Sharing a guide

A snowHead

Hi. I'm new to the forum so, er, hello.

I ski in the 3 Valleys and last year skied with a guide for the first time. I can see this is the way to go and was wondering if there was any easy way to communicate with other people who might want to share the cost/experience. I mostly ski with my family and they don't ski off piste.

Cheers

A snowHead

You can ask the guide or guides bureau if you can work in with a group. Its happened to me as a client before, guide asking me if i would like an old client of his to join us. Ideally you obviously want to be known to the guide in advance so he isn't concerned on incompatible levels when assessing what he wants to do with you.

Another point to ensure acceptability from the skiers you are joining is to make sure you have a transceiver and ideally shovel/probe as well , along with the training to use them. I m never happy when it turns out that I m equipped to rescue the rest of the party but they aren't equipped to rescue me!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

And I guess I should say welcome although I m brand new myself!!!!

You need to Login to know who's really who.

You might have some luck with ski schools, or independent outfits, running off-piste groups, so you effectively get a guide but pay much less than i you hired one to yourself.

Other than that you could post your plans here and see if anyone else is in the area at the same time maybe?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

As per the suggestion made by sah, maybe take a look at New Generation ski school who offer various off piste sessions where you can join a group.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Many resorts have companies who employ several guides and put together groups of the same standard. For example Alpine Experience and TopSki in Val d'Isere and Piste to Powder in St Anton.
I think Evolution 2 do it - though I am mostly aware of them as a ski school and extreme activity merchants. They operate in Tignes, Val d'Isere, Montchavin La Plagne, Chamonix, La Rosiere, Avoriaz, Chamonix, Les 2 Alpes and Megeve.
It would be good to get together a list of these companies.
On the other hand there are groups and Clubs who organise Off piste holidays with guides. Snowheads do one and The Ski Club of Great Britain do many under the name "Freshtracks". There are others. Eagles Ski Club (and Freshtracks) do Ski Touring holidays.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I think (I may be mistaken) the main man in Ev2 in T le lac spent too many years also being part of avalanche rescue team. He is now completely against off-piste and so you won't get OP with them. But esf and others are always running off-piste classes in both le lac and val claret

After all it is free

Thanks guys. There's some good suggestions there. I figured I'd need my own transceiver to be serious about this and I have had some training in terms of rescue. I'll take on board your suggestions and also post on here nearer the time.

I was told last year that there is a route over the back of VT down to Orelle and I think it was just a day trip. I don't suppose anyone's done it??

crystaltips, You'd better ask the forum which is the best transceiver for you ! . Should start a healthy thread.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Well I'm pretty good at spending endless hours researching ski kit and then buying over specced stuff I can't felt the full potential out of but a some advice probably would be useful.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

There are loads and loads of off-piste routes in the 3 vallees - some in what is really the 4th valley towards Orelle, but I don't know how often you can actually ski all the way down to Orelle itself.

Do you have the off piste book for the 3 vallees? That route isn't in mine but it has probably been updated since the lift from Orelle was built. The book is in the series by Vamos and is by Philippe Baud and Benoit Loucel. It describes the routes in French and English - but you need the 1:25,000 maps too. Even if you don't do them without a guide you get an idea what is available.

snow reports

Thanks for that. I will definitely try and track the book down. It sounds perfect.

crystaltips, like snowball said, there are loads of off piste routes in the 3Vs, with some coming off the back of the Caron/Brequin in VT as well as one which is accessed from the Col chairlift heading towards the Bouchet glacier (which I haven't done). Looks like a nice route to do. All the routes are listed in my version of the Vamos book but I don't see anything going down to Orelle itself.

I've read quite a few posts by people who've done a lot of touring in the 3Vs so it might be worth doing a search if you're interested to read more. Also there is a SnowHead who is a British instructor/guide based out there called offpisteskiing.

You know it makes sense.

Thanks. I've found the book you refer to at Lockwoods.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

juliad, yep, from the Col de Thorens head right, along an awkward rising traverse for perhaps 20 mins. No skins required but you'll be knackered by the time you get to the Col de Pierre Lory - the next obvious col. Then negotiate some rocks and off down the glacier (no holes AFAIK) and keep right to the lift at Plan Bouchet. Probably takes about 1 to 1.5 hours total.

A more pleasant entry can be found from the two 2-man chairs that run up towards Col Renod. Then head north and drop onto the same glacier. It's a bit steeper and more serious though.

crystaltips, I can also recommend offpisteskiing as a great teacher. You might consider booking on to one of his 3V courses or, if you're lucky, he might be available for the odd day's 'guiding'.
http://www.offpisteskiing.com/courses

A snowHead

Thank you altis. That's a very interesting website.

A snowHead

Thanks for that altis. I've done quite a lot of skiing in the 4th valley but coming in from the Caron side. I've seen those chutes/faces coming down to meet the Pierre Lory route but they looked a tad dodgy (sliding) when I've been over there in the Spring.

I'm being really cheeky here - I need to do some more tours next year for exams, seeing as you are one of the posters who's spent plenty of time wracking up tours in the area (includng Pralognan) have you got a top 3 favourites for those that require a minimum 1000m skin up?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Orelle is at about 950m on a due South facing slope so I would guess that there would frequently not be enough snow to get down.
You should be able to buy the maps out there, but the ones you want are the Cartes IGN (Institut Geographique National) 1:25,000 scale map number 3534 OT for almost all the Trois Vallee, plus 3433 ET if you want to do anything off the back of La Masse (eg going down to St Martin de B the back way).

Orelle is very near Modane which is the hinge between the Haute Maurienne and Lower Maurienne valley, where the Frejus tunnel comes through from Italy. I have skied the Haute Maurienne a number of times with a local guide, Zeb Roche (Val Cenis, Val Frejus etc). The top end of the Haute Maurienne is Bonneval, a small resort that you get to if you ski off the back of the Fornet area (Val d'Isere).

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No probs juliad.

There are many options from Pralognan. One night, while staying there, we stumbled upon the torchlight parade from the local instructors. It says something that at least 25% of them were running on Dynafit bindings!

It would require at least a night out in the Refuge de la Femma (nice cheeseboard) but I'd recommend a trip up the Pointe de la Sana. It's nearly 1100m vertical from the refuge and it took us (a slowish group) something like 6 hours to go up and 20 minutes to come down! I'm afraid I don't have a log of the route but just follow the blue line on the map. Perfect gradient most of the way.

Probably achievable in a day trip from Pralognan would be the Pointe d'Observatoire which offpisteskiing dragged Mrs A and I up on a mini-tour of the Vanoise. V. cold but more fine views. I never wrote up the trip but we went: Col de Thorens, Refuge de l'Orgère, Col de la Masse, Refuge du Fond d'Aussois, Pointe d'Observatoire, Refuge du Roc de la Pêche, Col du Vallonet (I think), Pralognan.

Another day trip might be Pointe de la Rechasse which should offer stunning views but we were so knackered by the soft snow last year that we never got up there:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=76044

Slightly further afield but I'd still thoroughly recommend the Aiguille de l'Epaisseur with stunning views of the Aiguilles d'Arves - and, come to think of it, fine views of much of that end of the Alps too. Attack from Bonnenuit just up the hill from Valloire. A stong team might be able to do it in a long day but otherwise spend a night in the Refuge des Aiguilles d'Arves. Stunning skiing on the way down too. Last day of this TR:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=63581

More fun to be had on and around Mont Thabor of course. It would be a very long day for a strong team but you could make it to the top and back perhaps with the aid of a randonée pass from Valfréjus. Better to spend a night or two in the Refuge du Mont Thabor and return via Lac des Batailleres - more fine skiing:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2027068

For more ideas track down some books in the series Ski de Randonnée by Editions Olizane. There are different books for each area: Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Savoie Mont Blanc, Isere etc. They are €23 each but list lots of day tips and give all the particulars - all in French, of course.

That's turned out to be more than 3 hasn't it! To pick the best I'd suggest:
1) Aiguille de l'Epaisseur
2) Lac des Batailleres (but perhaps a long travel to get in the height required)
3) Pointe de la Sana

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

What about some of the UCPA weeks which have been discussed elsewhere. That way you're with a group who are all using the same guide.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Of course you could advertise on here where you are going you might find others to share a guide but frankly I'm not too hopeful. You could contact the Tourist Office in Val Thorens (or wherever you aim to stay) and ask them if there is a guiding company who put together off piste groups of the same standard.

After all it is free

altis, thanks so much. I'll just send you a quick PM so as not to derail the thread.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

If you want to have a crack at Orelle/VT off piste then try Xavier . . . . . . he knows it like the back of his hand and speaks good English.

http://www.mauriennehorspiste.com/team.html

He might put a bit of a group together.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

scgb leaders who are in resort organise days with guides. I dont know who they use though.

Help!!

Sharing a guide

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