sonde

Ladina, lead guideoffice 08:00–18:00 Andermatt

Evening in the hut: a guide traces tomorrow’s route on the map while a student reads the avalanche bulletin

Courses, December to April

Three courses, in order

Each one starts at 08:00 at our office in Andermatt and ends with a timed drill. Up to six people per guide. Transceiver, probe and shovel are included if you need them.

Level 1

Find

One day of companion rescue on a deposit near the village. You leave able to find a buried transceiver, pinpoint it with a probe and dig to the face.

Signal search: a skier follows the transceiver's field line down the deposit
Length
1 day, 08:00–16:00
Price
CHF 190
Group
up to 6 per guide
You need
touring kit or snowshoes
  1. 08:00Group check: every transceiver on send, one person walks past the others in search mode.
  2. 09:00Signal search and fine search on a buried transceiver, then on two buried close together.
  3. 11:00Probing at right angles to the slope; why the shallowest goes first when there are two.
  4. 13:00Digging in a V. Debris sets hard: you will feel why technique beats strength.
  5. 14:30Full drill against the clock, from the alarm to a cleared face. Repeat until it takes under 15 minutes.

Level 2

Plan

Two days with a night in our hut. The evening is spent at the table with the bulletin and the map; the next morning you ski the line you chose, and check it on the slope.

The map, the compass and the avalanche bulletin on the hut table
Length
2 days, 1 night in the hut
Price
CHF 420, half board included
Group
up to 6 per guide
Before
Level 1, or the same skills
  1. Day 1Skin up to the hut. On the way: slope angles with an inclinometer, wind signs, lee and windward.
  2. EveningThe bulletin: danger level, the slopes and aspects it names, the avalanche problem. Then the route, on the map.
  3. Day 2Ski the plan. Stop where the plan says to stop, dig a pit, run a Rutschblock test, decide again.

Level 3

Lead

Three days of travelling as a group: spacing on a slope, where to wait, when to turn round, and running the rescue when you are the one in charge.

Three ski tourers cross a steep slope one at a time, at least ten metres apart
Length
3 days, 2 nights in the hut
Price
CHF 690, half board included
Group
up to 5 per guide
Before
Level 2
  1. Day 1Spacing: at least 10 m between people on steep slopes, and the steepest part crossed alone.
  2. Day 2Leading the climb: kick turns, safe spots to regroup, the decision to turn back said out loud.
  3. Day 3A rescue with two buried transceivers, where you give the jobs: who searches, who probes, who calls.

All dates this season

2026–27

DateCoursePlaces leftPrice
13 Dec 2026Level 1 · Find4 of 6CHF 190
19–20 Dec 2026Level 2 · Plan2 of 6CHF 420
9 Jan 2027Level 1 · Find6 of 6CHF 190
22–24 Jan 2027Level 3 · Lead3 of 5CHF 690
6 Feb 2027Level 1 · Find5 of 6CHF 190
13–14 Feb 2027Level 2 · Plan6 of 6CHF 420
6 Mar 2027Level 1 · Find6 of 6CHF 190
19–21 Mar 2027Level 3 · Lead5 of 5CHF 690

Questions

No. We lend a transceiver, probe and shovel for the course. If you have your own, bring it: you will learn your own screen.

Yes for Level 1 on snowshoes; Levels 2 and 3 climb on skins, so you need touring skis or a splitboard.

Level 1 runs on a deposit below the village whatever the level. For Levels 2 and 3 we choose terrain that fits the day's bulletin, or move your date at no cost.

By train on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, or from Göschenen on the short line up the Schöllenen gorge. The office is a few minutes' walk from the station.

Before you book

See the five steps of a rescue