Today we're covering the basics of ski touring. What to take on a ski tour (and why), great equipment information with lots of helpful tips and tricks that we, as mountain guides, have discovered and optimized on numerous tours for ourselves, colleagues, and others, how to pack your backpack, and some important information on meticulous ski tour planning. After this brief introduction indoors, we'll head out into the backcountry. Now everyone can get hands-on experience and familiarize themselves with their own emergency equipment and, most importantly, learn how to use it to carry out an effective companion rescue in the event of an avalanche. We'll set up a scenario where all course participants can practice extensively. The groups are intentionally kept small so that we can address your questions and additional topics that interest you outside of our program in a very individual and targeted way.