A quick update from the French Alps

It has been quite quiet here at Offpisteskiing HQ - a busy week of work for the opening week of the 3 Valleys, but last week I had programmed in some family time over Christmas with some fun days skiing with Jr 1 and Jr 2 who both seem to have caught the bug now! Back to 'the office' today in St Foy, working with my good friends Dave Meyer and Andy Nelson - Dave and I go waaaaay back to my first season teaching skiing at Nevis Range back in 95/96!

Conditions are exceptionally lean (no news there) but there is still some fun skiing to be had. Today was our first day with a couple of families who are keen to do some touring, so we had a good 'shakedown' day skinning and skiing the South side of the Foglietta, going over some basic uphill technique tips, and building in a good transceiver/shovel/probe session.

Snow in St Foy is non-existant (barring man-made on the pistes) below 2000m, but up higher there is actually a reasonable covering (for early season) and some nice patches of wind-filled softness.

...and we're off and running...

Despite a later start than usual due to other work commitments winter 2017 is now off and running!

Yesterday the lifts up in Courchevel opened for the winter so it was time to sneak in a run or two with 'offpisteskiing Jr'

Today I was skiing with Ali, Steve, Sue and Debbie. It is fair to say conditions are about as thin as they can be at this time of year - heading up the lifts from Mottaret the view was quite sobering:

There was a bit of fun stuff to ski up high in Val Thorens though:

It was eye-opening to see the number of skinning tracks all over the place, despite the lack of snow and very rocky terrain. Maybe I am getting old and cautious but given the current thin snowpack I would rate the chances of trashing my skis and/or myself quite highly at the moment (a la Schumacher and many others) - surely there are other ways to get an exercise fix whilst waiting for a base to build up?

2017 course dates and availability

A quick update with spaces available for our off piste coaching and adventure courses this coming winter:

Tarentaise Off Piste Performance 4 - 11 Feb 2017 - 2 spaces left.

Based in Bourg St Maurice, with easy access to the amazing off piste potential of Les Arcs, La Rosiere/La Thuile, St Foy, Espace Killy & La Plagne. This is a week of coaching and exploration, with our valley base allowing us the freedom to seek out the best snow and conditions.

Serre Chevalier Freeride 18 - 25 March 2017 - 2 spaces left

The Hautes Alpes area offers huge potential and variety for off piste skiers. This week is based in Serre Chevalier, with its huge linked lift system giving lots of great options including some amazing tree skiing. Within easy reach we also have the mecca that is La Grave, Montgenevre and the Italian Milky Way ski areas (Sestriere etc), Puy St Vincent, and slightly further away the Queyras ski areas - scene of possibly the best day of powder skiing I have had!

There is also still one space remaining on the legendary Steep Vanoise week running 13 - 17 March.

I will be sharing duties on this with IFMGA guide Dorian Labaeye who joined the team last year for an epic week:

Don't hesitate to get in touch for more details on these weeks

Nearly time...

Autumn is a great time for inspiration as ski films are released on all fronts... My current top 3 are as follows (in no particular order!):

Iran: A Skier's Journey - Jordan Manley

Iran: A Skier's Journey from Jordan Manley on Vimeo.

Guilt Trip - Salomon TV




La Liste

Teaser:



Watch the full movie on Redbull TV

Autumn slideshows

I am currently having a quiet weekend at home recovering from a hectic work trip - 4 countries in 8 days, and a hefty road trip around the UK to test out the Baffin slideshow/presentation - this was my first attempt at this kind of thing and the response has been amazing! - Thanks to everyone who came out to the Ski Mountaineering Symposium and the Hawkshead Brewery/Alpine Club event- it was interesting to meet some Baffin 'veterans' including one who made a trip there in 1961!

If you would like to catch the Baffin presentation then the next opportunity will be at the Fort William Mountain Festival on Sat 18th Feb 2017...

Inspiration - Plake Interview and Salomon movie

Take the time to listen to this great interview with Glen Plake, one of my 'ski heroes' - great job from the guys at Powder!



I am also looking forward to seeing the full version of this:



Meanwhile, if you are in the UK in November I will be giving a couple of talks on this spring's Baffin Island trip, at the British Ski Mountaineering Symposium at Plas y Brenin on Sat 12th, and also in the Lake District on Weds 16th Nov - see the flyer below:

Autumn training

The first snows of autumn have been and (in some places) gone, the clocks have gone back and the car windscreen has needed a scrape in the mornings for the last little while... winter must be on its way!

This autumn has been a hectic mix of rope-related work (my 'other' life) family time and trying to squeeze in winter organisation too! (A constant game of catch-up!).

Last week was a family holiday, but on the flight South from Geneva we were treated to perfect views of the whole chain of the French Alps, from Mt Blanc down to the coast, with a sea of cloud to 3000m perfect for defining the peaks of the Vanoise, Ecrins, Hautes Alpes etc as we flew past:

During our trip I managed to squeeze in a few runs - I am not normally a huge fan (or more precisely my knees aren't) but on occasions the views make it almost pleasurable:

Now back at home I am trying to squeeze in fitness where I can between work, today I finally managed to get up to a trail I had been meaning to ride for years but had not yet got around too (mostly due to a decrepit old mtb with no functioning suspension!). Great singletrack, a golden eagle soaring overhead, stunning views of the Vanoise peaks in their autumn colours and barely a soul about... Well worth the 900m slog up there!

Stay tuned for an update on 2017 dates and availability!