 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello Everyone,
I know it is June, but seen as I have had to cancel my summer holiday, it now looks like the only pleasure I am going to have is deciding where we go skiing next year. The last two years we have been to Val D'Isere which we found to be very good and some of the schools were excellent, especially TDC. This year we are looking at alternatives, and would be very much influenced by the availability of good off piste schools and guiding. Any thoughts or suggests?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Depends what you want - pure guiding or something with more instruction. If the latter, I would think that the old favourites of Chamonix, Verbier and St Anton would take some beating. If the former, you could find a guide you like and leave it in his hands or go for something like Skiers Lodge in La Grave which will give you some seriously good skiing and isn't ridiculously expensive
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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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An alternative is to head to north american resorts where you can get much more "offpiste" action within the resort boundaries, and not have to pay for guides
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Dublinfella, I've been told, by a very reliable source and several time repeat user, that Warren Smith in Verbier is excellent. I've done a one day with him in Hemel and was well impressed. As mentioned above Verbier is well known for its off piste. I hope to be there all season so if you go look me up (I'm a Kildare fella meself  )
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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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We are looking at instruction and guiding, certainly haven't perfected our technique yet, except maybe falling! Arlberg is definitely somewhere we are looking at, some of the others are a little worried about guarnanteed snow, but I've skiied Oberlech a couple of times, and it's been perfect. Still though, if there's a Lilly White in Verbier, that could be fun too!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Chamonix - loads of off-piste courses, good choice of guides and accommodation, lively and good fun. Our regular guide is
http://www.neil-hitchings.com/
who I highly recommend - he taught us to ski at the beginning of last season and we completed the Haute Route at the end of it.
La Grave - is really special - less choice and liveliness, but the mountain is superb and far less crowded than Chamonix. Tiny, atmospheric village. I would also recommend the Skier's Lodge, we had a great time there.
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Dublinfella, Powder Extreme in Verbier will show you the best of the terrain and get you to ski it to the best of your ability. I do at lest one week with them every season. Saying that, Warren Smith is a gingyer which may appeal to you paddys.
Ski Legend in La Grave also recommended.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 11-06-09 20:56; edited 1 time in total
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Dublinfella, There are a couple of possibilities here: Damian Albert does almost exclusively off piste but is an instructor - he's from here; also Etienne and a couple of mates with the ESF do off piste weeks. Instruction with guiding. Both these guys are really good - check out Swirly's thread on the snowboarding section for an idea of the possibilities from here. 
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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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Dublinfella, A great off-piste instructor is Bryan Hogg who works most of the season out of Sainte Foy working as an independent instructor and on some of our Mountain Tracks off-piste courses. He'll also be working in Chamonix and in Zinal (Switzerland) in 2010. Zinal is a great venue for off-piste skiing (and day touring) with big hills, multiple slope aspects and comprehensive lift system. No nightlife to speak off and so it's all about the skiing.
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chrismountaintracks,
I'll be in Zinal and would like to meet up and have a chat with a guide/instructor who knows the area.
I have an idea of where we want to go...so just need to talk that over with the guide....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Another Idea is UCPA, the accomodation may be a tad more basic but they offer full weeek tuition / guiding in various French resorts
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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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Steve Sparks, Hes half Irish too hence he is good at skiing. God made the Irish awesome skiers then took the wee wee by creating the gulf stream to ensure we never get snow.
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You know it makes sense.
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chrismountaintracks, shhh, it's a rubbish area, not many lifts, loads of drags and not many pistes
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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My first off-piste course was in La Grave but TBH I wouldn't really recommend it for a first venture. There doesn't seem to be that many options for a beginner. In fact, of the five days of the course, we only spent two of them skiing La Grave!
A trip report:
http://warringtonbears.org.uk/lagrave/index.htm
IMHO, a better bet would be a big resort with lots of "sidecountry". A good instructor or guide will know all the little nooks and crannies and you'll be able to maximize your actual off-piste skiing with the minimum of skinning or clumping. There are loads of options like this in the 3 Valleys and even (but keep this quiet) La Plagne.
Some ideas:
http://www.jagged-globe.co.uk/ski/
http://www.offpisteskiing.com/
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hi guys,
Thanks for all the info. Looks very good. We will be travelling with some blue/nervous red skiers, so we will be packing them away to school in the morning, but would like to meet up again to ski together in the afternoon (most of the time...) It is great to get the different options, recommendations and Gingers! RPF, if you saw some of us, I think we might be ruining your theory. Still though, looking forward to us dominating the Winter Olympics for the next 50 years - momentum is the key!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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RPF, if you saw some of us, I think we might be ruining your theory.
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No way the theory is good, you must have hired really bad kit you are genetically awesome skiers.
Is there still time to qualify? get down to Kilternan quick.
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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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| nbt wrote: |
| Another Idea is UCPA, the accomodation may be a tad more basic but they offer full weeek tuition / guiding in various French resorts |
Seconded. They do a combined guiding/instruction course as well as a pure guided high-mountain freeride course. They tend to run several groups for each at the larger centres so you should be able to find something at your level. I did the freeride course in Argentiere in March and loved it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Great Lads,
Thanks very much, more thoughts to be had. RPF, funny you say that, as one of the lads swears that its slies/bindings that are the problem, not the technique and heavy powder...
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Dublinfella, He's right his delta angles are obviously wrong but he is awesome. Don't even need to see him ski
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Dublinfella, All of the recommendations have been excellent. I've been lucky enough to get to all of them for off piste and would go back to any of them. Another place to check out is Monterosa Ski. There are three villages to choose from and they're different so you can research your best choice. I like Alagna. The large Monterosa area will suit the more inexperienced in your group, while the off piste is heaven. But, as I said, all the other places mentioned above are great too. I guess another great holiday for this purpose is to combine Engelberg and Andermatt into one week's holiday. I've done it twice and it's been great.
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Dublinfella, I would endorse Warren Smith.
If there is a group of you of differing abilities then there is a grading system on the first day. Warren's guys are all exceptional coaches, and will get everyone into the off piste suitable to the groups level.
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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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easiski, I am so sorry - I tend to use lads as a non gender specific term of endearment, but I see the errors of my way, and thus shall greet Gentlepeople, from now on in.
Gentlepeople,
Thanks very much indeed. I was looking at heading to Monterosa at some stage – have hiked there in the summer – but have been told you need to make sure the snow is good before going. I will have to get the thinking cap on, and check out the available flights from Dublin.
Ah, the white dream continues!
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Dublinfella, Been to Monterosa 5 times and have never been lucky with the snow...even when it has snowed at night....
It has great routes and the scope is tremendous if you have someone who knows where they are going..and finding that isn't at all hard in the Hotel Dufour, but I do think the southern-fed winds
make the place difficult for snow. Often wind-blown or lacking the same drift that say, the other side of the Monterosa headwall might get..
Terrain-wise..it is up there with the very best..but the reason it hasn't moved on is that the snow quality isn't that great over a season..IMO...
Even local guides lamneted this...IME.
Keep meaning to go back, but this always stops us...
DM stays in Champoluc a lot throughout a season so might have a better more upto date take on this...but as I said, the above was influenced by what local guides often said..
A must-do at one time or another tho...for anyone loking for high-moutain off-piste..
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