Ski touring on a budget discussion

Club member Tom Litchfield, has put together a guide to the tips and tricks that have worked for him and which he hopes will help other members. Read it here
After reading Tom’s article, feel free to share your own money saving ideas on this dedicated club forum page.

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Great article from Tom Litchfield on Ski Touring on a Budget.

Over the summer, the club looked at various options to help reduce costs for members, especially for those just getting into ski touring. A club hire scheme was considered but rejected for logistical and insurance reasons. Enhanced retail discounts were chased but no advances were made on the discounts available through Mountaineering Scotland (Member Benefits – Your Discounts)

One area where the club could do more is through gear recycling and I would encourage members to use the “For Sale” forum on Discourse and/or ESC WhatsApp “Kit for sale” as a way of recycling unwanted but useful gear (helping new members into the sport and saving the planet as well). “Bring and Buy” options will also be built into club social events for opportunities to exchange unwanted gear with other members.

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Really good article, Tom, thank you. It’s “bang on the money”!

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Tom, thanks for a reference quality article. I expect to refer to it on more than one occasion.

Another gear option I have used is Decathlon on line. They have a surprising range of their own and branded ski touring clothing and equipment. Generally, their own falls in the category “good enough” and is priced well below brands. End of season sales are definitely worth looking at for a bargain.

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Thanks All! And Decathlon is definitely another great shout John.

Also worth mentioning that, as well as the Eagles, the Alpine Ski Club (ASC) also makes Development Awards.

In terms of access to training, it is well worth looking at the Austrian Alpine Club offerings. If you have been a member for this year and last, you can get 50% grants (and yet more for younger members) for introductory skills courses. The UK branch runs a number of Alps-based courses in English.
Last year we met a UK group in a hut doing a Snowshoe intro course with a guide, which was 50% subsidised, and they offer similar for intro Skitouring courses. The group rated the guide very highly.
See here AAC(UK) Training Alpenverein

Also, if your language skills are up to it, look at some of the options associated with joining one of the national alpine clubs. E.g. in the past we have seen the DAV offering very good value courses - in German - for members.

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