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non-UIAGM guiding and glaciers.

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Similar price to Graham Austick.
However, on the basis of taking a full group for 6 days and probably repeating next year with a slightly different group he has agreed to do it for quite a bit less. Also, since he mostly does it for fun now I put in a photo of us skiing a steep couloir and I think he may have thought we looked like a group that would be fun to lead. Cool

norris In my experience €350 is cheap for a good guide these days Puzzled
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
My experience is that British Guides seem to be slightly more. I like taking a Guide completely local to the Valley/Area - they seem to be slightly cheaper in my experience. But I may be wrong?
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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?
GrahamN, and elbrus, I have had a similar experience in St Anton with Austrian Schiefuehrers. One was excellent, gave instruction, explained route choice etc. and did a rapid tranceiver search before setting off (checking to see if someone could rescue him). The next year we had someone else who didn't even do a tranceiver check before we set off, he skied 100m ahead of the group, setting off before everyone arrived and left us at 15:10, 50 mins before the agreed time. A complaint to the head of ski school resulted in a shrug of the shoulders and we were told "you British expect too much and shouldn't come here" The same man is also second in comand of the tourist office and bullies everyone, he left us wondering how much better St. Anton could be without him!
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Dypcdiver,

Had a funny thing at St A as well. Hired a guide to go over the Valluga and we had a snowboarder in the group. The guide or schiefuehrer....can't recall which...objected to a mixed group, which I thought was reasonable, and the Director bullied the guide into taking us. Then the wind got up and the guide jumped at the chance of abandoning the trip. I can't really say that the circumstances warranted it one way or another but the conclusion I came away with was that our trip may not have been dictated by safety issues but politics.

I far prefer Le Grave where the guides ski the hill before general lift opening on the day and collectively make their decision and in Monte Rosa where you sit down in the Dufour, for exampe, the night before and talk over your route.

I have not had any problems with Zermatt guides or Cervinian guides either although the latter enjoyed his heli ride a bit too much on a perfect powder day and we couldn't catch him before he was off bagging 1st tracks ...again..!! Laughing
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
JT wrote:
I far prefer Le Grave where the guides ski the hill before general lift opening on the day and collectively make their decision ....


i reckon it's just a ruse to allow them to poach fresh tracks wink
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Yes, Phillipe Andre our La Grave guide was excellent, finding good snow in a tricky snow year...he certainly didnt hang around though and we all had to ride hard to keep up. But I prefer this to being nannied to much (which I have found in N America).
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Phillipe Andre is a great guide and so is Zebulon Roche. Graham Austick at St Anton is very similar, though expensive. We were at every stage the first onto a new slope as it became safe, with other guides often following his lead. On the Hinter Rendel he usually knows a way over the back which hasn't been skied. But as I said, he is expensive, and concentrating next year on setting up a ski (and summer fishing) chalet on the banks of a fijord in Norway where his wife comes from.
If you want less nannying in Canada and are up to it, do a couple of days with Extremely Canadian in Whistler. The most steep slopes I've skied in one day.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Arno, yeah....but with the whole community intent on keeping the numbers down on the hill, we can allow them that little perk. Laughing

I am thinking I might spend a bit longer down there this year..was thinking about 4 days, I might make it 9-10 days and hop around a bit...just a thought at this stage.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
JT, sounds like a pretty good idea to me, but I'm not the most impartial judge where that part of the world is concerned!
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Never been to St Anton, has been on my hit list for a while....does it really track out as fast as they say?

I spent last year living in Vancouver, so know Whistler very well....some amazing terrain to be sure...but again tracks out faster than anywhere I have seem in the World!
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
norris wrote:
Never been to St Anton, has been on my hit list for a while....does it really track out as fast as they say?

I spent last year living in Vancouver, so know Whistler very well....some amazing terrain to be sure...but again tracks out faster than anywhere I have seem in the World!


Hmm Peak chair on a powder day -total gong show but the very definition of "stoke".
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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.
With a good guide you will find untracked snow a week or two after the last snowfall. If you try yourself, without that specialist knowledge it will seem to track-out quickly.
Whistler / Blackcomb has a relatively tiny lift-served off-piste area (I would guess about 1/20th* the size depending what you include as being St Anton) and tracks out much quicker. If you count Zurs and Lech (which good skiers can ski direct to), of course, the area is even more enormous.
* I am not, of course, including areas around Whistler you can accesss with skins.
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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
I think I may just have to spend a week in St Anton this coming winter..... Madeye-Smiley
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
WRT Top Ski and not only The Zimmer Brothers but some of their other "guides" as well, it is correct that they aren't qualified. However, there are a reasonable number of the team that are and AFAIK, they never go onto glaciated areas without one of the qualified guides acting as "lead". They are all in touch by radio. I believe this is their work around for the law.

Choosing a guide shouldn't just be about qualifiaction but if you don't know the guide, it's a very good indicator.

What I find hard to understand is how this guy can charge 425 euros! It is outrageous. Why don't you hire one of the qualified guides from Top Ski. Most of them live down the mountain anyway, so your location wouldn't be a problem. They know the whole area really well and I wouldn't hesitate to do it. Plus, depending on the number of days, they most you will pay is 350 euros per day. I would try to get either Pierre Favre, Laurent Tailebois or Fabrice Villaret. Or from Alpine you could try to get Jean Marc Pic. All 4 rate as amongst the best guides working in the area and won't cost an arm and a leg.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Alpine Experience charged €365 last season and Chris has agreed a price only very slightly more - probably what they will charge next season - (I probably shouldn't tell you that, so please don't anyone use this as a bargaining lever).
Yes, a friend of mine has skied with Laurent. He had been the person I had been going to use. It was the rave review from my friend who is coming on the holiday who said Chris had given him the best skiing he has ever had that turned me in that direction.
€350 was TopSki's basic price for last season - I would imagine it will go up a bit next year.

One trouble with TopSki as an organisation (in contrast to Alpine Experience) is that it is herarchical. The top few people get all the good skiers. The last time I and a friend skied with them a single day, we were a last-minute overflow (and shed the other two after the first run as not up to the advertised standard). Consequently 2 steep routes the guide did with us he admitted he had never skied before - not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that..
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Bringing this one back from the dead.....

Will be in Tignes for the last week of February Cool And need a guide, as we plan to only use as a base and explore the Tarantaise as a whole. Should I book a guide through Topski or Alpineexperience, or anyone else for that matter ?? There are only 2 of us and on snowboards..... rolling eyes

Would a Valdisere guide come around to Tignes, I know lots of them based down in Bourg anyway.

Should I even contact Phillipe Andre and see if he will guide us, as he used to ski patrol in Tignes. Do guides typically leave their home valley for a week of guiding (presumably we would have to put him up?)

We want a guide who will ride hard all day, not afraid to hike etc etc.

Norris
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
norris, don't know much about guides in Tignes, but I'd be surprised if Phillipe is not booked up already - I know he gets booked for about half the season pretty much a year in advance.
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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?
Both TopSki and Alpine Experience are very good and will put you in with other skiers of the same standard. However both are based in Val d'Isere so you will have to ask them if they can serve you in Tignes. The fact that you would want to join others might be a problem.
If you fail with them you could try Evolution2 who do operate in Tignes but I have never used.
Topski is French and gets perhaps the best clients in terms of skiing ability - which is good if you ski at a very high level. If not I would suggest Alpine Experience (provided they will work from Tignes) who are a breakaway from Top Ski and all speak English - many being British or Australian Etc.
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We will be private, dont wan't any randoms slowing us down! I would put us in advanced catagory, ie Pointe Pers etc

Just the issue really of whether they will come around to Tignes..we could always drive around to Vald in the mornings I suppose. Plus several of the days we want to go down to St Foy, Les Arcs etc.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Surely there is a Bureau des Guides in Tignes?
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There is Arno, but just heard very good things about Topski and Alpine Experience
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Also I had the impression that the Bureau des Guides would normally want you to hire a guide, rather than team you up with others.

Advanced standard you would be OK with either company. If you wanted to ski really steep things like the Couloir des Pisteurs you might be better with TopSki and asking for the A group.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
snowball, I think Norris wants it to be just him, his mate and a guide
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Oh well. if he can afford that thats fine : I can't.
In that case I am sure any of the guides will come to him in Tignes. Many live down the Valley and drive up anyway.
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luckily my CEO has an apartment in Tignes which we use for free, hence we can stump up for a private guide snowHead I wouldn't choose Tignes for accomodation, prefer to be down in Bourg - but you can't turn down free accomodation....
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Wayne at Alpine Experience is well known and has written about the off-piste, but personally I have a soft spot for Pietro.
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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.
Don't use evolution 2 unless you're going for a private group. They put us in a group that had a very inappropriate mix after reassuring us that we'd not be in a group that was too hardcore.
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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
snowball, If you want an English speaking guide in the area, PM Snowcrazy he has lived in the area for years and knows loads of guides that do private work. He took me out himself last season a few times and we found some amazing powder even in poor conditions. He also put me in touch with a guide, Pascal that was excellent. Snowcrazy is on snowheads so you could pm him or pm me and i will try and find you Pascals details he is based in Bourg area. Hope your trip goes well.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Would certainly recommend Alpine Experience, and they will almost certainly travel to Tignes.....you can sort it al out on their website before you go
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Thanks for the all responses... look forward to a TR !
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
norris, not interested unless you tick off the N face of Grande Casse Razz

[/joking]
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Arno, Surely the Couloir Des Italiens http://www.imati.cnr.it/~gianazza/alp035.jpeg
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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?
norris, that would be acceptable wink

i think someone has tipped the camera in that pic tho
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jasonc, thanks but we are fixed now. I think I may know Pascal from long ago - but I could be muddling with another Pascal somewhere else.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
snowball, did you go with Chris Harrop in the end? You never know we might meet in a couloir somewhere in the Tarentaise, if its the last week of Feb you are going.


Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Fri 26-10-07 10:56; edited 1 time in total
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Yes, well a very good skier said CH had given him the best few days' skiing of his life so I thought I'd try him (hopefully with such a huge area to use the loss of Glaciers won't be a bother). I am a bit unsure if I've made the right decision, but we'll see.
We will be skiing without a guide on the Saturday we arrive - 23rd and also the 24th, before our 6 days with CH. We may well try skiing with BernardC if he is free on one of those days so perhaps you might come too - or might show us some good off-piste in the Leas Arcs / La Plagne area which I don't really know (except the Bellcote North face 3 times and the back of the Aiguille Rouge once (clearly guided descents only)- and the Les Arcs pistes long ago, before I started skiing much off-piste).


Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 26-10-07 12:58; edited 1 time in total
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Arno, like this? - or more? I've never skied it.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Either is a seriously commited line Shocked ...the Italian goes from the steeper snow field to the left of the petit north face I think.



The west face (grand couloirs) has been on my list for some time, last April we tried to go for it but got turned around by 4500m freezing levels above Pralognan la Vanoise on the way to the refuge . So we bailed...

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norris, I'll be on snowball's, trip too, hope to see you!

snowball, I wanna do those lines, they look great!
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snowball, we arrive late on the 23rd, so will probably spent the sunday warming up in Tignes. I don't know Les Arcs very well at all (only spent a few days there). I know Espace Killy far better as skibummed in Valdisere 10 years ago.
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