Ski touring opens up a world of possibilities beyond the ski slopes. But exploring the winter mountains requires more than skiing skills. It takes preparation, an understanding of snow and terrain, and the ability to make informed decisions. That's why Monterosa Booking has created a three-day ski touring course in Val Formazza: the first step towards future adventures in Alagna and the Monte Rosa massif.
When you first try ski touring, the biggest challenge seems to be the climb. You attach your skins, adjust your bindings and discover that moving uphill on skis involves an entirely different technique.
Then come the kick turns, finding a sustainable pace and learning to ski downhill on ungroomed snow.
But there's something even more important to learn: understanding where to go, when to set off and how to recognise the conditions that make a route suitable.
That's why we've created this course.
We want to give confident skiers the opportunity to develop the skills needed to explore the winter mountains, without confusing the ability to ski downhill with the experience required to travel through uncontrolled mountain terrain.
Three consecutive days provide time to practise, correct mistakes and begin understanding how a ski tour is planned. It's not enough to become fully independent, but it's a meaningful foundation for further experience.
Monterosa Booking is deeply connected to Monte Rosa. It's our home territory, where we work and organise mountain experiences for people with different backgrounds, abilities and ambitions.
And because we know these mountains, we also know that the right place to learn isn't necessarily the place you eventually want to explore.
For this introductory course, we've chosen Riale, in upper Val Formazza, in the Lepontine Alps.
The area offers a variety of ski touring routes and opportunities to organise progressive training days, with time for technical exercises and the flexibility to adapt each outing to the group's abilities.
We'll stay for two nights at Aalts Dorf, returning to the same accommodation after each day's activities.
The choice is deliberate: these three days are about learning, rather than reaching a particular summit.
Accompanied by an IFMGA Mountain Guide, participants will follow a progressive programme combining technique, practical exercises and mountain safety.
We'll begin with the fundamentals of uphill travel: using climbing skins, performing kick turns, managing effort and handling equipment. We'll also work on downhill skiing, learning to adapt technique to different snow conditions.
The second day focuses on safety and planning. We'll learn how to interpret avalanche bulletins, assess terrain, read topographic maps and plan GPS routes. Practical avalanche rescue exercises will introduce the correct use of a transceiver, shovel and probe.
On the final day, we'll bring everything together during a guided ski touring excursion, taking part in route planning and understanding the reasoning behind the guide's decisions.
The course is designed for skiers who are confident on red pistes, have good physical fitness and some experience on ungroomed snow. Previous experience with climbing skins isn't required.
The course is a starting point, not a final destination.
Once you've developed your initial skills, Alagna and the Monte Rosa massif offer plenty of opportunities to continue your ski touring journey.
You might begin with guided ski touring excursions, consolidating your uphill technique, improving your descents and becoming more familiar with different snow conditions and terrain.
With further training, experience and appropriate physical preparation, longer and more demanding itineraries become possible.
A ski ascent of Vincent Pyramid, for example, can become a future objective once you've developed the skills required for glacier travel and high-altitude ski mountaineering.
For experienced ski mountaineers, Monte Rosa also offers ambitious journeys, including multi-day traverses and routes associated with the legendary Trofeo Mezzalama.
These aren't objectives to rush towards immediately after a three-day course. They're possibilities to work towards, gradually building the experience and skills each one requires.
That's the idea behind our approach: start by learning, continue through experience, and arrive prepared for the mountains you want to explore.
22–24 January 2027
12–14 February 2027
Three days in Val Formazza, in small groups, accompanied by an IFMGA Mountain Guide.
An opportunity to discover ski touring, develop practical skills and take the first step towards future adventures on Monte Rosa.
Trial will be chosen according to snow conditions.
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