Welcome Innsbruck - Winter 2019

W E L C O M E 28 weil die Sonneneinstrahlung auf einen Hang zu stark wird. Fährt man nordseitig in ein lässiges Gebiet ab und muss dann ost- oder südseitig wieder zurück, kann das riskant werden. Gerade wenn man wie ich mit einer Gruppe unterwegs ist, wo es immer wieder mal zu Verzögerungen kommen und man seinen Tageszeitplan nicht einhalten kann, muss man im Vorfeld bereits Exitstrategien geplant haben. Man muss wissen: Wie kann man die Tour abkürzen, wo kann man frühzeitig aussteigen und riskante Hänge umgehen.“ Selbstverständlich ist eine stabile Skitechnik Grundvoraussetzung für den Gang ins freie Gelände. Doch nicht nur in Sachen Abfahrt braucht es Know-how. „Eine gute Aufstiegstechnik und dabei insbesondere Spitz- kehrentechnik sind für die meisten Touren ein Muss. Merke ich aller- dings, dass eine Gruppe dabei nicht sattelfest ist, üben wir manches auch im Rahmen der Tour.“ Die Selbsteinschätzung stimmt nicht immer mit den tatsächlichen Anforderungen überein – deshalb wirft Görgl zu Beginn einer Tour gerne einen Blick auf das Können seiner Begleiter. „Meine Touren, die im Optimalfall über zwei oder mehrere Tage ge- hen, folgen einem dramaturgischen Aufbau. An Tag eins geht es um Ski- technik, auch um Sicherheitsmaßnahmen, etwa den Umgang mit dem LVS-Gerät oder das Beurteilen von Geländesituationen. Tags darauf geht es dann auf Tour.“ Mit Sicherheit unterwegs zu sein, bedeutet auch Ge- nuss. Und darum geht es im freien Gelände. Nur mit einem guten Maß an Sicherheit kann man auch unbeschwert genießen. W S ki touring is a top winter pleasure - a sport that is becom- ing more and more popular as it combines a wide variety of possibilities like no other. But sport also involves risks - like everything that takes place in the mountains. One mistake can have fatal consequences - for one’s own life and for that of others. This makes a solid basic knowledge, good equipment and careful prepara- tion more important. “More and more people are moving towards ski routes and to the margins of ski areas and beyond,” says Stephan Görgl from Goergl Intense. In his guided tours, he takes a maximum of eight people for one or more days into the terrain - “ideally in such a way that we use all the help from the infrastructure such as existing lifts to get away from the groomed slopes”. For Stephan Görgl, the basic prerequi- site for ski touring is comprehensive equipment. LVS equipment, shovel, probe and avalanche air bag are standard. “The air bag is mistakenly viewed as a safety tool that allows you to take certain risks - and that is wrong. The airbag is the last thread to which you can attach yourself and your life. If you get into the situation that you need to pull it, you have done everything wrong that day. I also pass this thought on.” The topic of safety on the mountain is an essential one for Stephan Görgl and his tours are structured accordingly. But just because you have the equip- ment does not mean you are safe. On the one hand it’s about knowing how to use it, on the other hand - and this is essential – ensuring you don’t have to use it in the first place. “You have to be aware of the signs that nature gives you and judge them in the correct way,” says Görgl. Before a tour, the daily avalanche situation report is mandatory reading, “you should also bear past snow- fall in mind and be familiar with the structure of the snow. The general weather conditions as well as the local situation are also part of this. It is a network of safety measures based on which decisions are made and tours are planned.” This requires a great deal of knowledge, and that is on the one hand exactly what discourages many people, while on the other others take it lightly - and take risks that are not calculable. A special topic, for example, is track analysis in open terrain: Anyone who simply follows the trail of a predecessor, who climbs up a slope or skis down it, without worrying about how it has been created or whether the predecessor perhaps had as little idea as they do, may under certain circumstances be taking an enormous risk. Another important factor is time, because especially towards the end of winter it gets warmer and warmer during the day, which in turn affects the stability of slopes that get more sun as the day progresses. “This must be considered when planning any tour. There are areas where the descent becomes tricky because the sunlight on a slope becomes too strong. This can become risky if you go north into a good-looking area and then later return east or south. You must plan exit strategies in ad- vance, especially if like me you are travelling with a group, where there are delays every now and then and you can’t keep to your daily schedule. You have to know how you can shorten the tour, where can you break off early and avoid risky slopes.” Of course, a confident ski technique is a basic prerequisite for going into open terrain. But know-how is not only needed when it comes to downhill skiing. “A good ascent style and a hairpin technique are a must for most tours. If, however, I notice that a group is not feeling confident, we practice some of these things during the tour as well.” The self-as- sessment does not always correspond to what is required - that’s why Görgl likes to take a good look at the skills of his companions at the beginning of a tour. “My tours, which ideally last two or more days, follow a systematic struc- ture. Day one is about ski technique, also about safety measures, such as handling the avalanche transceiver or assessing terrain situations. The next day we go on tour.” Going out in a safe manner also means you can enjoy yourself. And that’s what it’s all about in open terrain. Only with a high level of safety can you enjoy yourself in an untroubled manner. W W I N T E R