Touring ski set: What you need to look out for!
Anyone buying ski touring equipment for the first time is spoiled for choice: there is now a huge selection of products in the ski touring segment. This makes it difficult to keep your bearings and get an overview of what you actually need.
That's why you'll find an overview here of what ski touring equipment you need, what a touring ski set consists of and what you should look out for when buying one.
What do you need for a ski tour?
Basically, the equipment you need for ski touring depends on the route you have in mind. For a classic ski tour in open terrain, you will need the following equipment:
- Ski touring equipment consisting of touring skis, skin and touring bindings as well as crampons, skitouring boots and poles
- LVS equipment consisting of avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe (not necessary for piste tours)
- Other: Suitable clothing, rucksack, ski helmet for downhill skiing, first aid kit, tools
You can find out more details in our blog post.
Skis, skin and bindings - the classic touring ski set:
Basically touring skis are much lighter than alpine skis - after all, they not only have to offer stability for the descent, but also have to be light enough for the ascent. So that you can manage the ascent on skis, you also need skins. These are attached with their adhesive surface to the base of your touring skis - so the skis glide beautifully in the snow and you can march uphill effortlessly. For the descent, skins are removed at the summit and the skins are stowed in your rucksack.
The connection between skis and ski boots is a binding, just like in alpine skiing.
In ski touring, the pin binding has proven itself here. pin binding has established itself here. These are very light bindings that use pins to fix the skitouring boots in place.
For the ascent, the ski boots are only fixed at the toe piece so that a walking movement remains possible. For the descent, the binding is fixed to the front and rear jaws. The exact mode of operation and the adjustment options for releasing the binding vary depending on the manufacturer and model - but overall, the pin bindings on the market impress with their enormous lightness, reliability and stability.
The combination of touring skis, skin and matching bindings - the classic touring ski set - can be put together individually using our set configurator.
Above all, touring skis and bindings should be matched to each other - which is why you will also find a binding recommendation for each ski model in the set configurator.
You can find the set configurator on the product pages of the individual touring ski models:
-
ULTRA 84
€ 659,00Contains 20% VAT, plus shippingDelivery time: approx. 3-5 working daysmodel choose -
CORE CARBON 84 LITE
€ 659,00Contains 20% VAT, plus shippingDelivery time: approx. 3-5 working daysmodel choose -
CORE CARBON 89
€ 699,00Contains 20% VAT, plus shippingDelivery time: approx. 3-5 working daysmodel choose -
BOOST 99 x POW
€ 759,00Contains 20% VAT, plus shippingDelivery time: approx. 3-5 working daysmodel choose
Further equipment for ski touring
Crampons - an important part of your equipment
In icy conditions, crampons are an extremely important part of your equipment. They give you support and safety when skins reach their limits. Think you're not out on the mountain in conditions like these? Wrong, because the conditions are often different than expected. That's why you should always have crampons in your rucksack. Crampons can be easily attached to the crampon holder on the binding.
For us, crampons are part of your ski set - that's why you can order matching crampons at the same time in our set configurator.
The skitouring boot
Your ski touring equipment also includes a skitouring boot that is compatible with a pin binding. Your boot needs pin inserts for this - but generally all skitouring boots available on the market are now equipped with them. skitouring boots have a walk and ski mode: the walk mode offers great flexibility for the ascent, while the ski mode provides support for the descent.
Our tip when buying touring skis: When buying, pay particular attention to the fit of the touring ski boot. Try out the range and choose the model that makes you feel most comfortable. A boot that fits is essential for enjoying touring!
Still have questions about touring skis? You can find the information here!
Our recommendation here is clearly skitouring boot: Depending on the sole length of your boot, your bindings must be fitted and adjusted to fit your touring ski set. Here you can find our skitouring boots from HAGAN. You can find information on sole length in our size chart.
If you buy a ski model with a waist with width of 89 mm, for example, you need to make sure that you choose the next larger width for the binding - in this case 91 mm. This is necessary so that the stopper can be activated on the mounted ski. In our set configurator, the right width is already selected and you no longer have to worry about it.
Basically, the wider the ski, the more suitable it is for open terrain, the narrower the ski, the more suitable it is for piste touring.
If you are just starting out with touring, then we recommend a touring ski with a waist with of 85-90 mm. This gives you an all-rounder model that you can use with complete flexibility.
For beginners we recommend body size -10cm, for advanced tourers body size -5cm. You can find more detailed information on this in our size chart.
At HAGAN, we do not differentiate between men's and women's touring skis. For lighter tourers, we offer our LITE models, which are easier to turn and control, especially on the descent. With all our ski models you will find a classification of skill level, terrain and orientation, which will help you to choose the right touring ski.
If you still have any questions about touring ski sets, we are happy to help!
Simply write to us via our chat (bottom right in the browser) or contact us via the contact form.