Under your own steam, at your own pace — the most interesting skiing lies beyond the resorts, and ski touring is how you discover it
A ski touring safari in the Alps is a private, guided journey in which you travel uphill under your own power — skins on your skis, one step at a time — and ski back down through snow that belongs only to you. It is the part of our range that takes you furthest from the standard resorts, into terrain no lift will ever serve, and it mixes naturally with lift-accessed skiing: some days you climb, some days you ride the lifts to go beyond them, and the balance is designed around you.
There is a rhythm to a skin track that changes people. The mountains go quiet, the pace becomes your own, and somewhere on the climb you stop thinking about the summit and start noticing where you are — the light on the ridgeline, the sound of your own breathing, three countries of winter spread out around you. Then you peel the skins, click in, and ski a descent that you earned entirely.
And it is wonderfully learnable. Many of our guests tour for the first time with us — strong resort skiers who want to try a new sport and learn something new. Our guides teach the craft from the first transition, the pace is set to the group, and the terrain grows with your confidence. Like every SwisSkiSafari trip, it is private, guided by our own IFMGA team, and adjusted every day to the snow, the weather and the group.
What is ski touring?
Walk up, ski down — and discover what a mountain becomes without lifts
Ski touring means travelling uphill on skis, using adhesive skins on the bases and bindings that free the heel, then converting at the top and skiing down. It is how skiers reach terrain that has no lifts at all — and it changes what a mountain is. A resort is a network of lift lines; on a touring safari, the entire range becomes yours to move through.
The reward is twofold. There is the skiing itself — untracked descents chosen by your guide for the day’s snow. And there is the way you arrive at them: warmed up, tuned in to the mountain, and standing somewhere that only your own legs could have brought you. On a clear morning, with the skin track behind you and nobody else in sight, you understand why people who try touring rarely stop at one day.
Learn something new this winter
Do I need touring experience?
No — this is a wonderful place to learn something new
You need to be a confident skier, comfortable on all pistes and ready for ungroomed snow. The touring itself is what our guides teach: the skinning technique, the kick turns, the transitions, the reading of the mountain. Teaching it is one of their favourite parts of the job. First tours start on gentle terrain with short climbs, and the days grow as your technique and confidence do.
This is one of the things we love most about touring safaris: they are full of firsts. The first time the resort noise falls away and the only sound is your own skis on the snow. The first transition you complete without thinking. The first descent through snow that no one else has touched, reached entirely under your own power. For guests who have skied all over the world, learning a new sport in the middle of a luxury safari, with a private guide and at your own pace, is often the thing they talk about most when they get home.
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Does the whole safari happen on skins?
No — touring mixes naturally with lift-accessed skiing, and the blend is the craft
A touring safari is not a week of relentless climbing. Some days are pure tours. Some days use the lifts to gain altitude quickly and then tour beyond the top station — an hour of skinning that opens a descent the resort skiers below will never see. Some days are simply great guided skiing, resting the climbing legs for tomorrow. The blend is designed around your fitness, the snow and the weather, and it is adjusted throughout the trip — like everything we do, no two safaris are ever the same.
What the touring brings to the mix is reach. It takes us further from the standard resorts than any other kind of skiing — into the quiet valleys and high cols between them, across terrain that connects one country to the next. Our range runs from the Matterhorn to the Mont Blanc, and on a touring safari you experience it the oldest way there is: on your own two feet, one skin track at a time, with a beautiful hotel, an exceptional dinner and a glass of local wine at the end of every day.
Why is every touring safari guided?
Because route choice is everything in unmarked terrain
Beyond the resorts there are no signs, no patrols and no groomed line home — the route is the guide’s craft. Our IFMGA-certified guides choose it fresh every day: which slope holds the cold snow, which col is safe in this wind, where the descent will be at its best by the time you reach it. Guests travel with full avalanche safety equipment, checked and practised before the first tour. And our guides live here: this is the terrain they tour in winter and hike in summer, on their own days off — which is why a touring day runs so smoothly it feels effortless. The mountain has been read long before you put your skins on.
When is the best time for a ski touring safari?
December through April — with a special word for spring
Touring is wonderful all season: midwinter brings cold powder and short, deep days; spring brings settled snowpack, long daylight and the classic high traverses. March and April are the touring months par excellence — corn snow on the sunny faces, cold powder holding in the north, and summits that stay reachable long after the lower resorts have closed. Our safaris traditionally run 7 nights — our favourite combination, long enough to stay in two countries and ski in three — and every trip is bespoke, so longer and shorter safaris are always possible.
Frequently asked questions
How fit do I need to be? Reasonably fit — if you can enjoy a full day of skiing and a good mountain walk, you can enjoy a touring safari. The pace on the climb is set to the group, first days are kept gentle, and the mix of touring and lift-accessed days is adjusted around how everyone is feeling. The uphill is not a race; it is half the pleasure.
How good a skier do I need to be? Confident on all pistes and ready for ungroomed snow. The descents are in natural, variable terrain, and our guides choose them to match the group.
Do I need my own touring equipment? No — we will advise on exactly what you need and arrange the right touring setup and avalanche safety equipment for you. If you have your own gear, bring it; our guides will check everything before the first tour.
Is ski touring safe? With the right people, yes. Every tour is led by our own IFMGA-certified mountain guides, routes chosen fresh each day for the conditions. Avalanche equipment is carried and practised before the first tour. Our guides hike this ground all summer — we know what lies beneath the snow.
How much does a ski touring safari cost? A ski touring safari is designed from scratch, and the price follows the design: your hotels, the length of the journey, the shape of the week. Most begin from around CHF 1,500 per person per day. Tell us what you are dreaming of and we will come back with a detailed proposal.
Begin planning your safari
Every safari begins the same way: with a conversation
Tell us how you ski, how you ride, and what you are dreaming of. The pencil is ready.
Contact us to design your winter safari →
Or call us directly: +41 79 239 41 52
We know of no finer way to see the Alps