 Poster: A snowHead
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I've found a handful of places where as a solo off-pister you can join a group just for a day (as opposed to a week's course or similar), as follows:
Powder Club (St Anton - a branch of the ski school) and to a lesser extent (because I think they don't go daily and sometimes you have to join a course) Piste to Powder in St Anton
Top Ski (Val and Tignes) - and I think there's another one based in Val
Engelberg guiding office (which puts ones and twos together to form groups)
Obergurgl ski school runs a group day tour on Thursdays (haven't checked recently but this is how it used to work anyway)
North America - 'first tracks' guided groups before the lifts open
Does anyone know of others please? In particular I'm interested in finding places where, if you were on hols with your family or a mixed-ability group, one or two of you could find a guided group to ski off-piste with, without forking out for a private lesson or your own guide.
I'm researching an article on this - but also keen to know where they are anyway, for personal use!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Most sizeable bureaux des guides in France seem to cobble together a group du jour, most obviously in places like La Grave and Chamonix (focussed on Vallee Blanche). Obvious lottery of who you get to go with.
North American first tracks groups aren't the same thing at all IMO, they are essentially a lift jumping privilege with a nanny to keep you contained from hitting stuff patrol haven't fully controlled yet. Lots of resorts have "freeride" ski school programmes which amount to the same thing.
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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'll find people offering this in almost any resort.
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fatbob + 1 - A North America First Tracks group is not off-piste but rather an "in-bounds" privalege to jump the queue. Not the same thing at all as a ski guide.
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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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stevomcd, thank you ... I haven't found this to be the case at all - where have you been skiing? I've found guiding offices/ski schools not keen to put people who don't know each other together in an off-piste group, with Engelberg the exception. Even in places where there's meant to be a group system (eg Zermatt guiding office), I've found that in practice there's not really a group going out every day...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Alpine Experience in Val d'isere, all of the guides are fluent English speakers and include Henry Schiewind (Henry's Avalanche Talk).
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MountainMaid, done it in Val d'Isere, Tignes, Chamonix, Les Arcs, Sainte Foy, Areches-Beaufort, St Anton, Fernie....losing track really. As I said, almost everywhere I've ever been.
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MountainMaid, have a look at what the Ski Club of Great Britain resort Leaders provide.
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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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Anywhere there's a snowHeads Bash on 
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Powder Extreme in Verbier used to do it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
to a lesser extent (because I think they don't go daily and sometimes you have to join a course) Piste to Powder in St Anton
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Not my experience at all. Providing they have room you can join them on any day except weekends I think. Have you been told otherwise?
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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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Thanks, everyone. PJSki, I'm a Ski Club leader and have also been skiing with other ones, and think it's excellent - but the article focuses more on groups where the leader is a qualified instructor or guide. May well mention the leading as well though.
sah, A few years ago I tried to join P2P - and phoned ahead about doing so. Either there wasn't a suitable group or it was full or something. A friend had a similar experience; don't remember the details but both of these left me with impression it was more of a pre-bookable all-week group thing than a 'turn up and pay' thing like Powder Club (which is where I went instead because for whatever reason I couldn't go with P2P). I have been on an excellent ski tour with P2P; the guides were great. Maybe I'll try again for a day or two when I'm in St Anton again.
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| MountainMaid wrote: |
Thanks, everyone. PJSki, I'm a Ski Club leader and have also been skiing with other ones, and think it's excellent - but the article focuses more on groups where the leader is a qualified instructor or guide. May well mention the leading as well though.
sah, A few years ago I tried to join P2P - and phoned ahead about doing so. Either there wasn't a suitable group or it was full or something. A friend had a similar experience; don't remember the details but both of these left me with impression it was more of a pre-bookable all-week group thing than a 'turn up and pay' thing like Powder Club (which is where I went instead because for whatever reason I couldn't go with P2P). I have been on an excellent ski tour with P2P; the guides were great. Maybe I'll try again for a day or two when I'm in St Anton again. |
Shame. I can imagine they get booked up as there are only 3 or 4 guides I think. I've guess I have been lucky and turned up when they had availability, so I know booking isn't mandatory but clearly it seems to be a good idea. I'm pretty sure you don't have to book a whole week, but I've not skied with them for 3 seasons so I may be wrong on this.
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You know it makes sense.
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To give a bit more detail:
Val/Tignes - Nico Glize does half-day off-piste snowboard trips like this - run almost every day
Les Arcs - Just rang up the ESF and got in with a group going out the following day
Chamonix - Spoilt for choice really! Used Chamonix Experience at least once
Areches - The local guide puts up a "program for the week" that anyone can join
Sainte Foy - Quite a few people will do this, ESF tries to do it, not sure how successfully. Can be a bit word-of-mouth to find out who's doing what.
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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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Alpine Logic offers day and half days in Tignes
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Poster: A snowHead
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Reflex are a small, independant ski school in La Plagne who offer excellent 1-day off-piste lessons and guiding trips. Max 8 people in the group. Qualified, english speaking instructors.
http://www.reflex-skischool.com/index.php
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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About 3 years ago the Powder Club in St Anton would only put a group together if there are at least (I think) 4 clients of the same standard to form a group. You need to book a little in advance (the day before) because they don't have guides sitting around their office on the off chance they get a booking.
Powder Club have to pay a set amount to the guide and they charge each client a set amount per day. I'm sure that if you're willing to pay for the guide they would provide a guide for less than 4 clients.
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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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Piste to Powder can get booked up because word has got around about them, but otherwise you can always join their groups.
Top ski often has the best top group at Val d'Isere because the good French skiers use them. Otherwise Alpine Experience are the best people there.
I don't know if it has changed but some years ago I found there was nowhere at Verbier.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thank you everybody for the replies - all really helpful.
... and now we just need this snow to continue!
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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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MM - Serre Chevalier, Monetier there is a guide based in a little office. Normally only takes a group of 6 or so, but I've been out with him on a cracking spring day as a solo as there were no other takers - and at the price person!
Rudolf Amrhein, UIAGM, based in Lauterbrunnen and takes groups on Sat and Sun in the Jungfrau and possible to join as a solo. Aiming to meet up with him in Jan 12.
DHO in Wengen aim to take 2 levels of leading each day but not sure what extent their op leading is.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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MountainMaid, Davos ski school does just what you want, also I know that the SCGB leaders/reps usually have the option of taking a guide, normally Thursdays, frequently shareing with the Klosters rep.
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I have done a full group day with the Compagne des Guides in Chamonix and also a half day with the ESF in Val d'Isere.
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ESF offer off piste days at different ability levels -certainly in La Plagne and Montalbert .....so I am sure they will do it everywhere
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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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Did a great day in Grindelwald when the Ski Club rep organised a day with a local guide. This took individuals who wanted to join in.
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Does anyone know of any outfits that do this kind of thing in the 3 Valleys?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Anyone do this in Monterosa or is anyone there 10th-13th Jan two of us could hook up with? Or anywhere 2-3 hours from Milan?
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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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I've joined an off-piste group in La Plagne via the ESF. Had a great day with a mixture of French, Belgians and Dutch. Day started with the usual ski test - 'ski as fast as possible - evasive turns only' across resort to get rid of the weaker skiers!
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I've tried this in Val d'Isere (Alpine Experience), Verbier (Powder Extreme), St Anton (Piste to Powder and the ordinary ski school), and Lech. The best were the options in St Anton and Lech. Personally I found Alpine Experience and Powder Extreme slightly disappointing but that was probably just the luck of the draw with the groups I had.
People mention Powder Club at St Anton. I tried to book this once but they didn't have enough skiers so it didn't run. Oddly the existence of the St Anton Powder Club gives the impression that you won't do serious off piste in the regular St Anton ski school. Not so. The higher levels of the Lech and St Anton ski schools are essentially just off piste groups you can join. As best as I can work out Powder Club only exists becuase Piste to Powder has been so successful that the ski school copied Graham's (owner of Piste to Powder) format which is the whole day as opposed to the ski schools which start a bit later and end earlier.
Finally, I just tried to book the Davos groups without success because they only run the groups when they have enough skiers which, at least for Wed-Friday last week, they did not so I don't know how frequent an option that is if you can't get groups during the Christmas week with good snow conditions.
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FAQ
