Showing posts with label Andermatt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andermatt. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

The 'data' conundrum

2 events the other afternoon set me thinking. First I spent quite some time creating archive files on my computer for lots of old information about various things "which may come in useful at some point". Shortly afterwards, on my way back from the post box, I passed 2 middle aged men who had just stepped off their mountain bikes at a café in town, bristling with shiny armour and more than one 'teletubby-cam'.

Which made me wonder: with storage options in Terabytes accessible to all (not to mention the mighty 'cloud'), super-fast-access-everywhere internet connections and cheap-enough-for-anyone POV cameras are we being caught up in a whirlpool of 'record everything' and 'share everything'?

It is too easy to keep everything now - where in the past you would notice boxes of 'stuff' stacking up in the garage, folders and sub-folders are barely noticeable, but how often do we actually need to go digging for the contents?

As for the 'record & share everything' lifestyle I am in a dilemma: as a professional it is great for me to be able to show photos and videos of what I and my clients get up to, I know for sure it has helped lure new business my way, and an internet and social media presence is almost obligatory in this day and age. I also know that over the years I have found fellow professionals heading out to a spot I had blogged about the day before with their clients (ie getting a free ride off the back of my homework), and this has changed my approach to a slightly more measured (wait until conditions have gone) blogging frequency at times...

But do we really need to capture every moment of our life for posterity? And what ever happened to just living in the moment, and enjoying each minute as it comes and then passes again? Are we too focussed on recording to actually enjoy the moment to the full? My friend Will was a perfect example of this - not counting the success of his days out by the number of Likes on the 'blue book' but simply by how much he and his friends had smiled - it used to frustrate me that he never took a camera out (ie I never got any photos taken of me) - in retrospect the images you really remember are the ones that stick in your head, the ones that don't need any prompts to bring back a 'warm glow'.


Anyway, enough pondering - dates are now in the diary for next winter's courses:

Off Piste Introduction - 3 Valleys - 11-18 Jan 2014 Info here
Off Piste Improvers - Grimentz - 18-25 Jan 2014 Info here
Off Piste Improvers - Andermatt - 8-15 Feb 2014 Info here
Maurienne Valley Steep Coaching - 22 Feb - 1 Mar 2014 Info here
Freeride Chamonix - 8-15 Mar 2014 Info here
Steep Vanoise - Brides-les-Bains- 17-21 Mar 2014 Info here
Lofoten Ski Adventures - 31 Mar - 10 Apr Info here


Don't hesitate to get in touch for more information!


The faithful few are still getting turns in up high, last weekend however I donned the lycra to join the current cycling 'vogue' for a 2 day blitz around the Tour du Mont Blanc. Yes, we did pick the hottest weekend of the year so far (typical). Yes I did lose 4 Kg in fluids (not good). Yes I did have fun (I think), though I still favour the 'pedal up an HC col, have a good coffee and some food then freewheel home' option as opposed to stringing them together...

Feeling fresh on the morning warm-up up the Petit St Bernard (the smiles were less noticeable later on after battling headwinds down the Aosta valley then slogging up the monster 35 km climb to the Grand St Bernard...):







Sunday, 27 January 2013

Andermatt - continued

A short video showing conditions in Andermatt last week on the Off Piste Improvers course:



Now back in the Vanoise, getting psyched for 4 days of steep coaching for IFMGA Mountain Guide Andy Perkins and 2 of his friends. Had a quick blast in Courchevel yesterday and rediscovered some forgotten couloirs - 400m of 40/45º straight off the lifts...

A is for...

A is for...
... Andermatt

Though it could easily be for Awesome, Amazing or even Powder (OK, I know that doesn't start with an A...).

Last week I was running an Off Piste Improvers course here, my first visit, but certainly not my last!

Poor visibility on the first 2 days did little to slow the team down, and we found great powder every day. The slow lift system at Andermatt is a bonus - like La Grave it limits the number of people skiing the mountain each day, meaning the powder lasts much longer than resorts with 'modern' uplift.

Just off the side of the piste on Gemstock:


The views aren't bad:


Even the sunny side skiing is good - a 'busy' day at Natschen:


Splitting our time between Natschen and the Gemstock we managed to cover a lot of the terrain available, with lots of coaching on the way... Alex, Chas, Julie, Sarah, Ruan and Peter all made great progress through the week and ticked off some of the classics: Felsental, Guspis and Vermigel amongst others.

More deep powder off the Gemstock:


Backside of Gemstock:


Alex going deep:


A big 'thank you' my friend Bjorn Becker who works on ski patrol here and provided some great info on conditions & skiing!

There are still some spaces left on our remaining courses this winter - check out the offpisteskiing.com website for details.