 Poster: A snowHead
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Spending a week in St Anton over New Year and providing conditions are decent, would like to do some of the guided stuff off the Valuga (and anywhere else for that matter). If anyone could recommend a decent guide that would be great... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Piste to Powder.
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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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Cheers mate
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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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Sharkymark, Piste to powder get a pretty good rep, although there has been some previous discussions to the contrary on this very subject. Marmite springs to mind
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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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Sharkymark, there are quite a few itinerary routes at St Anton which are a bit off the beaten track which would be interesting if you can not get (or afford) a guide. The backside of the Valuga needs a guide though, as long as the lifts are open to get there !
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bit early in the season for guiding. Base is not stable or sufficient.
Im pretty certain there is no guiding of the Valuga (I wouldnt) at that time of the year best time is March.
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Sharkymark,
Check out the conditions once there and pop down to the guides office or TO... as Stanton says, too early to commit, IMV
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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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stanton, JT, figured that maybe the case but worth a punt if it pukes down beforehand.
rayscoops, had a quick look at the piste map and noticed there were itineraries in one of the bowls. Any good?
boabski, tah
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sharkymark,
If you are talking about Mattun and Kapall which are the 2 obvious ones, then they will be mogulled all the way down pretty quickly.
You might want to head left down the gullies off the top of Schindlerkar, they can be nice and steep..and/or make your way round to the front face of that lift you have just come up on to get to that
top station. You will be spotting all sorts from the CC anyway..and you will not be first in so the tracks help you out. Be careful tho, you can get yourself in trouble and I wouldn't just follow tracks blindly.
I agree, if it dumps then get down the guides office after the lifts close to sort the next datu..or pop in and see them early in the holiday ans ask what they think is good...and what the forecast is for the week
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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.
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The itineraries are just what used to be the best black runs which have been re-categorised to reduce the resort's responsibility in case of accident while allowing the runs to be usually open. They are, of course, avalanche patrolled.
There is a huge amount of off-piste in the area - I have done 3 entirely off piste holidays there and still have much I have not done. I cannot comment about what slopes might not have enough snow at the new year, but later in January I have skied the Valuga back and most other areas. Christmas and the new year always has the possibility of insufficient snow in most resorts but I would have thought you should usually be OK - even if some routes are not available. Why not contact Piste to Powder and ask about it if you are worried.
I don't know what standard you are but Graham, the owner and chief guide will be in St Anton at that time of year (he will be guiding at his new chalet in Norway later in the season). He usually takes the top group of expert (by British standards) skiers and is one of the best guides I know. He is English but has almost every qualification possible and has lived in St Anton for many years. I cannot comment on the others.
However, Piste to Powder is a bit expensive to compared to others. The alternative is to contact the Guides' Office at St Anton but I cannot tell you any guides to ask for. Perhaps someone else can suggest someone they have skied with? Here is the St Anton website - but though it mentions guides I cannot see anything about the Guides' Office. However you could contact the Tourist Office or a ski school to ask about Mountain Guides. You can of course go off-piste with many ski teachers but for the best experience you should go with a guide. Unless you primarily want off-piste instruction, in which case the ski school is a better bet. It is not the primary purpose of Guides to teach, though they often do, and almost all are happy to give you tips. If you want a guide who is also qualified to teach, you should ask when you book.
Don't just go to guides when it dumps (the best ones will be booked up anyway - our favourite guide was booked up for the whole of next season long ago). A good guide will find you powder at almost any time even if it is long after the last fall, when you had thought there couldn't be any. A few years ago we were skiing powder off-piste at St Anton with a guide and videoing our efforts. We watched our video that evening at the chalet and nobody believed us that it had been that day - they were all sure it must be from another holiday.
If you are good off-piste skiers make sure that the ski school / guides office know it and don't fob you off with someone unsuitable. And make sure he is a real qualified High Mountain Guide, especially if you use an independant ski school to find him. One day in Verbier I skied with a "guide" connected to an independent ski school. He was so bad at picking the right slopes for the time of day (and so bad a skier) that I cannot believe he was a real qualified High Mountain Guide (UIAGM / IFMGA). He actually couldn't ski as well as us and when we got impatient at his slownness and passed him, and he tried to keep up - he fell over.
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