Chamonix Off Piste Weekend

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 weekends 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: long weekend

Quick Facts

Long weekend trip: Thursday to Sunday
Three nights accommodation in Chamonix
Fully-qualified UIAGM guide
The best off-piste 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.

Day	Activity
Thursday	Fly from UK to Geneva. Transfer to Chamonix: 1 1/2 hours. Arrive in Chamonix and settle in to the accommodation. We meet in the evening to discuss the plan for the weekend
Friday	Exploring the challenging back bowls of Le Tour, followed by descent to Trient. Use of avalanche transceiver and ski safety training will be covered
Saturday	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
Sunday	A day skiing from the Aiguille du Midi, finishing with a descent of the Vallée Blanche. We have the opportunity to follow a number of routes, including a challenging variation or an ascent to an awesome vantage point for an extra descent. Sunday evening: check out; transfer back to Geneva, for flight to UK

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 the days. We never forget that it’s fun and after all your holiday.

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.