Skill Level Check

Ski and Snowboard Levels

Level 1
Current ability: No previous skiing or snowboarding experience.
Lesson goals: Become comfortable with the equipment, learn how to move on flat ground and practise basic sideslipping.

Level 2
Current ability: Can sideslip on either the toe or heel edge.
Lesson goals: Learn to link toe-side and heel-side turns on green runs and gradually increase speed.

Level 3
Current ability: Can make basic toe-side or heel-side turns on green runs.
Lesson goals: Improve technique and link turns smoothly on green runs.

Level 4
Current ability: Can confidently link turns on green runs.
Lesson goals: Control speed confidently on more challenging green or blue runs and learn to ride switch.

Level 5
Current ability: Can confidently link turns on blue runs.
Lesson goals: Continue refining technique on green and blue runs, develop a personal riding style and learn introductory freestyle skills.

Level 6
Current ability: Can confidently link turns on red runs and has some freestyle experience.
Lesson goals: Refine technique and personal style on black runs and in off-piste terrain, while learning new freestyle skills in the terrain park and powder.

Touring Skills

1. Beginner
No experience using climbing skins, ski-touring equipment or splitboards, and no experience with kick turns. You will learn and develop these skills with the help of your guide.

2. Intermediate
Comfortable using ski-touring or splitboard equipment and climbing skins, with some kick-turn experience.

3. Experienced
Proficient with ski-touring or splitboard equipment and able to perform stable, reliable kick turns on steep slopes.

4. Advanced
An experienced ski tourer or splitboarder with strong backcountry travel skills on steep terrain.

Backcountry Riding Ability

1. Beginner
Confident on groomed black runs but only beginning to explore off-piste terrain beside steeper red or blue runs.

2. Intermediate
Comfortable skiing or snowboarding off-piste while carrying a backpack. Able to manage difficult conditions using sideslipping, traversing, snowplough turns or existing tracks, and capable of handling short, steep off-piste sections comparable to black runs.

3. Experienced
Able to link continuous turns in powder, control speed through narrow trees or confined spaces and follow a precise line. Able to link turns on longer slopes of up to approximately 35 degrees in good snow conditions.

4. Advanced
Able to follow a chosen line in most conditions, including powder and crust, with very few falls. Confident on slopes of up to 40 degrees. Skiers can perform jump turns, while snowboarders can maintain a controlled heel-side traverse.

Backcountry Fitness Level

1. Average
You exercise once or twice a week for a total of approximately 1–1.5 hours. Activities may include walking, running, cycling or equivalent gym workouts.

2. Good
You train for approximately 2–4 hours per week, including one longer weekend session. You exercise about three times a week and can walk uphill with a backpack for several hours without becoming exhausted.

3. Great
You exercise every weekend and feel frustrated if you miss a week of running, cycling or hiking. You can complete a 6–7-hour mountain hike with a light backpack, run for two hours or cycle 50 kilometres over hilly terrain without feeling exhausted for the following week. Your weekly training volume is approximately 4–10 hours.

4. Elite
You have trained consistently for several years, perhaps to achieve ambitious mountain goals or compete in endurance sports. Completing a marathon in under four hours or entering a 150-kilometre cycling event would feel like an enjoyable challenge. You can hike in the mountains with a backpack for seven hours or more, gaining over 1,500 metres of elevation, and train for more than 10 hours per week.