Courses

SKI TOURING AND AVALANCHE TRAINING – Advanced

An advanced ski touring course builds on top of the knowledge you need to travel safely and progress in the technical disciplines needed to enjoy the backcountry to the fullest. On top of the ski touring aspect of the course, avalanche awareness and snowpack observations tie together the important knowledge participants have to have before entering the backcountry.

from: 79.990 kr.

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    SeasonJan-April
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    Duration2.5 days
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    DifficultyBasic touring skills

Course overview

The course is built to help participants make appropriate and good decisions in the mountain terrain, diagnose and deal with different snow conditions and weather in the winter. Participants will be able to safely choose realistic objectives for themselves and the group they travel with.
This course builds on the previous course, Ski touring and avalanche training -Beginners, and will add more to your knowledge, touch more on tour planning, human factor and decision making

Course topic include:

  • Avalanche awareness & testing
  • Weather forecast application
  • Leadership
  • Route selection and travel speed in mountainous terrain
  • Group management
  • Tour planning
  • Risk assessment & risk management

Practical information

Below are details about the course. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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Fitness level: Moderate, comfortable to move 250-300m in elevation per hour over 5-7 hours.
Experience level: Advanced beginner, some prior experience but lacking confidence in the discipline.

You have to be able to ski easy off-piste terrain and know how to operate your avalanche transceiver. It is recommended that you have already participated in the Ski touring and avalanche training – Beginners, or similar course.

Group Price (4-6 participants)
79.990 kr. per person

For a private course or bigger groups please contact us for further information.

Day 1 – Indoor lecture
We meet up at our office 17:00 afternoon where we will have a lecture have a quick refresh on the basic of avalanche theory to get everyone on the same page. We will then dig deeper into avalanche science and tour planning.

Lecture topics are:

  • Avalanche awareness & testing
  • Weather forecast application
  • Leadership
  • Route selection and travel speed in mountainous terrain
  • Group management
  • Tour planning
  • Risk assessment & risk management
  • Decision making and human factor

The evening will end with route planning exercise where you plan a ski tour for the field day.

Day 2 – Field day on skis
We will execute the route planned on the lecture day. The main focus of the day is to focus on what information we can gather as we move through the terrain along with tips and tricks to quickly evaluate the snow stability and what signs to pay attention to.
We will perform snow stability tests, discuss hazards we encounter and how we can mitigate them.
This course is not only about theory and we will try to get as much down hill skiing done as possible.

Day 3 – Field day
We will continue to build on what we learned the day before. Students will be more in the front on this day and making taking decisions with the support of the instructor. By touring and skiing as much as possible while we focus on route selection and hazard identification students will gain experience in the field and learn how to take appropriate decisions. On either day 2 or 3 we will execute an extensive avalanche rescue exercise with focus on planning and rescue leader role.

We will try to create a good learning environment and have students involved in decision making through out the day.

Logistics for Reykjavík based course:

Day 1 – Indoor lecture
The lecture will start at 17:00 on the Wednesday before the field days, and we aim to be finished no later than 22:00. The lecture will take place at our office at Dugguvogur 42, second floor, see map. The entrance is on Sæbraut side.

Day 2 – Field day
Meeting point is at N1 höfða (see map) at 08:00, where we can collect into different cars and share rides with each other. We aim to pick a ski touring location in no more than 1 hour radius from Reykjavík.
We expect to be back in town between 17-18:00.

Day 3 – Field day
Meeting point is the same as the day before unless other is specified.
We expect to be back in town between 17-18:00.

Students are responsible for both transportation and accommodation during the course.

  • Skitourning jacket and pants
  • Skitouring equipment (skis, poles, boots and skins, can be rented)
  • Showel, probe and transceiver (can be rented)
  • Warm jacket down or synthetic
  • Hat
  • Gloves
  • Goggles
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen
  • Lunch / snacks and water
  • Small backpack for personal equipment

What’s included

  • Guiding fee and expenses
  • Course preparation package and reading materials

What’s not included

  • Ski touring equipment
  • Avalanche safety equipment
  • Transport (contact us if you do not have your own vehicle)
  • Lunch
  • Travel and accident insurance

Do you have any questions?

Below are answers to some of the questions we get regarding the tour. If you do not find the answer do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

  • How difficult is glacier hiking

    Glacier hiking on Sólheimajökull is easy to moderate. On our private tours we can adjust difficulty to the ability of the group. On average, we hike around 3 km on the tour on easy and relatively flat terrain.
    If the group is active and fit we deviate from the beaten path and explore more difficult areas on the glacier.

  • I’m a vegetarian/vegan, can special diets be accommodated?

    We will ensure that our guests with different dietary needs are looked after.
    All huts can offer a vegetarian option but is is important that you let us know in advance so the hut keeper can plan for this.
    Vegan option can be difficult to come around. Pleas get in touch with us and we can advice you on the possibilities.

  • What are the huts like?

    The huts are often very remote and sitting at high altitude, which means the comfort level is basic. They are clean and cozy and have everything you would wish for an overnight stay.

    Most of the huts have a hostel style dormitories where people have their own small space in a bunk bed. The hut provides blankets and pillows so you don´t have to carry a sleeping bag. Most of the time it is possible to charge your phone/camera in the hut but they do not have stable electricity so it is good to bring a power bank to charge your devices.

    The hut has a fully functioning kitchen and a bar where you can order lunch from a menu, coffee, cake or beer on tap. The quality of the water varies between huts and we recommend bottled water available for purchase at the hut.

  • What happens to my booking if the weather or conditions are bad?

    In case it is not possible to operate the tour due to weather or conditions we try the following things:

    Move the tour to a different date if that works for you, change to a different activity if you agree on that. If none of the above is possible and we have to cancel the tour due to weather or poor conditions, we will refund you the tour.

  • In how much advance should I book my tour with you?

    The short answer is: the longer the better. We have limited resources of guides and sometimes we are fully booked.
    For less technical tours like Glacier hiking, Glacier hiking and ice climbing, and alpine trekking tours we can usually accommodate you with a short notice. For more technical tours like Waterfall ice climbing, Rock climbing and alpine tours longer advance is better to secure a spot.
    Short notice can be 24 hours before departure and longer notice is at least two weeks before.

  • What is the best season for the activities you offer?

    The best season depends on what activity you choose. The appropriate season is stated at the top of each tour. To break it down:

    Glacier hikes and glacier ice climbing
    Available the whole year. This activity is not dependant on weather or conditions. The only time we have to cancel or post pone these activities is when the weather is really bad.

    Rock climbing and alpine rock climbing
    Rock climbing is a summer activity available May-October. This activity is highly weather dependant and not possible when the rock is wet or when it is raining. If you are interested in rock climbing outside of the season, it is possible if we have really good weather days. Please contact us for further information.

    Ski touring
    The best ski touring in the south-west part of Iceland is usually around spring time. The ski touring season is usually between Feb-May, however it is possible to ski outside the season if conditions are good or we ski the glaciers like on the tour “Ski touring Snæfellsjökull”. If you are interested to ski outside of the season please contact us for further information.

    Waterfall ice climbing and alpine winter climbing
    The main season is from late November to late March. Iceland has a maritime climate and temperatures fluctuate through out the season making this activity highly subject to weather and conditions. In case we have poor conditions for ice climbing we can always substitute the waterfall ice climbing with ice climbing on the glacier.

    Alpine trekking
    Snæfellsjökull can be climbed almost the whole year, appart from the darkest month of the year, December.
    Other bigger mountains like Eyjafjallajökull and Hvannadalshnúkur, the highest summit of Iceland, have the best conditions from early spring to late summer.

  • Do I need any prior experience to participate in your tours?

    Since all of our tours are private we are able to adjust the difficulty and and experience level needed for each tour. However, for some of your tours it is advisable that you have have some background in the activity:

    Glacier hiking and glacier ice climbing
    There is no prior experience needed for those tours

    Waterfall ice climbing
    It is possible to try waterfall ice climbing if you do not have any prior ice climbing experience. We would choose an easy climbing route with easy access. If you have never done ice climbing before it is worth looking into our Ice climbing and glacier hiking tour on Sólheimajökull.

    Ski touring
    For our ski touring tours you have to be a competent off-piste skier and able to ski down in various conditions.

    Rock and alpine climbing
    No prior experience is needed for single pitch rock climbing. For multi pitch climbing it is advisable that your climbing level is at 5.7-5.8 and you have to know how to belay a lead climber.

  • Can I request a tour that is not on your website?

    Yes, without a doubt. Private guiding is what Asgard is all about and if you can dream your adventure, we can make it happen. If you do not find your perfect adventure on our website, do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected]!

    Examples of private tours we have done in the past:

    • Expedition planning and support
    • Cross country ski touring
    • Expedition and polar training
    • Private hiking, day tours and multi-day tours
    • Location management and safety on film projects
    • Private tours for photographers
    • Alpine trekking on glaciated summits
    • Multiday tours in Greenland
  • Do you offer pickup service?

    In general we only meet our guests on location, or car pool from a central location in Reykjvaík. However, if you do not have your own car and can not meet us on location please get in touch.

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Our
partners

Arc’teryX

Asgard guides wear Arcteryx gear because it is durable and keeps them warm and dry in challenging conditions.

Fjallakofinn

Fjallakofinn is an outdoor store in Reykjavík offering high quality outdoors products & a rental service.