Chamonix Backcountry Adventure Ski Week

Introduction

The Chamonix valley and the Mont Blanc Massif are justifiably popular for backcountry skiing. The combination of high altitude, reliable snow and stunning mountain scenery makes the region ideal for the adventurous skiers looking to improve their backcountry knowledge.

Our off-piste ski weeks are guided holidays with the focus on exciting skiing - searching out the best snow and descents. As well as fun skiing, we aim to provide practical mountain awareness and the essentials skills for backcountry skiing. Throughout the week you will gain an appreciation of avalanche awareness, skinning, route finding and crevasse rescue.

Chamonix and the Ski Area

Chamonix is a bustling alpine sports centre. It offers lots of bars, restaurants shops, and a busy night life. The skiing area is generally considered to have some of the best off-piste and backcountry skiing in the Alps. Much of this is accessible from the lift systems and includes descents of over 2000m. The Chamonix valley has numerous up lift access points over the massif, offering excellent descents at all altitudes, aspects and lengths; so plenty for everyone.

Difficulty: Challenging

Duration: week

Quick Facts

Eight day trip
Seven nights accommodation in the valley
Fully-qualified UIAGM guide
The best off-piste and ski touring terrain in the Alps
Training in ski touring and avalanche awareness

Itinerary

Note: This is only a guide to your itinerary. This trip involves travel to high altitudes and to areas where a short notice change of itinerary may be necessary. The details of the itinerary may be altered to suit the particular participants, inclement weather or for any other reason deemed necessary.

Basic Trip Itinerary

Day	Activity
Saturday	Arrive in Chamonix and settle in to the accommodation. Meet with your Guide to discuss plans for the week
Sunday	Explore the challenging back bowls of Le Tour, followed by a descent to Trient. Avalanche transceiver and ski safety training will be covered
Monday	Ski tour in the Aiguilles Rouges. An introduction to skinning, route choice and avalanche awareness followed by a great descent to the village of Le Buet. A short train ride takes us back to Chamonix
Tuesday	Off piste skiing at the Grand Montets with crevasse rescue training. A descent of the Pas de Chevre; a classic powder run to the Mer de Glace or Glacier skiing to Argentiere basin
Wednesday	Ski touring route to the Col du Passon and down to Le Tour village. This is a classic day with 2500m of descent and offering a fine ski journey
Thursday	Challenging off-piste terrain in the Brevant Ski area. Conditions permitting we traverse to Aiguillette des Houches and descent to Le Coupeau and the Les Houches railway station for the short ride back into Chamonix
Friday	A day skiing from the Aiguille du Midi, finishing with a descent of the Vallee Blanche. We have the opportunity to follow a number of ways, a challenging variation or an ascent to an awesome vantage point for an extra descent
Saturday	Departure

Course Requirements

You should be a good Intermediate or Advanced off-piste skier to get the most from these holidays.

You can expect to be skiing from first lift each day. Most days will involve some uphill work to get to the descents. You should have a good level of fitness, however we aim to balance intensity of each day on the trip. We never forget that this is your holiday, and that you are here to have fun

Your fitness must be of a good standard - it is recommended that you take regular cardiovascular (e.g. cycling) and strengthening work (e.g. gym step machine) before the course. We will send you a fitness regime on confirmation of the trip. Please consult with your doctor or a fitness professional.

Insurance

It is necessary for you to have the appropriate insurance for this trip. Make sure it is relevant for mountain sports, and that it includes liability insurance, helicopter rescue from mountains, and repatriation. There are other factors you should also consider. Our insurance partner TAGIS will be able to advise you on al your insurance needs.

Guides and Group Size

Your guides are full UIAGM or aspirant guides. UIAGM is the highest recognised guiding qualification in the world, and is a prerequisite for guiding in the Alps. All guides have a long history of personal climbing and skiing experience throughout the Alps as well as years of guiding experience.