Gear > Checklist
Apart from your ski or snowboard equipment there is a lot of other gear you will need to carry. The principal concerns are weight and bulk. Climbing with a large heavy rucksack is hard work but it is on the descents where it can act as a pendulum, making turns harder and in some circumstances, dangerous.
Day Equipment Checklist
I am grateful to Eric Barbier who prepared this list for PisteHors.
- Small Day Sack with side compression straps for carrying skis and ice-axe
- Ski Crampons (Harscheisen)
- Climbing Skins + Glue & Tape
- Skis, Poles, Boots
- Crampons for all routes with slopes steeper than 35 degrees
- Lightweight ski ice axe for all routes with slopes steeper than 35 degrees
- Harness - for glaciated terrain and routes involving climbing or cornice traverse
- Avalanche Transceiver in full working order
- Avalanche Shovel
- Avalanche Probe
- Space blanket or bivvie bag
- Food for the day
- 1 - 1.5 litres of drink + bottle
- Goggles
- UV400 Glacier glasses
- Cereal bars / dry fruit
- Large hat to keep sun off when climbing
- Sun cream for skin and lips
- Warm hat
- Ski gloves + Goretex over gloves
- Fleece
- Waterproof breathable jacket and trousers
- Wicking under clothes
- Compass/inclinometer
- Altimeter
- 1:25,000 map
Multi-day Tour
You should add the following equipment for a multi-day tour
- frontal lamp + batteries
- Stove + fuel
- Lightweight pots and pans
- Knife/spoon
- Wine - we are French skiers after all!
- Food for each day - this should be quick to cook as fuel will be limited
- Dry soup
- Tools to repair bindings + wire
- Lightweight sleeping bag - most European refuges have blankets but these always let drafts through and are often damp
- Auto inflating mattresse (except where you know refuge has mattresses)
- Ski wax
- Glue for skins
- Anti balling treatment for skins (white candle will do)
- Slippers for refuge
- Change of underclothes and socks
- Spare pair of gloves
- Spare sunglasses for afternoon at refuge
- Radio for weather forecasts or mobile phone
Glacial or Climbing Routes
The following additional equipment is required for routes involving travel across crevassed glaciers or climbing/abseiling.
- 25 meters of 8mm climbing rope
- Lightweight harness
- Crampons
- Ice Axe
- Descender (figure of 8)
- Prussik Loops x3
- Screw Gate Carabininer x3
- Loop
- Ice screw
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