 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone have any experience of the intro to touring courses with UCPA, specifically looking at one in Argentiere. Have looked at old threads but most seem to centre on the instruction or off piste trips.
I have 3 days of leave to use, probably in January so therefore a long weekend skiing seems like a good idea. Fancy an off piste trip and no one else is likely to be free at that time hence looking at UCPA.
Was going to go for an advanced off piste trip having done quite a few off piste trips before but I can't make the dates for the three available short courses UCPA have before April hence looking at the touring one. Have done a bit of skinning as part of backcountry trips but no touring or touring instruction in general so some instruction might come in handy but not at the expense of some decent downhill...
Alternatively, any suggestions of group off piste trips for 4-5 days between Jan and March then let me know! Tried SCGB but they only have one trip I could make and that isn't necessarily going to run...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@DrNo, You will be spending a good portion of your day going uphill.
Each day. That’s the point of it.
So you need to decide on that basis. Give it a twirl and you might surprise yourself.
From the Argentiere UCPA there are plenty of lift assisted routes with more down than up. The ideal.
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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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@HammondR, sorry, probably didn't make the OP clear enough, it would be foolish to go on a touring trip without expecting to go uphill a fair bit! However, if it is a lot of skills based practice on piste with limited actual skiing or time off piste, that wouldn't be ideal. I was hoping for a more advice and tips on improving uphill for those who have moderate experience of off piste downhill skiing whilst off piste going up or downhill!
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@DrNo, seen lots of UCPA parties out on skins and never seen them on piste other than sorting the wheat from the chaff at the start of day 1. Fiddling around on piste moving upwards is very much frowned on by the powers that be.
I put a fiver on 1st full day of touring being the Col des Dards!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@HammondR, thanks, I'll probably give it a go as the advantage of a short trip is that I should gain some experience but don't have to do 6 days of touring if it isn't for me!
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I did the one week touring intro course years ago having done lots of off piste but minimal touring and found it was pretty basic with the focus primarily on the uphill, with lightweight and narrow touring skis. Some of the group had little off piste experience which meant the pace was very slow when we got to the downhill. If you’re what UCPA call ‘expert’ level you’d be better off on a free rando week, especially later in the spring when you’re likely to do more touring each day than in Jan. It was fun though and probably a good option if you’ve only got 3 days, just don’t expect to be going on the glaciers or breaking out ropes or ice axes etc as it is with an instructor rather than a guide (or was when I did it).
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| TomDeSavoie wrote: |
| I did the one week touring intro course years ago having done lots of off piste but minimal touring and found it was pretty basic with the focus primarily on the uphill, with lightweight and narrow touring skis. Some of the group had little off piste experience which meant the pace was very slow when we got to the downhill. If you’re what UCPA call ‘expert’ level you’d be better off on a free rando week, especially later in the spring when you’re likely to do more touring each day than in Jan. It was fun though and probably a good option if you’ve only got 3 days, just don’t expect to be going on the glaciers or breaking out ropes or ice axes etc as it is with an instructor rather than a guide (or was when I did it). |
@TomDeSavoie looking back at your intro UCPA course experience. Do you recommend buying/renting backcountry ski gear (bibs, jacket) for the course or does normal ski piste gear suffice? Looking for suggestions, I just booked an intro to off-piste and ski touring course with them for Jan.
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