If you want to enjoy the emotions of ski mountaineering, you have to pay attention to your equipment and to some important precautions.
First of all you need ski mountaineering skis: these are similar to alpine skis, but their bindings allow the heel to lift during the ascents and can be clamped down during the descents.
The equipment also includes ski boots with rubber soles and climbing skins, which are used for the ascent.
These are a very important detail: skiers have to pay great attention to them, even when they are removed from skis and folded up. They have to be preserved in their package even during the tour, in order for them to be protected from dirt. In fact, sometimes you have to stick and remove them many times during the same tour.
For this reason, you have to be fast and efficient during this operation, in order to preserve the adhesive.
Normally the adhesive of a good-preserved climbing skin can last during the whole season, anyway you should always take with you some sticky tape.
If you are used to downhill run, when you ascend with climbing skins for the first time you will discover new emotions. Anyway, you need to be properly trained. In fact, you need not only muscular strength and endurance, but also systemic endurance. For this reason you must train your cardio-circulatory and respiratory system to face the problems caused by altitude. For example, you can use "cardio-fitness" equipment at your fitness center, and in particular, run for at least 30 min.
