 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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You could contact these guys and see if Marco is free. He's a great bloke.
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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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Why wouldn't you go offpsite in France without a guide? Yes there are some very serious and/or glaciated (with crevasses) routes that most people would want guides for, but if you learn about avalanche safety, go out on days with low avalanche levels and are sensible, you should probably be able to find plenty of stuff to do on your own (well not on your own, but with mates instead of guides).
*Edit - and have the equipment
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 7-12-09 17:45; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Why wouldn't you go offpsite in France without a guide? |
Because lot of people seems to die in avalanches in and around Tignes.
I'm also very unfamiliar with the territory in Espace Killy and would have to spend a lot of time (that I could be skiing), scoping out runs to which I don't know if I could easily reach a chair lift from afterwards (and I hate walking!).
I've had a lot of ski lessons in Whistler so the instructors/coaches know all the good safe off-piste. I've had no lessons in France and so don't know the terrain.
I'd just rather have a guide...
Thanks for the advice.
And altis, thanks for the link. I did a search and didn't come up with anything (because I obviously used the wrong search terms!).
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clarky999, agreed it is a good idea to learn about avalanche safety, but I wouldn't say that it qualifies you to venture down all the off-piste routes in Espace Killy - and there are many of them. In fact for some it would be foolish to not use a guide if you haven't been on them before as a wrong turn can be fatal.
Also, as I discovered at one of Henrys Avalanche Talks, in Tignes and Val D'Isere there have been avalanches very close to pisted runs that have ended up in tragedies. So it can be hazardous to venture even a few metres from a marked run. Snowy is well advised to use a guide there. You could try HAT for some recommendations for guides. It will probably need an email to Henry. He also does transceiver training sessions.
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Oh yeah definitely, but they said the whole of France (and from the context/compariosn with Whistler I assumed Snowy kinda meant Europe by extension?). I would feel very nervous about skiing offpiste on a glacier without a guide, but in most places if you know what you are doing you can still find fun and safe stuff yourself. If you've got the cash to splash out on a guide that's kool, but if you only ever ski with a guide you're gonna miss out on a lot of the exploring factor that's so cool about offpiste - messing around with maps etc. Still, as you said, there are some places where a guide is v useful/essential, at least for the first run.
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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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Snowy, Try pm'ing Stewart Woodward. (look in Tignes snow reports). Stewart instructs in Tignes and will certainly be able to point you in the right direction.(pardon the pun)
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I agree about Alpine Experience, kitenski - they all speak English or are native speakers of English, and will put you with a group of the same standard (6 maximum per group), which saves a huge amount compared to hiring a guide yourself. Not sure if it can be co-ordinated with staying at Tignes, but you could phone and ask
Guides will find you the routes you wouldn't know about, miles from any piste. Also if you are on your own you have to play very safe and miss slopes you might otherwise have skied. There is a huge amount of off-piste in Val d'Isere / Tignes -have fun.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Oh dear - Evolution 2 now say they only have one good English speaker...
I'm running out of options. Hopefully snocool will get in contact or I'll be taking a taxi to Val d'Isere.
Does anyone have any idea how much a taxi from Tignes Val Claret to Val d'Isere is likely to cost?
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Snowy, I'll get Marco's number or email address and send it you. They're typical snow doods - crap at the office work.
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You know it makes sense.
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Snowy, have you booked into Tignes yet or are you fixed on staying in Tignes? If not then I would have a look at staying in Val d'Isere and then you can book with Alpine Experience. I have skied lots with A.E. and have booked with them for my next ski holiday. As kitenski and snowball say, they are very good, they speak English, and they specialise in the off-piste of the Espace Killy.
There has been another recent Snowheads thread about taxis between Tignes and Val d'Isere, it may have taxi prices. But A.E. meet at 08:45 and expect to move from their morning meeting place to be at the chosen lift for when it opens at 09:00. So that would require an early taxi. The afternoon return could be done via ski lifts and a leisurely ski.
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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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Mosha Marc, thanks. 
Adrian, we booked into Tignes last summer...
I can't find any threads that mention the price of taxis between tignes and Val D.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Ah found it:
"Taxi from Val D'Isere back to Tignes probably more like 45 euros"
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1389212
10-15 euros would have been reasonable but 45 is just too much to consider. Perhaps if I offered a 20 euro tip per day to the Alpine Experience people they wouldn't mind meeting me in Tignes VC.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You could just try a late start, 9.30-10.00AM & ski over to Val D'Isere. It doesn't take long if you're on the first lift.
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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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frank4short, Yes, but too late for start of guided groups.
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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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Hi Snowy. After saying "I've failed to organise anything with the other companies suggested" I wonder how much searching you have done, or did you expect Snowheads to do your research for you? A quick web search finds http://www.tignes.co.uk/lessons.htm, the ski school summary paragraphs list list five schools in Tignes with British instructors and four that mention off-piste (or all mountain). Then http://www.tignes.net/en/ski-a-tignes/high-mountain-guides-71.html lists six off piste guiding groups (OK, the ESF gets two entries) and http://www.tignes.net/en/ski-a-tignes/ski-school-69.html lists many more ski schools in Tignes. There are lots of threads on Snowheads that describe good experiences with ski schools and guides in Tignes.
In answer to a question you said you had already booked accommodation in Tignes, hence I thought that Alpine Experience (AE), who are based in Val d'Isere, were geographically wrong for you. So I left it to others to suggest Tignes based guides.
You commented on AE saing "Alpine Experience were a bit vague about what constitutes an off-piste trip". What did you expect them to say? Off piste is "not on the piste". AE's "off piste" page (see http://www.alpineexperience.com/program/36/off-piste) tells about when touring equipment is needed. Each AE guide decides on where to ski based on the prevailing conditions. Often during and after a snowfall AE skis powder on unpisted piste or near the pistes. Many days the skiing involves a little walking, maybe five minutes, that allows access to areas further from the pistes but that gets us away from the crowds. Some days a longer walk, possibly with skins, is appropriate.
It is impossible for an organisation to describe everything on their website. AE are experts at skiing and guiding, but possibly are not experts at websites. I emailed a link to this thread to a friend who is skiing with AE at the moment, he suggested to his AE guide some improvements to the "Your safety" page and they have been incorporated, see http://www.alpineexperience.com/program/38/safety-matters
I think most ski teachers and guides are passionate about their skiing and thier mountains and want to help others to enjoy them safely. There are Snowheads posts by teachers such as easyski, Stewart Woodward and several others showing their dedication to their clients. I know from personal experience the dedication and care that AE show to their clients. So I feel your words about "pesky customers" are unwarranted.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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lol that's you told snowy, go stand in the corner and dont form opinions again 
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Snowy, Think I did a last minute day with Evo'2 whilst there last year. Got some good stuff done, if they ever hit an area with small drops they give you an alternative piste route past them (but go for it... just ask if there is any danger). A friend of mine had an off piste lesson there and did the following "hidden valley run where you ski THROUGH the cliff and launch out of a hole in the other side!"
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Why not try Alpine Logic. They have been based in Tignes for 10 years. ski-instruction-tignes.co.uk
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FAQ
I do off-piste all the time in Whistler, but then I wouldn't go off-piste in France without a qualified guide
