiing technique in Verbiere, Zermatt or Grandes Montets, contact us.
Verbier is one of Switzerland’s most wonderful ski resorts, which is popular among club circles. It is one hour from Chamonix and two hours from Geneva.
Zermatt has good slopes, with the Klein Matterhorn Gondoli lifts taking you comfortably and warmly to the side of the 4,000-meter Breithorn mountain, from where the wonderful Matterhorn scenery opens up.
The world-class northern slopes of Grands Montets are so steep that they can only be climbed with crampons or a ski lift. The place is familiar because I lived one winter between the two slopes.
