Ski touring with your dog
Do you know ski touring? It's very different from a classic hike with your dog. It's a ski tour. This is the best way to travel the mountain in winter; in ski touring you will pass everywhere. Ski touring is practiced outside the resorts, in the middle of the mountains, off-piste, where the paths are therefore not groomed. For the climb, we glue “sealskins” under the skis so that they grip on the slope and do not slip backwards and for the descent, we remove them and ski “normally”. The practice of ski touring requires good physical condition, especially for the climbs (you need good endurance, a good heart and good thighs) and to master skiing very well because off-piste is a demanding playground. Be careful, do not embark on the adventure without knowing what awaits you and what awaits your dog.
First read the advice of our ski touring enthusiasts with a dog. I remind you of ski touring, it's not just skiing with your dog.
I present to you Cayak and Charlotte, passionate about endurance sports. They tell us all about their passion that they share together. They explain to us what the ski touring with a dog and how they practice it together.
Ski touring with a dog: what is this sport Too W'ouf?
Cayak, a 6-year-old shepherd cross, faithful, courageous and very athletic, shares everything with Charlotte who has always dreamed of having a dog to accompany her on her adventures (canoeing, canyoning, stand-up paddle, boating, swimming, hiking, skiing, sledding).
Charlotte:- “He integrated into my daily life so quickly that he hardly ever leaves me, I'm even lucky enough to have him with me in the office every day! The only thing I have never been able to practice with him is climbing..."
Charlotte, athletic at heart, was already practicing this activity before having Cayak: “but it's so much better when you're accompanied by our furry faithful!
“-“I already practiced a lot of sports with him, especially cani-cross and cani-rando. So I knew his resistance to effort and he was in good physical condition. We had also spent quite a bit of time in the snow, so I knew he could handle the cold perfectly well. Since we were already doing tow sports, he was familiar with the basic commands such as “wait”, “front”, “right” and “left”. He is very fine in his execution and very receptive, it helps in the technical passages! He was in good shape, and me too, everything was there to try ski touring together!"
As you see it ski touring with your dog it can't be improvised… Good education, physical condition and adequate equipment are the watchwords for a successful off-piste hike with your dog. It's a great sport to try with your dog, but not for the first time. holidays with your dog to winter sports…
Equipment for your dog
Charlotte:-”Cayak already had his pulling harness for dog and me my shoulder belt with a canicross lanyard. For my first outings, I added an extra strap so that it was a little further away from me, safe from the sharp edges of my skis! Now I'm properly equipped with a long skijoring lanyard, more convenient and safer. It is also necessary to plan slippers for dog paws. This limits the formation of ice balls under their paws which can hurt them or at least bother them."
Musher and I have listed all the equipment you need to go to the snow with your dog without risk and everything you need to know to avoid incidents/accidents. You will find our advice in this article: Winter sports holidays with a dog: precautions to take
Charlotte:-”Yes, I confirm that there are a lot of precautions to take, in particular information on the state of the snow and the weather. On my first ski touring outing with my dog, I was worried about how he was going to handle the climb. So I made sure he wasn't afraid of skis, for example. When it came time to get off, I wanted him to stay away from me and above all from the skis, the main danger for him. So I asked him to stay behind me, so there was no risk of hitting him if he stopped suddenly. So I started to go down slowly, making big curves. He immediately understood that he had to stay away. What pleasure he took in driving through the powder! So I started to accelerate, but following my tracks in curves was wasting his time, so he adopted the attitude “straight ahead at full speed! ". His radiant dog face convinced me of the pleasure he took in the exercise! "
Ski touring: demanding sport for athletic dogs
Le ski touring is a demanding sport for athletic or super athletic dogs.
Charlotte:-" I don't think it's a sport suitable for all dogs. You need a dog that is able to run without getting exhausted right away in deep snow, so a dog that is big enough but not too heavy. You also need a dog whose hair doesn't clump too much in the snow and who, above all, can tolerate the cold.
– For this we can of course also help them a little with a coat for a short-haired dog and especially no washing for a long-haired dog because the natural fat of their coat prevents the snow from sticking too much! "
As you will have understood, ski touring is a sport absolutely not accessible to everyone or to all dogs. You have to know the mountain and its dangers well and know your limits and those of your dog to never put yourself in danger.
Besides, before you start, I advise you to take stock of the mutual insurance of your animal. If necessary, it is important to be able to count on your animal health insurance to cover all or part of the veterinary costs. Operation, cost, ... you have questions? Ski touring is a demanding sport for the animal as for its master, if something happens, you will be covered.
In any case, it is a sport that I will not practice with Musher. One, I don't ski well enough, two I can't “read” the snow so as not to take dangerous circuits and three Musher wouldn't like to run behind me for miles. Her, what she likes is sniffing smells, following in the footsteps, playing in the snow...
Don't go on a big circuit. Think about your dog. If he is not used to it, he will very quickly tire of running in the snow. Don't disgust him on his first outing. On the climbs, it can help you by towing a little and on the descents, it will run like crazy to catch up with you. Go for it molo according to his abilities. Respect your companion and his abilities so that holidays with your dog evening a real pleasure!
If this activity Too W'ouf makes you want, know that Cayak and Charlotte practice it together between Chambéry and Grenoble in the wild massif of the Chartreuse or at the Col du Lautaret located in the Hautes-Alpes department.
And for all those who want more good "ski touring" deals, discover Django and Frédéric, who slide precisely on this side too. They deliver us lots of great ski touring tips on the sector in an article dedicated to tips skiing with a dog.