Off Piste Ability Levels
- Rookie / Beginner
You can ski on piste confidently, linking fluid turns down the fall line on red pistes. If this is you, this means you are technically ready to tackle off-piste skiing. However, Backcountry Tours are not recommended for safety reasons. A good riding in Off piste terrain is needed prior joining in Backcoutry tours. Please have a look our Off Piste educational programs of Evergreen Alpine Academy
- Lower Intermediate
You’re learning the skills to ride in off-piste terrain with few days off-piste skiing experience but after link 10-12 turns together, you lose the reasonable control, speed and style, following the fall line in most conditions.
It needs more confidence and skills to be 100% confident.
- Upper Intermediate
You’re a competent off piste skier with ideally at least two weeks off-piste skiing experience and can link 10-12 turns together in reasonable control, speed and style, following the fall line in most conditions. All the runs are careful chosen to reflect this level, accessing suitable terrain at an appropriate pace, enabling you to practice and consolidate new skills recently gained.
- Advanced
Advanced skiers and riders that are confident on all inbounds terrain and have extensive off piste experience. You don’t necessarily have to have the best form or style but do need to be capable of efficiently making your way down most slopes. You’re an experienced and very confident off-piste skier. You’re able to handle most different snow conditions and ski steep slopes (40 degrees), make short turns in gullies and ski through trees.
- Expert
You are an experienced highly competent skier. Able to ski fluidly and autonomously on all terrain, including couloirs and gullies. Confident on steep slopes and jump turning in narrow couloirs. If you already ski the steepest slopes. All the ski resorts in the valley have iconic descents on faces and couloirs. Before tackling them you will be given reminders of steep skiing techniques.
Touring Level
- Rookie / Beginner
You are looking for your first touring experience. The pace is relaxed and typically we skin for less than 2 hours per day so ascents are less than 400m vertical. You need to be a reasonable off-piste skier (at our intermediate level), able to link controlled parallel turns in powder snow and ski through trees in control. You need to be prepared to hike short sections on foot carrying your skis on your rucksack.
- Lower Intermediate
You’ll have ski toured before and can execute good uphill kick turns on steeper slopes. You need to be a reasonably strong off-piste skier able to deal with a variety of snow conditions (powder, crust, slush) and able to ski on steeper and narrower slopes with the requisite ability and confidence for exposed sections. These tours will involve more than 2 hrs of skinning per day, achieving around 400-600m of vertical ascent. We would expect you to be able skin to a pace of 200m of vertical ascent per hour. You are not familiar with use of crampons and ice axe.
- Upper Intermediate
You’ll have ski toured before and can execute good uphill kick turns on steeper slopes and have some familiarity with use of crampons and ice axe. You need to be a reasonably strong off-piste skier able to deal with a variety of snow conditions (powder, crust, slush) and able to ski on steeper and narrower slopes with the requisite ability and confidence for exposed sections. These tours will involve around 2-4hrs of skinning per day, achieving around 600m of vertical ascent. We would expect you to be able skin to a pace of 250m of vertical ascent per hour. We expect you have a Basic Avalanche Course from this level (AST-1 or equivalent)
- Advanced
You are an experienced ski tourer, you will be expected to ascend on skis at around 300m/hr and be able to skin for at least 4hrs with up to 800 yo 1000m of ascent per day. A large proportion of the terrain may be steep and exposed; thus confidence in your uphill kick turns on 35+ degree slopes is a must, as is your ability to ski slopes of 40 degrees. You will be a strong, fluid off-piste skier able to handle all conditions We expect you have a Advance Avalanche Course from this level (AST-2 or equivalent)
- Expert
You are an experienced ski tourer. You will be expected to ascend on skis at around 400m/hr and be able to skin for at least 5hrs with up to 1000m to 1300m of ascent per day. A large proportion of the terrain may be steep and exposed; thus confidence in your uphill kick turns on 35+ degree slopes is a must, as is your ability to ski slopes of 40 degrees. You will be a strong, fluid off-piste skier able to handle all conditions. You will be confident of using crampons and an ice axe and happy climbing on snow and rock on short climbs to summits. We expect you to have a Proffesional Avalanche Course from this level (Ops-1 or equivalent)
Fitness Level
- Rookie / Beginner
You are not able to ski all day with only short stops for food and drink. You need to finish the day earlier because your legs are tired. You’re not used to doing cardiovascular exercise every weeks. You are not consistent doing weekly exercise (practice exercise 3 to 4 times a week).
- Lower Intermediate
You are fit enough to ski all day with only short stops for food and drink. You’re used to doing cardiovascular exercise 3 to 4 times a week (bike, run, gym) to maintain your fitness, and you’re able to push yourself if needed for short periods of time at a higher rate than usual.
- Upper Intermediate
You work hard regularly to maintain a good level of fitness. You’re used to doing cardiovascular exercise 3 to 4 times a week (bike, run, gym) to maintain your fitness, and you’re able to push yourself if needed for short periods of time at a higher rate than usual. You will be exercising 3-4 times a week and also at the weekend and have a good cardiovascular stamina.
- Advanced
Your stamina and endurance fitness is good and you work hard to maintain a good level of fitness. You will be exercising 3-4 times a week and also at the weekend; thus running a half marathon, doing a 50 mile cycle ride, 3-4 hours on a mountain bike or a full day’s hill walk would all prove possible with this stamina level.
- Expert
Your stamina and endurance fitness is good and you work hard to maintain a good level of fitness. You will be exercising 3-4 times a week and also at the weekend; thus running a full marathon, doing a 100 mile cycle ride, 5 hours on a mountain bike or a full day’s hill walk would all prove possible with this stamina level.
1) Off-Piste Tours
Either within or outside of the ski resort boundary, where little to no hiking is required, where the terrain is accessible via the chairlifts of the ski resort.
Join a tour with Evergreen’s experienced guides and smash powder like a local
2) Backcountry Tours
Venture outside of the ski resort boundary with an experienced guide.
Come and explore the vast Hakuba backcountry and some of the very best powder skiing in Japan