Ski touring Val d'Isère & Tignes.

Confidentiality is a cornerstone of my independent ski coaching. I have had the privilege of skiing with many high-net-worth individuals, celebrities, royal family members, and executive leaders who return year after year because they value absolute discretion on and off the mountain.

Skiing in Val d'Isère offers a rare environment where you can remain comfortably hidden from view—goggles, helmets, and alpine layers provide natural anonymity. I routinely coordinate with personal assistants, booking managers, and close-protection security teams to arrange private chalet ski-room fittings, discreet gondola access, and secluded backcountry routes away from crowds. Your itinerary, identity, and personal privacy are never publicized or shared.

Off-piste skiing typically relies on mechanical ski lifts to gain altitude, skiing down unsecured snow just beyond the marked pistes.

**Ski touring (or backcountry skiing)** uses specialized bindings that allow your heel to lift and adhesive plush climbing skins attached to the base of your skis to walk uphill across snowy terrain. This allows us to venture far away from ski resort boundaries into pristine, silent mountain wilderness before locking our heels down for the descent.

If you can comfortably walk in the hills or go for a 2-hour hike at home, you have the cardiovascular endurance required for introductory ski touring.

We tailor the ascent pace entirely to you. Our coaching philosophy focuses on an efficient, rhythmic "all-day pace" that keeps your heart rate low and steady, allowing you to converse comfortably and enjoy the stunning alpine surroundings without exhaustion.

To participate in a ski touring session, you will need:

• Touring Skis & Bindings: Equipped with pin (tech) or hybrid frame bindings that allow free heel movement during ascent.
• Climbing Skins: Mohair/nylon blend adhesive skins cut specifically to fit the width of your skis.
• Touring Boots: Ski boots featuring a "walk mode" lever and tech-binding inserts.
• Avalanche Safety Gear: Mandatory 3-antenna transceiver, shovel, and probe.

If you do not own touring equipment, we can direct you to Val d'Isère's best specialist rental shops where complete touring setups can be fitted.

Yes, absolutely. Splitboarders are completely welcome on private backcountry touring sessions.

A splitboard divides in half to act as two wide touring skis for the uphill climb, then locks back together into a solid snowboard for the descent. I select routes that are optimized for splitboards, avoiding flat traverses and long cat-tracks so you can enjoy fluid, uninterrupted snowboard descents.

Yes! You do not need previous skinning experience to book an introductory ski touring day. However, you should be a confident intermediate downhill skier (capable of skiing red runs in variable snow conditions).

We teach you everything from scratch: how to attach and store climbing skins, how to use heel risers on steep slopes, how to execute kick-turns efficiently, and how to read the mountain for avalanche safety.

While some pure wilderness ski tours begin directly from valley trailheads without using lifts, most of our best itineraries in Val d'Isère utilize the lift network to gain initial high-altitude elevation before we begin skinning.

Every participant should carry a valid **Val d'Isère / Tignes lift pass**. This allows us to combine lift-accessed freeride descents with short, rewarding skinning climbs into untracked sidecountry bowls.

Uphill skinning burns substantial calories and causes dehydration even in freezing temperatures. Always pack at least **1 liter of water** (an insulated thermos with warm sweet tea is fantastic) and accessible high-energy snacks like dried fruit, nuts, energy bars, or chocolate.

For full-day touring loops, pack a picnic lunch in your backpack, as our routes lead into remote backcountry valleys far away from catered mountain restaurants.

For first-time tourers, we love the gentle ascents around the **Col de l'Ouille Noire** (starting from the top of the Pisaillas Glacier lifts) or mellow skin loops into the **Manchet Valley / Tour de Charvet** borderlands.

These routes offer smooth, low-angle skin tracks where you can focus entirely on mastering your gliding stride and kick-turns without exposure to extreme hazards.