Blog
Backcountry skiing
Ski touring (AKA backcountry skiing) demands a wide range of skills and specialist gear, but the reward is fresh tracks in beautiful places. Check out my Ski touring courses in Scotland.
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Do you get avalanches in Scotland?
Avalanches occur every winter in the Highlands of Scotland, which surprises not only tourists but also some hikers and skiers.
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Ski touring kit list
Kit list for ski touring, with tips on gear to pack for different backcountry missions.
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Cab9 Edge sunglasses review
The Edge sunglasses from Cab9 are a great buy if you’re looking for a set of well-priced shades with good coverage and polarised lenses.
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Tips for backcountry skiing with a dog
Skiing with your dog is a geat experience for both of you – as long as you manage it well.
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What are ski crampons?
Ski crampons are bulky, expensive, fiddly and totally awesome in icy conditions.
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Ski touring skins
Ski touring skins are an ingenious invention that allows skiers to ski efficiently uphill. Learn about the features to look for and how to trim, store and clean them.
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Tenacious Tape review: perfect for down jacket repairs
If your trusty down puffy or belay jacket gets holed, follow this guide for a quality, near permanent and invisible fix.
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Essential Ski Touring Skills (beginners and experts)
If you want to learn backcountry ski touring, you’ll need a lot more than just good skiing skills.
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What to wear for ski touring
List of recommended clothing to wear for ski touring and backcountry skiing.
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UV Sun Protection
Enjoy the sun but avoid UV damage, by wearing sunglasses with both UVA and UVB protection and following these sunburn prevention tips.
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Stay hydrated outdoors: 6 tips for healthy adventures
Stay hydrated to stay healthy. Proper hydration becomes even more important (but difficult) when exercising in remote outdoor locations.
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Keep cool outdoors: 6 tips to avoid overheating
Follow these tips to keep cool outdoors and avoid heat injuries such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
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Prevent and treat blisters
A blister on your foot can be a big problem in some outdoor activities – learn how to prevent blisters, and get tips for their treatment.
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Backcountry boot and binding compatibility
The issue of touring boot and binding compatibility got quite complex for a while. But recent developments have hopefully improved the situation.
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Ski design
This Help article describes basic ski design and how that affects ski performance. In this post, we are mainly focusing on choosing a ski for ski touring. A good ski for ski touring in Scotland (where Arc Guiding is based) is unlikely to work well for backcountry skiing in, say, British Columbia. But the general…
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Choosing mountaineering / ski touring gloves
Ski touring / mountaineering gloves balance warmth, flexibility and waterproofing.
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Ski service 101: learn how to ptex, sharpen and wax
Learning to do your own ski servicing can save money and help you learn about ski construction and tuning.
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Ski touring boots: How to adjust and care for them
Alpine ski touring (AT) boots are specialist items of equipment – and often very expensive! Learn more about their features and how to use them.
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Avalanche transceiver: functions and how to use
Understand what an avalanche transceiver (beacon) is and how to use it for companion rescue.
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How to use an avalanche probe
Should the worst happen, save valuable seconds by using your avalanche probe properly.
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What is the Layering Principle?
The layering principle will help you design an outdoor clothes system for hiking and other adventure activities.
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Poles for ski touring: choosing your sticks
Choose proper backcountry ski poles to make your ski touring way easier (and safer)
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Scotland ski touring: bold backcountry
Ski touring in Scotland is all about wild backcountry, changeable weather and hunting the snow.
