 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
Has anyone done the "Off-Piste Steeps" course that UCPA run? It sounds fairly grizzly but I'd be interested to know if anyone has any gen on this please. For info I'll have twenty-four weeks' skiing done by that point, six of which will have been ski-touring. My phys is OK as well.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes. I did there off piste steeps at Valdisere and chamonix a few years go.
Cham, Absolutely loved it, but (there’s always a but) there was 8 in the groups I was the only English person not a problem with that. Be warned though, the French advance skier is a lot different from English. Wow. Point your skis and go. No instruction just keep up, if you can. Went back the next year to Valdisere Same again two English this time. Skiing with young French lads I don’t think they had been taught how to turn.
Nearly killed me. Loved every minute still in touch with a couple in the group.
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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?
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@made for it, OK: maybe a bit above my standard but will see how I do. What kind of terrain were you on? The course description talks about glacier training and using ropes to access terrain, is that the case? How steep did you get? How good ought my jump-turns to be?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sounds like a step up from expert level, so I’d expect something pretty gnarly if the group is capable.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Yeah, went down Valle Blanche with ropes and stuff. I didn’t actually enjoy that part as much, was all about safety and going slow. Took the fun out of it. Deep powder (if you can find it) and speed go together well, that’s the best bit. Look at this snowhead bash in Gressoney Italy. First bash for me can’t wait. Loads of video on YouTube of off piste in Gressoney. Looks like just the thing you need.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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That’s a lot of touring, 6 weeks. I’ve done a bit in Norway, your not ex Royal by chance. b]@justabod[/b],
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@made for it, no I don't have the figure for a frock... I have done a couple of weeks Nordic in Norway however which was cracking. I'm going back this year to Alpine tour for a week. The rest of my experience is Alpine touring. It's a bit of a nause sometimes but the phys is good, you get to really go out into the mountains and although you only get one run I prefer it as it's usually loads better than the crap left after a few post-dump resort days.
I'll put Gressony on my mental list. This season looks to be excellent but given the climate change it'll probably be vary variable and weird like last year.
How many weeks' experience did you have before your first steeps course if you don't mind me asking?
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Thought I’d come back to with some more info.. ucpa is great defo recommend it, but book direct if you can, not with action outdoors it’s a lot cheaper. Last time I went I was 39 , and I was by far the oldest in the group I mentioned, I felt like my grandad. Other than that I can’t fault it, loved the food.
Alternatively if you don’t fancy a snow head bash. Look at snoworks off piste steep courses if climbing down couloir is you thing. Loads of video on YouTube of them. Ucpa prices have gone up a lot over the last few years. So it’s not nearly as good value for money as it was, for a while it was like they were giving it away.
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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.
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If I recall correctly, booking directly through UCPA is not cheaper than through the Action-Outdoors website. There are two point to note however:
1) Action-Outdoors automatically adds Saturday night to your stay. Most of the French arrive on Sunday morning, so don't need it. You can add the extra night when booking directly through UCPA and the total will be the same price as Action-Outdoors (in EUR).
2) You have the option to book in either in GBP or EUR though Action-Outdoors. ONE CURRENCY IS ALWAYS CHEAPER. This is because Action-Outdoors hedges the FX at the start of the booking season. In effect, Action-Outdoors prices should always be the same as UCPA in EUR, and will be more or less expensive in GBP, depending on how the FX moved since the hedge.
Perhaps things have changed this season, but I've booked 14 UCPA trips over the years and every time the above held true.
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As for the steep skiing course, this really is expert+ level. To put it another way, an advanced level off-piste skier will 'survive', but probably won't have an awful lot of fun. Too many times I've seen UCPA skiers being too ambitious in their ability, only to drop out sooner or later in the week (usually their own decision, not the guide's). On top of that, you don't want to feel responsible for slowing the group down, or preventing it from doing more ambitious routes because the guide considers the group not to be up to standard collectively. You know your level best and I urge you to pick your course accordingly. The Argentiere centre in particular offers a hell of a lot of choice.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@justabod,
I did a Pentes Forte/steeps week at the Les Arcs centre a few years ago. I do not think that they run these in Les Arcs anymore. I have also done plenty of other off-piste/freeride weeks at a good few UCPA centres. It was me and a few Swedish guys, some of whom had done seasons in Chamonix. We skied some pretty steep couloirs in Les Arcs and La Plagne. We skied the Couloir en S on the Aiguille Rouge, I think it is about 45 degrees for 600m. We skied some steeps in La Plagne on the north face of the Bellecote, maybe the Cairn or Canadian couloirs. We climbed to and skied some nice steep couloirs in the Comborciere sector in Les Arcs. We went over to St Foy and skied the north face of the Foglietta.
On the course there was plenty of steep skiing at a good pace, you needed to be technically very good and very fit too. We also did a little bit of climbing and hiking to access the slopes, we were the only people skiing the faces we were on. You will be looked at and tested (harmonisation) on the first morning and the guide will decide whether you can ski with the group, one person had to move to another group on the Pentes Forte week. If you have not been on a UCPA course then I would try an advanced week in say Tignes then an expert week in Les Arcs/VDI/VT and see how you find it. I would not plunge into a Steeps week without trying some of their other courses. The guide will take you to some steeps on an advanced or expert week, particularly if you ask. If you go to VDI on an expert week you might ski the Table D'orientation or the couloir des pisteurs or in Tignes the couloirs des chardonnet, P1 - P11? etc.
I hope that this helps and enjoy your skiing.
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