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Advise for Ski Touring in La Plagne

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi,
I am going on a family ski holiday in La Plagne for a week over this new year with my family. I am wanting to start ski touring but I dont have anyone to go with so I would probably have to go with a guide or if anyone knows if there is any way of meeting up with others?

I have done a fair bit of alpine/winter climbing and I am good at skiing on piste and in powder but I have never done any proper off piste, I dont have experience with avalanche transceivers and I have never done any ski touring.

Any advice welcome, and any recommendations with guides or groups I could go with? Thanks!
Nicos
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi, I will be in La Plagne at the same time, which village are you staying in - Oxygene have some of the best off piste guides - Boris is amazing at finding fresh tracks, not sure of the need for too much touring in La Plagne as most of the good stuff is accessible from the lift system. The north face of the Bellcote has some of the best off piste in Europe and can be accessed directly from lifts and a short walk up the ridge opens up the Cairn and Canadian couloirs giving 2000m of vertical heaven. On Thursdays the SCGB try to organise a guide. Other suggestions are take a step & deep class with oxygene - with good snow and a bit of luck with skier standards you will go to the best off piste itineraries in the area.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Hi Charliee! I will be in Plagne Villages 2050m. I have sent them an email so I will see what they say.
Maybe after I have done a course you would be up for going off piste then? I didn't realize that the best off piste was accessed from the lifts in La Plagne.
I also like the idea though of avoiding the lifts and being able to just go out and explore more, but maybe as you say it isn't the best resort for just going out ski touring.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
will probably do step and deep that week, Plagne Village is ideal as the class meets in plagen centre- its generally good fun and a cost effective way of having a great guide. Don't get me wrong there are great places to go to earn your turns in La plagne, its just that much of the best stuff is lift accessible. The class runs in the mornings mon to fri - sometimes you get a weaker skier in the group that can hold things back a bit (sadly I like it that way as I get to have more of a breather!). But generally there will be 4-5 in the group as as the week goes by you go further afield and take on more challenging routes.
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hi @thesocin, if you do your off piste training at the start of the week, then you are welcome to come out for a bit of off piste later in the week if the conditions are good. A few of us that are out for the season go most days for off piste and sometimes do a bit of touring or hiking to get to the best routes. We are often over in the La Plagne area. Send me a pm with your contact details if you are interested.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Hi, if it is ski touring you like to start, you are in the ideal resort I started ski touring as a beginner in bell plagne Esf ski school they have dedicated mountain guide to lead group on a daily basis and also Esf in plagne centre, they cost is the lowest I came across for a whole day guiding you will be lead by a fully qualified mountain guide, and not just a qualified instructor (big difference) Do check it out What ever you decided, enjoy your stay.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for all the info!!! I cant wait to go now!
I didnt realise it was this easy to find people to ski with off the internet Happy Anyone else who is keen to get out touring as well, let me know and i will send you my number

I am just looking in to buying a tranceiver, probe, shovel and a instructional book to read before I get there.

Can anyone recommend a tranceiver? I found the BCA Tracker which is £150 but the BCA Tracker 2 is £280..... Do you think the cheaper one would be good enough?
the Ortovox Beacons & Transceivers Zoom is also £150.

Thanks again!
ski holidays
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
If you go with Esf in la plagne they provide all safety equipments free except touring skis which you can hire locally
Then after a few days touring , you can decided if it is really what you want before investing into all the necessary gears, boots , skis, skins , bleepers etc. collectively adding up to a fair sums best regards
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Lots of off piste at La Plagne: this is the famous (steep) North face of Bellcote that @Charliee mentioned: 1-10 are the hard ones and 1-5 involve a fair amount of walking to get to (but there is lots of much easier stuff to get started on too).
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Hi Nicos - I've swapped messages with you on the back of your other post. Great to see the replies you have had here. Likewise I will be in Les arcs for roughly the same period so it might be feasible to get a small group together with a guide to pick off some nice routes that are only accessible with a bit of effort, whether skinning or hiking. Might be worth adding Grand Col / Villaroger to those possibilities.

What I'm not sure of though is whether your ambition is simply access to more interesting off piste or if it's multi-day tours getting right away from resorts. Or somewhere in between, which is the kind of thing I tend to do. If what you wanted to do was a more 50/50 balance of skinning vs descending and trying to move away from resort a little, my thoughts would be to head up Dome de Vaugel or drive round to La Cour or even head towards Naves.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@snowball, I am rather surprised you have posted this list of routes and said only 1 to 10 are the hard routes. A person died doing route 12 two years ago and route 13 and 14 are also 45 degrees plus in places. The only route on here anyone should be trying unless very experieneced is the Petit North face (route 11) and even then it is still a serious challenge for many people and requires helicopter rescue if you have a problem.

Unless a person really knows what he/she is doing take a guide, have all the safety gear, know how to use it and be very careful. This qualifies as an area where only the gendarmes officially will come to your help and they will arrest people who do not take due care in this area. Just because it is easy to reach does not make it worth the risk. Anyone thinking of going here please do be careful. See my facebook page Les Arcs Winter (link below) and check out the March/April photo albums for many pics of this area.

As one example of stupidity. Last winter I was making a route down the Canadian Couloir and two brits appeared over a ridge to the left. NO avalanche gear. A father and his son. They were ok skiers, but did not know where they were going. We let them join our group and help them down to the valley. At least they did the right thing and apologied for their stupidity before heading back to La Plagne. Not the first time or the last I shall come across this kind of thing I am sure.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I' m glad you posted this reply which is 100% correct, just one look ate the photo will show you that the whole of the northface gathers into a small area at the bottom. This face naturally avalanches on a regular basis - you will find you ski out over a massive Avalanche field. Many of the listed routes are only skiable in perfect conditions and require ropes and balls of steel - a fall on many of the route results in falls over big cliffs.
Take a guide and enjoy one of the best faces in Europe - get it wrong and expect to pay a high price.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
For less committing stuff try:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1489767
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=85609
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=70609
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@snowcrazy, I stand corrected on 13 and 14, I haven't done them and went be something someone said to me.


Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Thu 6-11-14 15:37; edited 1 time in total
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
As others have said above N face Bellecote is quite a serious place to be, but as @altis says there is some good ski touring to do - over and around the Mont Jovet, Dou de Moutiers etc, and from up on the glacier the Cul du Nant descent is a classic, which can be combined woith a skin up to the Dome de Neige de Bellecote, or for a longer tour head across to the Pas de Genet and up to the Dome des Picheres then descend into Champagny le Haut valley...
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Never tried it myself.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Another reply to say Hi,

I'll be in La Plagne 28-03 or so, then of the see the UCPA in Chamonix for a week.

James
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