Ski touring on the slopes

Ski touring is booming. More and more ski tourers are also using ski slopes, during the day and at night. Not only do they love the physical activity outdoors in the stunning winter landscape, but increasingly they also train for ski touring races.

During the day, the «oncoming traffic» of ski tourers making their warm up the mountain can create conflicst and accidents with downhill skiers. It is even more dangerous at night because the ski area is off-limits to the public once the lifts close. During this time the slopes are made ready for the following day. Ski slope vehicles often operate on steel cables extending several hundred metres across the terrain. These cables are barely visible and can be fatal in the case of collisions after dark. Expperts also trigger controlled avalanches at night to protect the ski areas. Outside of lift operating hours, the ski slopes can pose life-threatening risks!

The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), Seilbahnen Schweiz (the association for Swiss cableways) and the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) have jointly developed a list of tips and rules of conduct for ski tourers on ski slopes. The aim is to ensure that all winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy their hobby without conflicst or accidents. Five rules to ensure your safety.

The rules below are particularly important for ski tourers on ski slopes:

• Keep to the side of the ski slope when going up the mountain
• Only ascend in single file, not side-by-side 
• Do not cross in places where visibility is limited
• Take particular care going over ridges, in narrow passages, on steep slopes and in icy conditions
• Respect the downhill skiers: they have the right of way

For all ski slope users and ski tourers:
Ascend and descend at your own risk and responsibility!