Your Safety

The safety and welfare of everyone who participates on our programmes are of paramount importance and are always our prime concern. Adventurous activities in the mountains have their dangers and these can never be removed altogether, but when professionally risk managed they can be minimised. At both Inspired To Ski & Mountain Tracks our aim is to provide everyone with a thrilling holiday directed with maximum attention to the safety of the group and that of others.

We don’t just blindly get everyone to follow our experienced, qualified instructors and guides, when skiing On & Off-Piste. We give everyone the opportunity to learn through hands-on experience, to acquire the necessary skills and techniques and to understand about the hazards of the mountain and how to assess and minimise the risks and cope with incidents should they happen.

If you require any further advice or information please do contact our booking office or the below email contacts: 020 8877 5775 or email: Inspired to Ski or Mountain Tracks

Equipment Matters!

General Information

This list gives you an idea of the equipment you will need for one of our All Mountain Performance Courses or Off Piste Performance Courses. If you are uncertain or need further information, please email Mountain Tracks.

Equipment

Recent years have seen big changes in ski, boot and binding design and technology all of which have created several differences when skiing in the all mountain environment. For example: certain techniques are now quicker and easier to pick up, Off-Piste skiing is so much more accessible to many different levels, not just the advanced/expert skier, the speed in which skiers now ski on and off piste has increased.

This change has increased the range of skis available to skiers and other equipment now on offer. We hope the below gives you a little advice on ‘equipment matters’, we look forward to updating this page and adding any OFFERS available to our clients. If you require any further details or wish to ask any questions about equipment, please do email us.

All Mountain Skis

There are now an array of All Mountain Skis, graded at all levels, to help your enjoyment and experience for on and off piste skiing. Certain models are more pro to skiing on-piste than off-piste and vice versa, similarly there are models designed for all disciplines of skiing – racing, freeride, bumps, off-piste, touring etc. However, to now have the opportunity to purchase or hire a ski that can work in all terrain, is certainly a fantastic aid to any skier. ALL MOUNTAIN skis – as they are now labeled, will offer you the choice and are designed for all levels of skier.

The best advice is to make sure, when you purchase or hire skis, that you provide the sales person with as much correct information about your present skiing and how much skiing you hope to do within the next few years. It is very important that you do not hire/purchase a ski that is too advanced for you or is not suitable to your standard, weight, height. All these factors should be explained to you when hiring/purchasing and if you are able to try some skis out prior to buying, definitely do this.

Most ski manufacturers are, these days, providing a very similar range of skis. Certain skiers may have a preference to one model/manufacturer than the other but the main point to ask yourself is what you wish to get from a ski. If the answer to this is that ‘you would like a ski that will be able to cope with the ‘whole mountain’ of varying conditions that can be encountered’, then go for an ALL MOUNTAIN ski and be guided by the sales person, who should have a decent amount of experience.

Recommendations

We will soon provided details on this page of recommended skis, presently on the market, that we feel work well for skiers. If you need any advice whatsoever on hiring or purchasing skis, please do not hesitate to email us.

Off-Piste Skis

All Mountain Skis are certainly more popular now for all Off Piste Skiing. There are many ‘all-mountain’ skis to choose from and we highly recommend Rossignol B2 and Rossignol B3 as they have an excellent range for both off-piste and ski touring. Other good all-round skis are the very popular Atomic Sweet Daddy, Salomon 1080¹s and Salomon Scrambler Limited. See our recommended listing, that will appear on this page shortly.

Boots

One of the most important matters when buying boots is that you speak with a sales person that knows what they are talking about! Once again, it is paramount you do not buy/hire a boot that is too advanced for you. Here are a few tips to consider but most importantly seek good, professional advice.

Do not try boots on with a thick pair of ski socks on, or two pairs etc. A good pair of ski socks are fine, something that is smooth, comfortable and does not have heavy ribbing.

Certain models of boots tend to fit certain types of feet. E.g. wide feet, narrow ankles, large calf muscles, you may find a particular model is more suitable to your personal requirements – seek advice and try on a number of pairs of boots.

When you buy a sports shoe or ordinary shoe, you hopefully will firstly decide if it is comfortable – it’s the same with a ski boot. It is not going to be like a pair of slippers but if you feel anything digging in, mention it to the sales person straight away. Boots can now be molded to fit your foot, liners can be made (which we would highly recommend), pressure points can be ironed out as best as possible.

Boot liners

These days many manufacturers offer ‘thermo-fit’ liners as standard equipment. You may also want to consider a custom liner. Heated and moulded to your foot and boot for a perfect fit, they can make all the difference especially if you have trouble finding really comfortable ‘off-the-shelf’ boots. Zipfit liners are a great option for anyone seeking total customisation in fit and comfort. They will replace the original liner.

Custom footbeds

Can provide additional comfort and ski control.

Technical Socks

Investing in good quality ski socks will improve fit,warmth and feel when skiing for long periods.

Advice on Clothing!

• A good quality pair of ski trousers and upper shell/jacket.
• Thermals – Comfortable underwear with good wicking properties.
• Several thin (rather than fewer thick) layers between your skin and the outer shell - An approach which gives better heat retention and good flexibility.
• Roll-neck (rather than a scarf) - Use a ‘buff’ – a light, stretchable tube. Excellent despite the name!
• Headware - To include warm hat and sun-cap.
• Gloves or Mitts – if you suffer from the cold buy a good quality pair of mitts and/or inner gloves.

Accessories

• Good pair of goggles - essential
• Good quality sunglasses
• Ruck-sack for Off-Piste Courses
• Litre water bottle – Off-Piste Courses
• Suncream and lip salve – all courses

Safety equipment – Off Piste Courses

• Transceiver
• Snow shovel
• Avalanche probe

Off-Piste Courses – Equipment

We ask you to bring a Ruck-sack when attending our Off Piste Courses. We also ask you to hire or purchase a:

• Transceiver
• Snow Shovel
• Avalanche probe

We have a certain number available in resort and if it is your first time Off Piste Skiing then we advise that to hire is absolutely fine. If, however, you are a more advanced skier and tend to ski quite a bit in the season or wish to get more involved with Off Piste Skiing, then we do advise that you buy your own equipment.

We shall soon be able to offer more details or purchasing equipment and offers available to our clients. Once again, please email us for any further details or questions.