Haute Maurienne Steep Coaching & Adventures 2019

At the start of March i found myself once again making a pilgrimage to the Haute Maurienne for the 8th annual instalment of the Steep Coaching & Adventures week for the Eagle Ski Club. A very unsettled forecast with lots of wind and some precipitation forecast meant I spent vast amounts of time each evening and morning scrutinising forecasts and trying to figure a good plan of attack, and with a bit of flexibility and the odd drive we managed to piece together a week of really good snow and skiing!

Day 1 - increasingly wild and windy, but a fun warm up day:

Searching out soft pockets after the night's wind:

Getting onto the steeps:

...and some powder & sun to round off the week...:

Roll on the 2020 edition!

Maurienne Magic 2018

This week I have been back to one of my favourite haunts, the Haute Maurienne, running my annual Steep Coaching & Adventures week for members of the Eagle Ski Club.

Snowfall last weekend set us up for a great start to the week, though the forecast initially looked quite variable for the week. As it turns out we have had mostly really good visibility and snow, with today ranking right up with the best days of all time, with a classic 1300m descent to the road at Bonneval with knee-deep cold powder all the way!

One more day to go and the forecast is good - here's hoping for another great day!

Maurienne magic 2017 style.

Of all the parts of the French Alps the Maurienne valley has done particularly well in what has been an otherwise tricky start to the season.

John, Ian, Perry and Phil certainly didn't disagree this week - despite a damp day on Tuesday we had 5 brilliant days of off piste coaching and adventures...

Grey skies and an ever-increasing wind didn't stop us having a great day exploring and developing steep ski technique in the Valfrejus couloirs:

On Friday we were blessed with the perfect weather window - clearing as the sun rose, and closing in as we finished skiing - a top notch powder day!

Once again the off piste skiing in the Maurienne valley proved its worth - versatility, lots of options, and very few people... I am looking forward to getting back down there in 4 weeks time!

January catch-up - Andermatt, Vanoise, Maurienne

Time for an update after a long absence! - Work, family and flu have combined to keep me away for a while...

A couple of weeks ago I was back in Andermatt for 6 days of off piste coaching. We arrived under heavy snowfall and this really set up the week, with great conditions to be skied both on the Gemstock as well as on the smaller areas nearby. A productive week with Ed, Peter, Kate, Malcolm and Chas:

According to the media there wasn't much snow this January:

Classic Switzerland:

Did I mention the powder?

Alpine lighthouse:

Chas enjoying the powder:

Peter putting his improved powder-mojo to good use:

A cosy coffee stop for the team:

Last week I was back on home turf in the Vanoise coaching IFMGA guide Andy Perkins and friends - a regular slot for a few years now. With snow conditions still quite average we spent a lot of time with a strong technical focus, with some great results. Right now I am in the middle of a week in the Maurienne Valley with Phil, John, Ian and Perry. In a repeat of our week last winter we have managed to hit a week with 'challenging' conditions but managed to find some great smooth chalky snow earlier in the week, and some good powder turns today:

John:

Ian:

On a serious note the snowpack is still very much in 'early season' mode, with a shallow pack and lots of potential weak layers - we witnessed a sizeable slab release today (skier-triggered) which had the potential to have serious consequences. Stay safe out there folks!

Maurienne steep ski coaching & adventures

Last week I was back in the Maurienne valley running a "Steep Coaching & Adventures" week for the Eagle Ski Club.

We had a challenging week due to high temperatures in the first part of the week, but managed to find some good snow and challenging terrain every day. A huge thank you to Rob, Jude, Will, Adam and Nick for their great company throughout the week - lots of good skiing and some big improvements!

Val Cenis:

Bonneval:

Les Karellis:

Valfrejus:

Orelle - what an amazing day to finish on!:

Maurienne Valley off piste adventures & coaching 2015

Last week I was in the Maurienne valley running a week of off piste coaching & adventures for the Eagle Ski Club.

This is the fourth year running I have run this trip, and as per previous years the Maurienne didn't fail to deliver, with great powder skied every day, despite some challenging conditions!

Day 1 - La Norma:

The lightest and deepest powder I have skied this winter (so far...):

Day 2 - Valfréjus:

Happy team at the bottom of a near-perfect condition Couloir des Militaires:

Day 3 - Val Cenis:

Poor visibility = fun in the trees!:

Day 4 - Orelle:

Wild & windy, but still finding the goods:

Après-ski Orelle style:

Day 5 - Bonneval:

Day 6 - Valfréjus:

Good snow still to be found when the breaks in the cloud came!

A huge thankyou to Ali, Steve, Chas, Nigel, Jeff and Aidan for a great week. The Hotel is already booked for next year - I can't wait!