“IF YOU WANT TO DO SOME


WINTER ALPINISM, THE FIRST BIT OF KIT YOU NEED IS A PAIR OF SKIS.”


›EXPERT Q & A


This issue’s expert is Phil Ebert. Phil – a German philosophy lecturer living in Dundee – has been skiing ever since he could walk. He’s also written extensively about the


relationship between risk and reward in the mountains. Find out more at www.philipebert.info.


Powder skiing: guaranteed fun.


town. Compare that to getting the last lift up, bivvying, ploughing a trail in to a route, climbing it and abbing down, then staying in a hut and ploughing all the way back to the lift or town and arriving exhausted the following morning. The truth is that if you want to do some winter alpinism, the fi rst bit of kit you need is a pair of skis. The second great reason to learn to ski as a climber is to get some much-needed mountain time in the depths of winter. Our British climate is pretty dire and winter can be a time of indoor climbing, punctuated by the odd weekend of driving a long way for a couple of winter routes. Bring skiing in to your life and you suddenly have an activity which gets you into the mountains, and enables you to have fun without the massive walk-ins and disappointing drives. What’s not to love? You might be a climber to the core, but spending a week away


skiing will help you get through those long, dark days. The après-ski scene is arguably better in the Alps than the après climbing in Aviemore too.


The third – and most important – reason is that it’s fun. If you can ski powdery snow with any semblance of technique, then I challenge you not to be grinning from ear to ear after a good descent.


So, whether you do it begrudgingly in order to progress your climbing – or just decide that you’ve just had enough of suffering in winter and need something new – then skiing should be on your tick list for this winter. You never know, you might love it.


Words: Charlie Boscoe


BMC member Charlie Boscoe is an expedition leader, writer and speaker based in Chamonix. Check out his Chamonix conditions blog at www.chamconditions.blogspot.co.uk.


Q. How did you get into skiing? A. I started when I was four, so it wasn’t really my decision. My dad is Austrian, so it’s a bit of a no-brainer to go skiing in winter. There’s been only one winter in my life when I was not skiing – it was the worst winter I ever had and I vowed never to let that happen again! Q. Were you a climber before you were a skier? A. That would have been hard. No, I did some scrambling and hill-walking, but I only started climbing properly at 18. Q. Why is skiing useful for climbers? A. The immediate benefi t is that in the right alpine terrain, it makes the approach to your climbs a lot faster and, especially when travelling on a glacier, a lot safer (although that kinda depends a bit on your skiing skills as well). I also benefi ted from learning about avalanches which can be useful when winter climbing. Lastly, it can be a decent alternative to Scottish winter climbing. When climbing conditions are bad, snow conditions might well be good enough for a nice tour in the Gorms. In fact, a nice powder run is not a bad substitute for hot aches. Q. Do you have any tips for getting into skiing? A. Don’t think that getting 1980s ski-touring kit for 50 quid is a great deal. It makes learning to ski really diffi cult, trust me. Skis have come a long way in just the last few years and the newer, lighter and slightly fatter skis with a nice turn radius make skiing a lot easier and a lot more fun. Q. What is your best skiing experience? A. When I won my fi rst ski race at a small local ski school. I was six years old and little did I know I was at the peak of my racing career. I’ve never looked back and am still psyched.


›FURTHER INFO


Off Piste Essentials £14 (members)


Produced by the BMC in association with Plas y Brenin, this DVD is packed with essential skills and techniques for back-country skiing, ski touring and ski mountaineering. www.bmcshop.co.uk


SUMMIT ONLINE ALPINE SPECIAL #01 | SUMMER 2014 | 39


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