Chamonix
Piste to Powder (An Intro to off-piste skiing )
Discover the freedom that exists away from the piste and far from the crowds. You will be introduced to the different feelings and techniques required to cope with skiing on un-pisted and untracked snow. Three days using up-lift then two days combining lifts and doing short climbs, using skins attached to the base of our skis, to explore quieter corners of the massif.
Chamonix has a fantastic reputation for world class off-piste skiing. There are plenty of easier runs alongside the steep and serious ones, in fact there is something for everyone. We will travel through high mountain terrain, on glaciers, and ski wooded hillsides all in one day.
Who is it for: For skiers with a sense of adventure who can ski confidently down red pistes. A reasonable level of fitness is required (Remember to pack your sense of humor too!)
A Typical Week
| Day 1 | Le Tour. We met last night to sort equipment and get to know each other. This area at the end of the Chamonix valley offers a variety of terrain to allow you to find your ski legs, on-piste at first, before making our first turns outside the marked runs. Avalanche training starts straight away with transceiver searches. | |
| Day 2 | Les Grands Montets is ideal for our second day with big open slopes at many different angles. Avalanche awareness training continues and you will start to be able to predict the effects of wind and sun on the snow and how they change the skiing experience. We could also ski down onto the Argentiere glacier as an intro to safe glacier travel. | |
| Day 3 | The Aiguille du Midi. gives access to the Vallee Blanche, one of the most famous off-piste runs in the world. 17km and 2700m of descent under the shadow of Mont Blanc and its neighbouring 4000m peaks. | |
| Day 4 | Les Contamines is ideal for looking at the use of skins attached to the underside of skis, to allow access to areas where the lifts don’t go. For a little bit of effort we can find areas denied to the less adventurous and our rewards are untracked snow and solitude. | |
| Day 5 | Crochue/Berard (Aiguilles Rouges). Lets put it all together with a longer trip using lifts to gain some height, skins on for 1/2 hour, carrying skis over a steep section, then skiing down a remote valley. Skins on again for another 1/2hr then a long descent to finish at a cafe/bar, and a well deserved drink. A short journey brings us back to Chamonix via the mountain railway. |
Dates: January, February , March 2018
Price: Guide only, from £350 per day (up to 6 people)
What’s Included
- A qualified international mountain guide for the duration of the course.
- All group safety equipment.
What is not included:
- Travel to and from the course.
- Accommodation & food.
- Insurance (personal injury and rescue is required).
- Ski and ski boot hire, skins and ski crampons(couteau).
- Ski passes and taxis or railway transfers (a free bus service operates in Chamonix or we may use private cars). This will vary depending on the actual itinerary chosen.
Cham’ Safari (off-piste in the Chamonix Valley)
Five days of hunting the best skiing in the best off-piste resort in the world. With ski stations as varied as the Aiguille du Midi, Le Tour, Les Contamines and Le Brevent, amongst others. The plan is to explore the off-piste possibilities of a different site each day.
Who is it for: Skiers and boarders who can confidently tackle black pistes and have previous experience of skiing un-pisted snow.
A Typical Week
| Day 1 | Le Tour. We will have met the evening before to sort out equipment and to get to know each other. So its straight out to discover your ski legs again and to learn or reacquaint everyone with avalanche procedures and the use of transceivers, shovels and probes. | |
| Day 2 | Les Grands Montets. This is often where people mean when they talk of skiing Chamonix. A massive area and a chance to get to grips with skiing in complicated glacial terrain. | |
| Day 3 | Brevent/Flegere. These two sunny and interlinked areas face the Mont Blanc range. The many combs and roll overs give ever changing snow conditions to test your technique. | |
| Day 4 | Les Contamines. This resort is just out of the main valley and offers varied off-piste from big open slopes to tight tree skiing and the possibility of a short climb on ‘skins’ to access less frequented slopes. | |
| Day 5 | Aiguille du Midi. This lift gives us access to the world famous ‘Vallee Blanche’. With at least seven different variants, the difficulty and steepness can be tailored to each group. | |
| Day 6 | An optional day where, if enough people want to, we can heli-ski from either Italy or Switzerland. (This would involve a supplement.) |
Dates: January, February, March 2018
Price: Guide only, from £350 per day.
What’s Included
- A qualified international mountain guide for the duration of the course.
- All group safety equipment.
What is not included:
- Travel to and from the course.
- Accommodation & food.
- Insurance (personal injury and rescue is required).
- Ski and ski boot hire, skins and ski crampons(couteau).
- Ski passes and taxis or railway transfers (a free bus service operates in Chamonix and Morzine.,or we may use private cars). This will vary depending on the actual itinerary chosen.
Cham’ Tours (5 classic day tours)
The Chamonix valley has endless possibilities for touring. Using the lift systems, we can access high mountain runs without having to spend a day climbing to a mountain hut. This way we can maximize the amount of turns we can put in and still get to enjoy the comforts of the valley after a hard day at it.
Who is it for: good off-piste skiers with at least some experience of ski touring (back country skiing).
A Typical Week
| Day 1 | Col du Dards. We met the night before so equipment and skis are sorted, so we get out pretty sharpish. A few runs off the Flegere lift system will remind out of practice legs what to do. The route past the refuge at Lac Blanc gives stunning views across the valley to the Mont Blanc massif. The ski down is long and interesting but not too difficult. | |
| Day 2 | Col du Toule, Toule Glacier and the Italian Vallee Blanche. This day has everything. A ride on the Aiguille du Midi telepherique to 3800m and a cruise down the classic Vallee Blanche to the junction with it’s Italian counter part. One and a half hours of skinning gets us to the Col de Toule and a classic descent in powder or spring snow to a fine restaurant above Courmayeur. Back up on the lift system then a descent of the Combe de la Vierge brings us onto the Mer de Glace which leads down to Chamonix. | |
| Day 3 | Col du Passon. From the top of Les Grands Montets telepherique one gets a fantastic ski on to the Argentiere glacier. Directly across from the line of descent is the Col du Passon. We must climb on skins for two hours, then its skis off and on to backpacks to climb up a steep and narrow couloir. At the top a low angle glacier leads to steeper slopes and great skiing down to the valley resort of Le Tour. | |
| Day 4 | Col des Autannes. This trip starts in the resort of Le Tour at the end of the Chamonix valley and crosses over the Swiss frontier. The approach after leaving the chair lifts is relatively short, but steep, and we may need to wear our crampons to reach the col. Perfect slopes at just the right angle lead to the Swiss village of Trient where we wait in the cafe for the taxi which will take us home. | |
| Day 5 | Col de Beugeant. This classic trip is in the Aiguille Rouge and is accessed off the index lift at Flegere. A gradually steepening skin, then a few zig zags, leads to what looks like an impossible rock wall. On closer inspection a ramp line leads up through the cliff and a rope from above makes the scramble which follows exciting but safe. The slopes on the other side give sustained skiing and hold powder for a long time due to there northerly aspect. The secluded valley of La Berard leads to the hamlet of Le Buet and a welcoming bar. Return is by the railway which has a station 30 seconds from the bar. |
Dates: January, February, March 2018
Guide only, from £350 per day.
What’s Included
- A qualified international mountain guide for the duration of the course.
- All group safety equipment.
What is not included:
- Travel to and from the course.
- Accommodation & food.
- Insurance (personal injury and rescue is required).
- Ski and ski boot hire, skins and ski crampons(couteau).
- Ski passes and taxis or railway transfers (a free bus service operates in Chamonix and Morzine.,or we may use private cars). This will vary depending on the actual itinerary chosen.
The Vallee Blanche
This great glacier run from the Aiguille du Midi lift at 3800m, to Chamonix 2800m below has to be one of the most celebrated off-piste itineraries in the world. If you are visiting Chamonix and want to round off your week with a memorable day contact me as soon as you can.
Who is it for: The classic descent in good condition can be done by skiers comfortable on red pistes. Boarders need to be able to traverse and schuss at high speeds for long distances. Experience of skiing in deep snow is recommended after a fresh fall.
Other more challenging descents, such as the Enver du Plan glacier, can be made. These can be done by skiers and borders comfortable on black runs with some prior off-piste experience.
A Typical Day
We meet at the Aiguille du Midi lift station in the morning for a safety brief and to put on avalanche transceivers and harnesses, (provided). On arrival at the 3800m summit we take time to catch our breath and look at the stunning scenery before going through an ice tunnel and walking down the famous snow ridge. We then put on our skis and start this 17km descent.
We can travel at a leisurely pace with a picnic, stop at a mountain refuge for lunch or we can go for it and combine it with a run down the Argentiere glacier at the Grands Montets.
Dates: on request.
Max Ratio 1:8 for classic route, 1:6 for others.
Price (Groups only) £350 for 4 people then £30 per extra person.
What’s Included
- A qualified international mountain guide for the duration of the course.
- All group safety equipment.
What is not included:
- Travel to and from the course.
- Accommodation & food.
- Insurance (personal injury and rescue is required).
- Ski and ski boot hire, skins and ski crampons(couteau).
- Ski passes and taxis or railway transfers (a free bus service operates in Chamonix and Morzine.,or we may use private cars). This will vary depending on the actual itinerary chosen.
