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Courses Snowshoe Winter

12–15 February 2027

SAC introductory snowshoe touring course

to the offer Register | Info

Snowshoeing group in the snowy Gemmi landscape, with striking rocky peaks in the background.

Location | Meeting point:

Gemmi Lodge 2350
Travel via Leukerbad and the Gemmi cable car
Time as stated in the detailed programme

Date | Duration:

12–15 February 2027
4 course days | 3 nights
Gemmi Lodge 2350 with half board

Requirements | Group:

WT2–WT3 · previous experience required
5–16 participants
Maximum 8 per guide

SAC course with simply.hiking

Experience winter and become more independent on tour. On the Gemmi’s alpine plateau, develop your snowshoe touring skills over four intensive course days in varied terrain with Reini from simply.hiking.

You already have some touring experience and a basic knowledge of avalanche transceivers and avalanche awareness. We build on this foundation: assessing avalanche danger, laying a suitable track and refining walking technique in more demanding terrain. Rescue exercises reinforce your use of a transceiver, probe and shovel.

Together, we plan tours, navigate with appropriate tools and review our decisions along the way. Safety and respect for nature go hand in hand. The home of the bearded vulture provides our alpine setting.

Our base is Gemmi Lodge 2350 with half board and views of the Valais four-thousanders. Here, we discuss our experiences and prepare the next tour.

The organiser is the Swiss Alpine Club SAC. Reini from simply.hiking leads the course as your guide.
Registration and booking are directly with the SAC. You can also take part without SAC membership.

The alpine plateau of the Gemmi, home of the bearded vulture
Develop snowshoe technique and track-setting skills in the terrain
Avalanche assessment and practical rescue exercises
Navigation and independent tour planning with respect for nature
Three nights at Gemmi Lodge 2350 with half board
Personal guidance from Reini at simply.hiking
Maximum eight participants per guide; a second guide from nine people
SAC course open to non-members

Friday, 12 February 2027

We meet at Gemmi Lodge 2350. After getting to know each other and introducing the course, we cover equipment, the 3x3 assessment method and avalanche rescue. A practical tour helps us develop walking technique in winter terrain.

We carry our food for the day in our backpacks. After checking into our rooms and enjoying dinner together with mountain views, we review the day and plan the next tour.

You receive the confirmed meeting time with the detailed programme. Routes may be adapted to current conditions.

Saturday, 13 February 2027

After breakfast, we set out on the practice tour we have planned together. Route selection, track setting and navigation are the main focus. We learn to recognise winter hazards, assess them and take them into account in our decisions.

We carry snacks and drinks in our backpacks. After dinner, we discuss our experiences and prepare the next day together.

Routes may be adapted to current conditions.

Sunday, 14 February 2027

After breakfast, we put our shared planning into practice on a tour. We apply avalanche awareness and the 3x3 method in the terrain, developing route selection, track setting and risk reduction.

Nature has stories to tell too: what can animal tracks and signs of wind reveal? We carry our snacks and drinks in our backpacks.

Dinner together, a review of the day and planning for the final day round off the programme. Routes may be adapted to current conditions.

Monday, 15 February 2027

After breakfast and check-out, we set out on our final practice tour. We develop track setting and navigation, choosing a route that respects nature and wildlife protection zones.

Snacks and drinks come from our backpacks. A shared feedback session concludes the four course days.

Depending on the route, you travel home independently via the Gemmi and Leukerbad or via Sunnbüel and Kandersteg. Routes may be adapted to current conditions.

Snowshoe tours graded WT2 to WT3.
You have experience of snowshoe tours and basic knowledge of avalanche transceivers and avalanche awareness. This includes understanding avalanche bulletins, applying the 3x3 method, and winter tour planning and navigation.

You need fitness for tours of 5 to 6 hours with 800 to 1,000 metres of elevation gain in winter terrain.

5–16 participants, maximum 8 per guide.
A second guide joins from nine participants. Whether the course runs is decided after the registration deadline based on bookings.

The daily schedule is a framework. Routes and learning priorities are adapted to weather and snow conditions and to the group.

SAC members: CHF 1,080 per person.
Non-members: CHF 1,230 per person.

Included:

4 course days with Reini from simply.hiking
Snowshoe technique, avalanche awareness, transceiver exercises, navigation and tour planning
3 nights in shared rooms at Gemmi Lodge 2350 with half board
Maximum eight participants per guide; a second guide from nine people

Allow for extras:
Bring your own snacks or obtain them at the lodge. Any equipment hire is paid separately.

The current SAC course listing (German) is authoritative for inclusions, further additional costs and booking conditions.

Organiser and booking partner: Swiss Alpine Club SAC.
Course no. 2027-0920 · Registration deadline: 12 January 2027.

Non-members can also take part. Whether the course runs is decided after the registration deadline based on bookings.

You need snowshoes, poles and a safety set with an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. Wear the transceiver on your body; the shovel and probe go in your backpack. You will receive the definitive packing list in good time before the course.

Bring your own snacks or obtain them at Gemmi Lodge. Tea for your thermos is provided at the accommodation.

simply.hiking packing list for a multi-day snowshoe tour (German)

Equipment can be hired from simply.hiking, subject to availability. Please request it early; hire is paid on site during the tour. Equipment hire and prices (German)

Please install these apps in advance: MeteoSwiss, SRF Meteo, White Risk, SAC-CAS, a compass and a barometer. Digital maps, for example in White Risk, SAC-CAS or swisstopo, are useful.

If you plan to buy equipment, it is worth waiting until after the course. Practical experience will help you choose. Recommended reading: “Bergsport Winter”, 6th edition, SAC Verlag (German).

Meeting point: Gemmi Lodge 2350.
Travel independently to Leukerbad and take the Gemmi cable car up. You receive the confirmed meeting time and further travel details with the detailed programme. Pre-ordered hire equipment is handed out at the meeting point.

Three nights in shared rooms with half board.
Gemmi Lodge 2350 is our base, high above Leukerbad with views of the Valais four-thousanders. After a day in the snow, we enjoy dinner together and prepare the next tour.

Return journey:
On Monday, 15 February 2027, depending on the route, via the Gemmi and Leukerbad or via Sunnbüel and Kandersteg.

Participants are responsible for their own insurance cover. Cancellation insurance and patronage of REGA, Air Zermatt or Air Glaciers are recommended.

Your Gemmi Guide Reini from simply.hiking

Reini from simply.hiking is at home in Valais and knows the Gemmi in every season. A hiking guide with a Swiss federal certificate and UIMLA International Mountain Leader, he guides you through the four SAC course days.

He explains clearly, demonstrates practical skills in the terrain and takes time for your questions. Together, we practise step by step. With a maximum of eight participants per guide, there is room to try things out and develop your skills; a second guide joins from nine people.