One of the challenges when starting out ski touring is getting your first ‘set-up’: the boots, skis, skins and bindings necessary for touring.

‘Alpine Touring’ equipment is the most popular type used for mountain touring as it is the most similar to normal alpine downhill skiing, with the heel locked down for descents. ‘Telemark’ set-ups are the other type for mountain skiing. This uses a different type of boot and binding and also requires a different ski technique, where the heel remains free in descent.

Cost is a big factor – a full set-up of new touring boots, skis, bindings, and skins can easily cost over £2000.  If you can afford it, getting all elements of your set-up at the same time is a good idea – that way you can make sure that everything is compatible and works together – not every type of binding will work with every kind of boot.

When starting out, it’s almost always best to buy your setup from one of the specialist shops and not from an online retailer. You can avoid expensive mistakes and ensure that the bindings are properly mounted on the skis and that the bindings are properly adjusted to your boots. IBSC can recommend Craigdon Sports in Inverness, Cairngorm Mountain Sports in Aviemore, and Braemar Mountain Sports, who all offer IBSC members a discount.

If you can’t afford a new setup, then you might be able to get items second-hand. Good quality second-hand touring kit can be hard to come by and tends to sell very quickly. One of the best sources online is the British Backcountry For Sale/Wanted Facebook group, although you might find items on other online second-hand sites like eBay or Gumtree. Wherever you buy though, make sure to do some research first and make sure that you watch out for things like:

•  Will the bindings fit your boots?
•  If the seller is offering skins, what condition are they in?
•  Can you still get ski crampons that will fit the binding?

Second-hand skis in particular can be an attractive option for Scottish touring – the often thin and icy cover means skis tend to take a lot more punishment from rocks than they would if used for touring in the Alps and most experienced tourers have an older set of skis they reserve for Scottish use.

Renting a set-up may be a good option if you are still figuring out if touring is going to be for you.  Tiso in Aviemore as well as Cairngorm and Braemar Mountain Sports all rent touring kit.

Getting a comfortable pair of touring boots is probably the single most important part of your setup. Badly fitted boots will be uncomfortable and will blister your feet when skinning, making for a miserable experience. Well fitted boots will provide comfortable all day use.

When looking for a boot, try to find a brand that uses a ‘last’ that suits the shape of your foot (the ‘last’ is the model or form that the shape of the boot is built around). Some brands suit more narrow feet (e.g. Salomon), some wider (e.g. Scott). Others have more tapered toe boxes, others more suited to those with a more square toe shape. ‘Thermomold’ inners and shells can help achieve a more precise, comfortable fit, but they won’t be enough to solve issues with the basic shape of the boot shell and your foot.

Booking a fitting in a well-stocked shop and trying on as many different types as you can is a good investment of time and justified by the cost involved in buying a new set of touring boots and the difficulty in getting a poorly fitting set of boots remoulded.

Touring boots should be lighter than normal alpine ski boots and will often have 3 or fewer buckles and now frequently use the ‘Boa’ cord system instead of buckles to get a secure fit on the lower foot. Very light boots can offer less downhill performance and a less powerful skiing style.

All touring boots will have a way of putting them into ‘walk’ mode that frees the ankle to pivot, making both skinning and walking much more comfortable.  Look for models with positive methods of engagement so there is no doubt when it is in ski or walk mode.

Touring boots will also have a Vibram-type sole to provide grip when on foot.  This is a major difference between touring boots and normal Alpine ski boots that have a flat sole. This means the touring boot may not be compatible with a normal alpine binding. Some freeride or freetour boots now have a GripWalk sole. These provide a bit more traction when walking, but cannot compare with a Vibram-type sole when crossing rocky ground.

All modern touring boots will also come with pin insets at the toe so they can be used with pin-type ‘tech’ bindings. But they may still not be compatible with some type of hybrid-tech binding: for example, the Atomic Carbon Backland and several types of Dynafit boot are not compatible with the Atomic Shift or frame bindings. Boot-Binding compatibility can be a complex area and is defined in a number of ISO standards – always check compatibility with your retailer:

• ISO 5355 (Alpine/DIN): This standard is for traditional alpine ski boots and bindings. It ensures a flat profile and hard plastic sole for consistent release and power transmission.
• ISO 9523 (Touring): This standard applies to alpine touring boots and bindings, designed for both skinning and downhill skiing.
• ISO 23223 (GripWalk): This newer standard includes improved walking features, making it easier to walk in ski boots while still being compatible with alpine and touring bindings

There are also a number of ‘Freeride’ or ‘Freetour’ boots on the market. These are a hybrid between a normal alpine boot  (4 buckles, heavier shell) and a touring boot (i.e. has a walk mode). These can be good for lift-served off-piste skiing where you might also do shorter tours, but are less suitable for long days of Scottish touring when you might have to hike to reach the snow line or do a multi-hour skin. These often have the GripWalk sole.

Selecting your first touring binding can be very challenging when starting out as there are many types to choose, with a bewildering range of performance claims and no real way of testing them out until you are on the slopes. There are three general types of binding: frame, pin (tech) and hybrid.

These are now less common than they used to be but are still an excellent type of binding to start out with. They are easy to use and will release at the toe and heel, making them far safer in falls. They are also less prone to icing-up. On the downside they are heavier and as you lift the frame with each step, more tiring on long days. They also raise the sole of the ski boot off the top of the ski, reducing downhill performance somewhat, but also offer the familiarity of stepping in/out as with a normal alpine binding. The Fritschi Scout is an excellent lightweight frame binding. Other Frame bindings such as the Marker Baron are heavier and more suited to freeride as opposed to full days touring.

These are now becoming very common, with even people new to touring starting off with pin bindings. Their main advantage is that they are lighter than frame bindings and offer better downhill performance. Their disadvantages are that they are more expensive, more complex to use, and can be less safe in a crash if the toe can’t release. They are also prone to getting iced up which can make them harder to step into or release.  If you are getting a tech binding, but are new to touring or off-piste skiing then look for types that will also offer some kind of release at the toe such as the Fritschi Vipec Evo.

At the time of writing, there is only one type of hybrid binding available: the ‘Shift’ by Salomon/Atomic.  This is a crossover between a normal alpine ski-binding and a tech touring bindings. They have the advantage of offering excellent downhill ski performance (just like a normal alpine binding) and in a crash will release at the heel and toe just like a normal ski-binding. Their main disadvantage is that they are heavier than most typical tech bindings.