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Ski touring is contagious

Corona and what we can learn from ski touring

by Stephan Skrobar • 12/15/2020
Die Bergstation
Die Bergstation
When the summer of 2020 was really in full swing, the days were still scorching hot, the lakes were at a pleasant temperature and people were hanging on rock faces outside or busily writing poems for summit books, the request came for an essay on the subject of "Ski touring and what effects Corona will have on ski touring".

"Gladly!"

Because the topic seemed clear. The implications were clear in my mind, and the summer conversations with representatives of the ski manufacturing industry supported my assumptions.

Then the days got shorter, the evenings cooler, the lakes colder, the fingers clammier when climbing and the peaks lonelier. And suddenly it was no longer so clear to me how these new social conditions, which are so life-changing for us as a society, will shape ski touring?

On the surface, it seemed logical to me that skiing would tend to move away from the crowded piste areas and the mosh pits of winter tourism - the apres-ski huts and lift queues. People will proudly rave about the occasion-related "retreat to the essentials", the "breaking out of the hamster wheel", the "confrontation with oneself" and above all "the search for peace and quiet" and can even put a hashtag in front of these reasons, handy.

But will that really be the case?

Yes, of course. The number of ski tourers will increase, as the mountain summer of 2020 has already proven. But before I take a personal look at "Ski touring in the apocalypse winter of 20/21", I thought about why I actually like doing it so much?

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Die Bergstation
Die Bergstation

Ski touring is awesome

First of all. I do it for a living. It's my job as the manager of a freeride and alpine center to ski the mountains with people from all socio-demographic backgrounds. And even though I've been doing this for over a decade, I still thank Ullr every day for having such an awesome job.

Secondly. It's incredibly fun. There is little about the subject that I don't see as beneficial to daily life. Being out in nature, experiencing the cold and snow, moving slow and fast, cleaning out your brain, the soft quiet of a snowy landscape and the feeling of taking off your ski boots after a long day. In the words of the great Glen Plake: "There's no better way to waste time than a day skiing." And the combination of work and private enjoyment regularly results in necessary training tours, where I'm out on my own to sharpen my senses for all alpine eventualities so that I don't lose my nerve with customers in extreme situations.

We assume that the number of ski tourers will increase, and to a greater extent than has already happened in recent years due to coronavirus. What does this mean for the scene?

An interesting aspect of these circles is that ski tourers are characterized by individuality and distance from the masses. This results - even long before Corona - in situations in which a significant number of individuals suddenly form a fairly homogeneous mass that climbs the same peaks in the same outfits, with the same materials and talks about it in the same language. I don't exclude myself from this in any way, but contribute to it professionally.

Some ski tourers, who can easily be narrowed down demographically by the way, unfortunately find it a little more difficult for their sport to enter the mainstream. Provincialism and territorialism are pronounced and manifest themselves in a gruff, often unfriendly demeanor, which is often portrayed in a socially romantic way as gnarled and mountainous. As I said, there are only a few of them, and they can often be spotted from a distance.

But on the whole, ski tourers are an open, friendly bunch who like to show consideration for their fellow human beings and prefer coexistence on the mountain to hermit-like solitude. And - I'll mention it again for good reason - they show consideration for each other.

Glacier tours and corona: keep your distance and be considerate of your rope partners, otherwise it won't work.

Glacier tours and corona: keep your distance and be considerate of your rope partners, otherwise it won't work.

Die Bergstation

Glacier tours and corona: keep your distance and be considerate of your rope partners, otherwise it won't work.

Die Bergstation

Be considerate

"What does that have to do with corona, Skrobar?", the reader may be asking themselves by now at the latest. Like ski touring, corona requires social behavior that is based on consideration for your fellow human beings.

Many people will start ski touring because the hashtag reasons mentioned at the beginning are not only clichéd, but also correspond to reality. Going over the mountain on skis is one of the most beautiful activities for the mind and body. However, a few people - possibly due to coronavirus - will take up ski touring in order to find their individuality and "personal freedom" and thus loudly ignore the social rules of consideration that the pandemic makes necessary. Anyone who sees the absolute fulfillment of their own needs as far more important in everyday life than consideration for their fellow human beings will hopefully not feel comfortable in the ski touring scene.

There are self-regulating elements to ski touring that allow people to be alone and keep their distance from the crowds. One is the necessary technique, which is a prerequisite for the ascent and especially the descent, and the second, and usually more important, are the skills of alpine risk management and tour planning. Both require many years of never-ending learning. However, the motivation is the same for beginners and pros alike, and this should also apply to tolerance.

We should take the positive aspects of considerate behavior when ski touring with us when dealing with the pandemic.

Stephan and the mountain station offer friend or family camps for beginners to ski touring, where you only need to expand your own corona bubble to include the guide.

Text originally published on Sport Aktiv.

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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