Maurienne Off Piste Improvers 2019

The first week of February saw this year's Off Piste Improvers course running in the Maurienne valley.

After a cloudy and snowy start hiding in the trees on day 1, day 2 gave us this:

Powder & sun? Why not...

The rest of the week continued in a very similar vein:

Many thanks to Peter & Kate, Malcolm & Judy, Ann and Sarah for a great week - see you next winter!

Maurienne, what else?...

Last week was the 2019 edition of my regular stint running some steep-ski-oriented CPD coaching for IFMGA Mountain Guides Andy Perkins and Jim Kerr, along with non-guides Peter B and Jim S. We had 3 productive days in the Maurienne, not only from a coaching point of view, but also with increasingly good snow conditions!

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Maurienne Steep Ski Coaching & Adventures

Last week I was back in one of my favourite stomping grounds running a week of steep ski coaching & adventures for the Eagle Ski Club.

With high winds and heavy snowfall forecast for the first 2 days the start of the week was always going to be 'interesting'. Fortunately the Maurienne Valley has a variety of options and there is always a good venue for any combination of conditions, and we spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the trees skiing great powder:

The weather gradually cleared on Wednesday, but also warmed up considerably so on Thursday we headed up high in Bonnneval to try and make the most of the soft snow left on North facing slopes. By Friday a proper spring cycle had set in, but we still managed to find good cold snow in the couloirs of Valfrejus, along with a few smooth spring turns off the South side.

We finished the week in style with some perfect smooth spring snow from the summit of the Grand Argentier, followed by an impromptu demo from the Chasseurs Alpins:

Thanks to SOnia, Stuart J, Stuart C, Sarah and Paul for a great week and thanks also to David & Séverine at La Turra for their hospitality - see you next year!

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!: