Ski Freshtracks: ski holidays, ski resorts, snow reports, ski news, info & advice from the Ski Club of Great Britain, the UK's largest snowsports club

To promote best practice, everyone on holidays in the Off-Piste Zone must carry a rucksack (min. 20 litre) when skiing off piste and you will be encouraged to carry a shovel and probe.

Learn to ski off piste requirements
You will be expected to provide and carry a day pack with the following contents:

• Bottle for water (half litre minimum)
• A spare layer of clothing
• Hat and spare gloves
• Goggles/sunglasses
• Sun cream
• Energy snack/chocolate
• Glucose tablets
• Mobile phone (if you own one) plus list of local emergency numbers
• Own emergency insurance details
• Resort piste map

Silver, purple and gold off piste holiday requirements:
You will need a rucksack with straps to carry skis. And in addition to list above, everyone will also need to carry:

• Collapsible shovel
• Probe

Other items (optional)

• Whistle
• Personal first aid pack
• Multi-tool
• Spare pole basket
• Compass
• 1:25,000 map of the area

Helmets
Many skiers and boarders choose to wear a helmet. These are usually readily available for hire or purchase in resort.

Your avalanche bleepers

All the Ski Freshtracks off-piste holidays include the hire of avalanche transceivers for each member in the holiday cost. Avalanche transceivers are essential for everyone skiing away from marked pistes. These are radio devices, worn strapped to the body, enabling skiers buried by an avalanche to be found quickly, greatly increasing their likelihood of survival. Avalanche transceivers are provided for and should be worn by every person on every holiday of intermediate standard and above.

Fitness

In order for you to be safe on the mountain you need to be fit enough for the trip you are undertaking. Skiing is a demanding sport and so it is essential to take into consideration fitness levels when making decisions about your ski standard. Fitness is a key part of skiing ability and so it is important when choosing a holiday to ask yourself how far you can, and are prepared, to push yourself. Whether you are comfortable cruising the reds all day with a long lunch stop or are looking for more of a physical challenge with turn after turn in deep powder, a good level of physical fitness is required in order to make sure you get the maximum out of your holiday and avoid unnecessary injuries. It is recommended that you participate in at least 40 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week for a minimum of three months in the run up to a skiing holiday.

Check out our fitness and safety pages for more information.

Mobile phones

It can be useful to take your mobile skiing with you, but remember that you cannot rely on getting a signal in the mountains. However, it has been proven that mobile telephones, if switched on, can affect the transmitting signal of an avalanche transceiver. It is safer to switch your mobile off when skiing off piste. It is also more socially acceptable.