‘Steep skiing’ means skiing or boarding lines on gullies or faces typically over 35 degrees. Compared to regular snowsports touring, there are additional hazards of ice, cornices, rock fall and other climbers & skiers who may not be visible from above. 

The following guidance, developed by members of the Mountain Safety Group for Scotland, will help you reduce the risks whilst still enjoying what the steeps have to offer.

Summary

  • Plan Ahead: Be realistic about your abilities and discuss objectives, risks, and communication strategies with your team before starting the trip.
  • Assess Conditions: Always evaluate the steep line before committing, considering ice, rock and avalanche hazards.
  • Adapt to Changes: Conditions can change rapidly; be ready to adapt your plan as necessary.
  • Work as a Team: Avoid solo skiing; maintain clear communication with your party and ensure everyone is able to voice concerns.
  • Mountaineering Skills: Be comfortable moving securely on steep snow using boots, crampons, and ice axe.
  • Check Your Gear: Ensure ski edges are sharp, bindings are secure, and boot crampons fit properly. Perform 'buddy checks' before skiing.
  • Carry Essential Kit: Bring a helmet, ice axe, boot crampons, avalanche rescue kit, and a rucksack that can carry your skis or board.
  • Emergency Preparedness: Carry a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), First Aid kit, group shelter, and Blizzard Bag to protect against hypothermia.
  • Take a Rope: Carry a rope for planned or unplanned use, knowing how to construct snow anchors and belays.
  • Wear a Harness: For serious steep skiing, wear a lightweight harness and carry minimal climbing gear to secure yourself if needed.

Photo credit: Inverness Backcountry Ski Club

Steep skiing guidance

Make a plan

  • Be realistic about your abilities. Consider obtaining specific steep skiing instruction.
  • At the start of any trip, have a clear discussion with your team about the objectives, the risks involved and how you will work and communicate together on the mountain.
  • Identify the potential hazards, including any ‘no fall’ and ‘no stop’ zones of particular risk.
  • Keep group sizes small and avoid bunching on the same ascent or descent.
  • Have an easier alternative plan for when the conditions are harder than expected.
  • Remember the hazards can change as the snowpack and conditions change through the day. Be ready to change or adapt your plan.
ALWAYS TELL SOMEONE WHAT YOUR PLAN IS AND WHEN YOU EXPECT TO BE BACK

Assess the avalanche hazard and snow conditions

  • Always assess a steep line before committing to it.  Ice is often the major hazard in Scottish conditions and can be lethal on a steep line where there are rocks or boulders in the run-out below. Skiing lines in unfavourable conditions is not advised.
  • Conditions can change rapidly - what was good yesterday may be bad today. The line will vary as you descend and good conditions can suddenly become hard pack, crust or even steep ice, or vice versa in spring conditions.
  • Steep lines are often prime avalanche territory. Make careful assessment before heading out, on the approach and before committing to the line. Use the ‘Be Avalanche Aware’ guidance.
  • Do not solely rely on social media or other dated information. Learn how to make your own observations to assess the risks and ideally pre-ascend the line before skiing it. If this isn’t possible, then assess from various angles above before committing. An abseil may be necessary. Be very wary of committing to an unassessed line & identify how you would escape the line if it became necessary.
  • Always consider other mountain users before making a descent including skiers, climbers, walkers.
  • Be ready to change plan and back off. Don’t succumb to the trap of ‘giving it a go’ regardless.

Work as a team - don't go it alone

  • All members of a party need to tell others how they are getting on or if they see a risk or problem. If someone raises a concern – listen to them, discuss with the whole team and ensure personal ambitions come second. Don’t leave inexperienced members to go last.
  • Solo steep skiing brings additional risk – try to avoid and if you do go alone, be ready to back off if the conditions are marginal. If finding a ski-buddy is difficult, join one of the Scottish backcountry ski clubs.

Maintain communications

  • Steep skiing benefits from clear comms and two-way radios can be a useful tool – they let you confirm when a line is clear of climbers and for people in your group and to watch out for one another.

The importance of mountaineering skills

Check your ski kit

  • Before your trip, make sure your edges are sharp and check the bindings for loose screws or poorly fitting boots. Use an appropriate DIN setting. Make sure your boot crampons fit properly.
  • Before committing to the line, make sure your boots are in ski mode and securely seated in the bindings – pins can be hard to see and performing ‘buddy checks’ on one another can help. Telescopic poles must be securely locked.

Take a 'steeps' kit

  • A helmet, ice axe (or two) and properly fitted boot crampons.
  • Touring boots with a Vibram-type sole.
  • Avalanche rescue kit (transceiver, shovel & probe) and an avalanche air bag if you have one.
  • A rucksack that can securely carry your skis or board
  • Lightweight binoculars or a monocular can be handy to have in the party to help inspect lines for ice/thin cover etc.

Must-have emergency equipment

  • A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or similar satellite communicator as most steep lines will be out of mobile reception.
  • First Aid kit with haemostatic dressings and a tourniquet (due to the increased risk of major trauma in a fall)
  • Group Shelter (aka ‘bothy bag’) and a Blizzard Bag. An injured skier is very vulnerable to hypothermia. A group shelter will let you get them out the wind. Their chances will be further improved if you can put them into a thermal survival bag such as Blizzard Bag.

Consider taking a rope

A rope can be carried for either planned or unplanned use.

  • Unplanned: Having a 30m static ‘security’ rope, sling and carabiner and knowing how to construct snow anchors, belays, lower-offs or short abseils can resolve many unexpected problems and can be a huge help overcoming cornices and steep headwalls.  
  • Planned: If access to the line means climbing anything other than a simple snow gully, or requires a long abseil to access the route/overcome known rock or ice pitches lower down the line, then this requires planned use of ropes and dedicated climbing skills and equipment. You will need dynamic climbing rope/s, harnesses and a suitable winter climbing ‘rack’.
If you don't have the skills and knowledge, bringing a rope will be of little use and may create a false sense of security – leave it behind and go ski an easier line instead.

Consider wearing a harness

  • For the most serious steep skiing, wearing a lightweight harness plus carrying a couple of ice screws and a minimal rock rack; and a sling + karabiner may be wise if the line turns out to be too icy to ski safely. This will allow you to secure yourself whilst you get skis off, crampons on and climb back out to safer ground.

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