Info
Philosophie // Program // Levels // Team // Location // Questions // Overnight stay // Contact
Philosophie
You probably don’t miss great powder turns in the early season. So it is the perfect time to prepare for the upcoming winter season. Without any powder stress you can train in different topics.
- Ski technique Freeride with Freeride-Pro
- Alpine skiing technique
- Avalanche education Prevention
- Avalanche training Companion rescue / first aid
- Ski Moutaineering / Adventure skiing
All under the guidance of experienced and motivated full-time mountain guides and freeride professionals.
The Titlis area in Engelberg is ideally suited for this thanks to the high location of the glacier. In the pre-season in December there is usually not yet meter by meter powder snow, but on the glacier there is almost certainly snow for skiing. There are no slopes with 2000hm waiting for you, but many workshops, fun and a stimulating exchange of experiences.
Our philosophy is to give you as much of our knowledge and experience as possible in the pre-season. So we want to give you in the future great experiences in the snow and on the mountain. This with the highest possible safety and care.
Program
The conditions during early season can vary. Therefor also our program during the camp. The participant can look forward to a safe and high-quality program regardless of weather and snow conditions. We want to create an optimal learning climate where everyone can contribute their experiences. The team of mountain guides are very motivated to pass on their own experiences to you in a good way. The participants’ experiences and knowledge from the mountains also give us all additional opportunities to develop even more.
The passion for nature and skiing connects us all and we want to focus on the community of snow sports during these three days.
Let yourself be inspired by pro-skier Piers Solomon’s playful and elegant freeride technique. He will be happy to show you in a pragmatic way how you can progress and work with your freeride technique. Broaden your horizons and have fun while skiing with more flow and new (simple) freestyle elements.
Duration: ½ Tag
Leads by: Ski-Coach & Freeride Pro Piers Solomon oder Bergführer
If things go wrong, we want to be prepared for an extreme situation. Do you have your avalanche transceiver fully under control and are you fast enough even under stress? Do you also function in complex situations under time pressure?
Every situation brings individual problems with it. That’s where we focus and train you in the best possible way.
Duration: ½ day plus evening course
Direction: Mountain guide IVBV & Ski patroller
- Companion rescue
- Search, probing, shoveling
- Multiple burial
- First aid for freeriders / ski tourers with ski patroller
- Minor accidents
- Assistance avalanche accidents
As the name suggests, the Pre-Season Camp takes place in the pre-season. The weather, the conditions and the amount of snow is not always optimal. If the ski area should remain closed because of e.g. storm, heavy snowfall or even too little snow, we offer you alternative possibilities in the valley to be optimally prepared for the upcoming winter season.
Duration: As little as possible, as much as necessary.
Direction: Mountain guide and specialists for this purpose
- Multiple burial LVS
- Rope handling
Knots
Equipment
Rope shortening
Rope maneuver - Abseiling
- Self ascent
- Crevasse rescue
- Improvised rescues
- “Trouble shooting” on the mountain
- First aid
- Snowpack structure, snow crystals etc.
Dreamed by many, realized by few. To live from skiing is a child’s fantasy for many who are reading this text right now. All guides and ski pros in this camp are doing exactly that. We will introduce you to this life in more detail; how does it come about, what does it take and what are the downsides of this outwardly appearing “high gloss” life?
Duration: evening show
Direction: Ski-Coach & Freeride Pro Piers Solomon
- Short ski films
- “Behind the scenes”
- How do such recordings come about?
- What does it take?
- Lifestyle and life of the ski pro
- Skiing philosophy
- Question round with tasty beer
In a real freeride area like Titlis, you need the right skills to get from the classic runs to the adventure terrain. Often you have to “scramble” a bit in short places or abseil into a gully/couloir. This is not only to get to the good snow, but it is an experience in itself.
Duration: 1 day
Direction: Mountain guide IVBV
- Training block “Rope & More” based on different situations
- Equipment
- Knots
- Abseiling normal & improvised
- Anchorages in rock, ice and snow
- Ski skills 40° plus
- Assessment special case couloirs
- Safe skiing in steep terrain
- Jumpturns
- Sliding sideways, spit turns etc.
- Small application tour with e.g. abseiling into a couloir
- The conditions for such terrain must be suitable!
Adapted according to the current circumstances and on the way in the field, we give you our experience on the subject of avalanche prevention. What do we do today and why not the different? Where is the best place to ski our planned line and above all why? What do I do if things turn out differently than planned? These and many other questions occupy us every day, and we are happy to share our thoughts with you. High practical part.
Duration: ½ day
Direction: Mountain guide IVBV
- Prevention
(Bulletin, practice-oriented tour planning, rolling tour planning, human factor - Behavior in the terrain
(line selection, safe points, group tactics)
On a small application tour we deepen your alpine ski technique in the ascent and descent in challenging terrain. Because good skiing and solid accenting mean also safety! Sometimes it takes only a few small tips to achieve a great result.
Duration: ½ day
Direction: Mountain guide IVBV
- Sicherheit & Taktik in steilem / schwierigem Gelände
- (Spitzkehren, Seitwärts Abrutschen, Ski anziehen in steilem Gelände)
- Technik Aufstieg
- (Kick-Truns, Spitzkehren mit Fellen, Handling Felle & Harsteisen, effizienter Wechsel, Bootpacking, etc.)
Dates
Levels
We offer the camps in different group- levels. The programme and the application tours are adapted to your ability. Here you will find an overview and explanations of the levels. Are you unsure which level you have? We will be happy to advise you personally!
Team
Piers Solomon
“I am a professional freerider from Central Switzerland who spends his winters following the best conditions, having the best possible time and meeting new people from all over the world.”
Born and raised in the Swiss Alps, Piers was introduced to skiing by his mother at the age of three. At the age of six, he devoted most of his life to alpine ski racing. After ten years of ski racing, Piers felt more and more attracted by the freedom of freestyle and freeride. As a result, he was given his first pair of “fat skis” at the age of 17. From then on, he was definitely attracted to off-piste skiing. Soon he met Oskar Enander, the professional snow sports photographer from Sweden, in Engelberg. Piers started some photo projects with Oskar and with his help he got his first sponsors. Oskar opened Piers the door to other parts of the industry, like his first film trip, which took place at the age of 19 for sweetgrass productions’ “Walhalla”. In the meantime he has been travelling for big film projects and was included in a webisode series of DPS-skis. In addition, Piers has spent much of his summers in Argentina in recent years, where he trains and guides skiers and snowboarders in the “Cerro Cathedral” area near San Carlos de Bariloche for a travel company called SASS Global Travel.
Dani Perret
“Skiing in the adventure area means a lot to me. With some imagination and the right skills, you can experience something in all conditions. Thanks to rope & skins, you can reach slopes and gullies that will make your heart beat faster.”
Dani was born and raised in the same area as Piers. The adventure in the mountains attracted him already as a child and teenager again and again to lonely and secluded terrain. He feels at home on skis, mountain-, climbing- or trailrunning shoes, in all disciplines. The focus is not so much on relative performance, but rather on lasting experiences with the highest possible level of safety.
Dani is a full-time mountain guide in winter as well as summer, stationed in Engelberg. Again and again he discovers the Engelberg valley and the surrounding areas in the Alps with new eyes and is happy to share his newly gained ideas with you.
www.mountainguide-dani.com
Tobias Granath
“The strong Swede on the team”
Tobias Granath is a Swedish IFMGA/UIAGM/IVBV mountain guide and has lived in the Alps since 2000. Today he lives with his family in Engelberg and works as a mountain guide all year round.
It inspires me to take clients into the wild alpine environment and show them my secret places and discover new places. From ski touring for beginners to ski mountaineering for experts – offering clients the best possible mountain experience is not only my job, it is my passion.
Robert Lönnell
“Robert Lönnell a Swedish IFMGA / UIAGM / IVBV mountain guide. He has lived in Engelberg with his family since 2009.”
Robert started skiing at a young age and after finishing school he was ready to leave Sweden and start exploring different mountains and terrain.
After 10 years of travelling to different places such as Chamonix, Tirol, Canada and more he came to Engelberg in 2009 and decided to turn his passion for the mountains into a career.
He now works full time as a professional IFMGA Mountain Guide.
Skiing powder, climbing walls or guiding you up your dream peak. He is always happy to take you out in to the mountains.
Jonas Alajuuma
Jonas Alajuuma is an IFMGA mountain guide who was born and raised in snowy northern Finland but has had Engelberg as his home and base since 2015. He’s been actively skiing and climbing in the mountains for over a decade and nowadays works as a full time mountain guide. No matter the chosen activity or level Jonas loves to guide people outdoors to offer new experiences and beautiful moments while keeping the adventures as safe as possible.
Jonas has experience all the way from the northern mountains of Sweden, Norway and Svalbard down to the different corners of the Alps. He gladly takes you to different places for an adventure and guides you in an assuring, compelling and calm way with a smile on his face on your next exciting adventure!
Location
Snow guarantee!
The village is only 1000 m.a.s.l. but thanks to the Titlis and its Steinberg- and Galtiberg glacier at 3238 m.a.s.l. snow sports are often possible from the beginning of October.
So we have a good chance for the first turns in the snow at the beginning of December. For a solid pre-season camp we don’t need downhill runs with more than 2000hm like in the main season, but exciting terrain for training and application tours.
Engelberg is very easy to reach by public transport and by car.
Welcome to Engelberg!
FAQ
What are the requirements for me?
The camp is not designed for freeride or ski touring beginners. You must have experience in the above mentioned areas, be solid on skis or snowboard and have a good basic fitness.
We will do different groups according to level in the different training blocks. So you can later (via self-assessment form) and with a mountain guide divide yourself into a group that suits you. Are you already a very strong tourer, freerider or alpinist? Then let us know in the registration form so that we can sort you into the right group. (or later via self-assessment form)
Can I also participate as a snowboarder?
Yes, if you have a splitboard it is a good idea. If possible we will make a separate boarding group. (if there are enough interested people). We can only adapt the ski technique part to snowboard technique if there are enough snowboarders (separate group). Otherwise you can join the same program as a boarder.
How do I organize the overnight stay?
If you would like to join us for dinner and the evening programs, or if you simply live too far away, we recommend an overnight stay in one of our partner hotels. That way you can have a beer after an instructive day.
What if the camp cannot take place because of Corona?
We basically work with the protection concept of the CH mountain guide association. If the current situation changes and we can’t hold the camp because of the regulations, the whole amount will be credited to you and we hope you can participate at a later date. In such a case we are also open to discussing other solutions.
What if the weather is bad or there is no snow?
It may well be that the camp cannot be held according to the program because of a foehn storm, lack of snow or similar stupid situations. In this case we have alternative back up programs in the valley. For more information see program.
I will most likely travel alone, but as I understand the concept it´s not a problem to join a camp individually?
No problem at all. We just need your level and you can sign-up in a group with other skiers.
Is there a risk that a camp will be cancelled due to lack of enough participants?
We are very happy, that so many people like the product. So no, no risk of to little participants. If you are to late with booking, the sessions can be booked out.
Is the plan full days on the mountain skiing or touring or will there be theoretical elements as well?
We are spending as much time as possible on the snow/skis/rope. We use to include the theorie in the workshops in the terrain.
I’ll take a flight to Zurich airport, is train the best way to get to Engelberg or are there other options?
You reach Engelberg very easy by train. 2hrs from the airport. Check www.sbb.ch for the timetable.
Can you help me to arrange a reservation for a simple accomodation for the camp?
Have a look at https://alpapartments.ch/de/booking/grand-hotel-and-bar/adventurer-small
When do the individual days begin and end?
The first day starts at 09.00 am. We are out and about all day. In the evening we sometimes offer exciting workshops, readings or other events in the village of Engelberg or we go out for a beer together. The finishing time is slightly different every weekend.
We’re back in the village from the mountain at around 4-5pm. With Luki Iten, your adventure can last a little longer. Don’t forget your headlamp 😉
Overnight stay
Basically, everyone is responsible for their own overnight stay. Since we travel together a lot, your “sleeping spot” is not so important. Don’t you sleep in your bus or vacation apartment in Engelberg and are looking for a hotel? We would be happy to make you some suggestions:
- Ski Lodge: The place to be. Where ski pros and mountain guides say goodnight to each other.
- Terrasse: Magnificent view over Engelberg. Bed & Ski in the package
- Crystal: Familiar hotel in the heart of Engelberg
- Hotel Engelberg: Historic hotel, cool hosts, in the middle of the village street
- GRAND Hostel&Bar: Super price-performance ratio.
- Jugendherberge: For the slightly smaller budget. Ideal, as we ski more than we drink “Küpli” anyway.
Contact
Pre-Season Camp Engelberg
Mountain Camps Engelberg
c/o Dani Perret
Schweizerhausstrasse 100
6390 Engelberg
ski@pre-season.camp
+41 79 513 16 56