Ski Blog | Skiers - Beginners

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW - Amazing powder days!

It has been an epic season and it is only the beginning of February! 

Some are saying it's the best for 10 years, others the best for 14 and there are reports of record snow falls! 

If you are a good skier and enjoy skiing off piste and in the powder then the last couple of weeks you will have loved it!

If you are an intermediate it is a great time to learn as the powder is so light and fluffy and of course it is deep so when and that is when and not if you fall it won't hurt!  I really do subscribe to the 'if you don't fall you aren't trying' school! 

Your best bet is to have a lesson to learn the basics and not to develop bad habits - unless your friend who is offering to teach you is qualified then chances are they don't know what they are doing!!  For example - you do NOT lean back in powder so if anyone tells you that then tell them where to go and get some qualified advice!! 

Once you have mastered the basics then there really is nothing like floating through the powder! It is hard to put into words what it is like if you haven't experienced it! 

Go on get off piste and try it!  Of course if you do venture off piste you should make sure you have all the necessary safety equipment - transceiver, shovel and probe, and know how to use it!  Be safe and don't take risks!

We had some amazing days playing in the powder and have put this little video together....

Snow Report from Chamonix

I took a little road trip to Chamonix yesterday via Megeve and although I was running around meeting loads of great people looking at chalets and hotels I  couldn't help but be blown away but the beauty of the Chamonix Valley!  Just stunning! 

Unfortunately I didn't have time to ski which was a real shame as I love skiing in Chamonix - so much variety and views that take your breath away!

Some of the people I caught up with were the lovely Breezy & Al who run Ski Breezy and they showed us round their lovely catered chalet which is in a great location, just ten minutes from the town centre, it is bright, comfortable and looks like a great place to stay - all the guests we have sent there have given us great feedback.  

Breezy was good enough to give us this update on the snow conditions in Chamonix.

Ski Breezy have some fabulous deals in the next couple of months - some good deals during January (prices reduced to just £595pp for 20th & 27th January) and some great flexible breaks from the end of January from just £85 per person per night!  Oh and they still have February Half Term available as well!!  Don't miss out on that one!

We have to go back to the UK but otherwise we would be very very tempted - the cup of tea we had was great and the guests we met had had a great stay and were tucking into some delicious looking cake....mmmmmmm...  

Note to self - check what time tea is served and time chalet visits better........

New Year’s Day Snow & Ski Deal Report!

We met and skied with Ian from Les Carroz Chalets on New Year's Day and he gave us a quick up date on the snow conditions in Les Carroz, Le Grand Massif.

It has been a great start to the season and Ian has some fantastic offers for January with short breaks available from just £50 per person per night.  And that is in a catered chalet on a half board basis!  

Close to Geneva - just an hours drive so a very short transfer and some great snow if you haven't booked and are looking for a deal then this is really worth looking at! Check out more details here.

Watch what Ian says......

New Year’s Day Snow and Ski Report

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We hope you had a great 2012 celebrated in style last night, are not suffering too much today and have a fantastic 2013 planned!!

We have not had any snow since Santa brought us some at Christmas - we must have been good!!  Maybe!! 

However the conditions have been superb - superb snow on piste for carving it up or learning and even off piste is holding up though you do have to hunt that out to find it!

Find out more by watching our snow report - we think he may have had a late night, see how many (deliberate?!) mistakes he makes!! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR - have a great 2013 we hope you get all the snow and ski and snowboard holidays you want!!

Christmas Eve Video snow report - HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Happy Christmas! 

There was a load of snow early on in December and some people even talked of the best conditons in 50 years!!  That has set up the season very nicely and the snow conditions are still great in spite of some very warm weather and even rain to about 3000m over the last couple of days. 

Conditions off piste aren't great but on piste they are superb - almost spring like, hard in the morning and then softening up and very grippy!

Santa is bringing some snow tomorrow which is great news!  

Watch our snow report to find out a bit more.....

END OF SEASON REVIEW - 30 April 2012

So most resorts are now closed for the winter and nearly all still have snow - what a season it has been!! Arguably the best in living memory!

How was this possible when the press who always love a negative story were writing doom and gloom stories about no snow at the beginning of December?

Fortunately the weather doesn’t read the press and nor do we!  We ignored them and got on with skiing and organising holidays across the Alps and were lucky enough to get in plenty of skiing ourselves.

We here at Altitude skied Courchevel, Le Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Samoens, Morillon),  Morzine & Avoriaz in France and in Italy the Monterosa (Champuloc, Alagna & Gressoney) and all in amazing snow conditions from the powder of Courchevel at Christmas through to the spring snow in April!

The snow was amazing we had some great adventures including a very scary 50m abseil, watching friends jump off snow covered roofs and of course skiing some great runs both on and off piste!

Whilst we should remember the good times we can’t forget the sad news through the season the coach accident carrying children back from a ski holiday, the tragic loss of life in the Belgian coach accident, Sheffield Ski village burning down, the sad loss of life in accidents through the season all reminders that we should make the most of every minute we have on the slopes!

Hope you had some magical moments on the slopes this last winter – have a great summer!

And if you have snow withdrawl symptoms you can always check out our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts!

SKIING IN THE MONTEROSA, ITALY - 26 – 28 MARCH 2012

Destination Italy – we packed up the car and left France for a three day break in Champoluc part of the Monterosa ski area in Italy.

I had skied there several years before for just a weekend and have been keen to get back ever since.  Now was an opportunity to return with a couple of mates who were as keen as me to ski the area made up of Champoluc, Gressoney and Alagna which is a self proclaimed ‘Freeride Paradise’

So with180km of piste and 37 lifts and skiing at a maximum height of 3275 metres we were excited to be skiing somewhere we didn’t really know with so much potential.

Through the Mont Blanc tunnel and into Italy we were soon winding our way up alongside a river but as we got nearer there was still no sign of snow even in this one of the best seasons in living memory!  We arrived in Champoluc which is at 1570 metres and there was no snow anywhere to be seen – we had just come from Les Carroz which is at 1150 metres where you can ski back to the resort!

A little concerned we checked into the small B&B ‘Le Vieux Rascard’ we had booked online to a very warm friendly Italian welcome, sorted out our kit and headed towards the lifts.

Once up and on the way it was apparent that there was plenty of snow higher up!  We headed towards Alagna and found some great spring snow,the pisteswere empty, no queues for the lifts and the snow typically spring like – this was great! We managed to find our way back across the valleys to Champoluc for an après ski beer, shower and out for something to eat.

The resort is mainly centered around one main street with all the shops, bars and restaurants off this.  It was empty!  No one around! I know it’s getting to the end of the season but it’s still only March –there’s the best part of a month to go yet!  Where is everyone?

On our second day we headed to Gressoney and explored the slopes here in the middle valley of the Monterosa. We found some amazing off piste with perfect spring snow conditions, a lovely little restaurant with the most amazing collection of old ski and mountaineering paraphernalia I have ever seen. That evening we found a pizzeria and a local bar for a couple of beers that had a little more life than we had found the night before.

And all too soon it was our last day and we headed to the highest point of the ski area today the Punta Indren at 3275m - there is a telecabine that takes you to a the highest point and some off piste skiing. Lacking in local knowledge we had to be careful where went and following tracks is a recipe for disaster so we skirted round areas, watched other skiers and made our own way down finding some more fresh tracks in some spring snow! Half way down has to be the most up market refuge in the Alps!! Great Italian pasta and service once more!  By the time we got to the bottom the temperature was rising and the pistemap was showing 16 degrees at the end of the day! Very warm!

Thick viscous hot chocolates, strong Italian coffees at mountain restaurants, cold apres ski beers in the setting Italian sun, warm friendly Italian service this short trip was leaving us wanting more and more! 

We loved the skiing here and want to come back when there is a load of fresh snow to get even more from the off piste, there are some great flattering runs across the area and would be suitable for all levels of skiers and boarders. 

Off the slopes we loved the service and friendliness at the B&B, in the restaurants and the bars.  We are intrigued as to why it was so quiet in the evenings and whilst we aren’t looking for a different nightclub each night a bit more atmosphere in the bars would have been good – oh well we’ll have to come back at a busier time to compare! That’s a shame!

You can see photos of our trip on our Facebook page here.

January Ski Trip

So the snow has been falling nearly all season and I haven’t been out since Christmas which was, admittedly, fantastic – is it going to last?  What will it be like when I get out there?

I was a bit concerned that maybe I had missed the best of the snow for the winter but I love skiing whatever so was sure I was going to have a good time.

I was off to Les Carroz for a couple of weeks! What was the snow going to be like?  Had I missed the best of the snow? Not at all! There was such a good base down already that it felt as if it would last for the rest of the year let alone the season!

Middle of January and the snow was great, the sky was blue - what a great couple of days!

But where was the snow?  I have been accused by some of being demanding, can’t think why?  I want to ski some powder!

My fears were soon to be put to rest as overnight on the 20th January it just dumped! What a day! There was so much snow that they were clearing snow off restaurant roofs!

The rest of the stay was just fantastic with a mixture of snow and sunshine – when the weather closes in Les Carroz has some fabulous trees to ski and board so that’s where we headed!  When the weather clears there is some amazing off-piste skiing in Samoens and Flaine. 

One particularly memorable day we had was the off piste skiing down through the Gers bowl, rewarded with a coffee at the bottom at the wonderful Gites du Gers and then down the bottom of the 14km Cascades Blue Piste which runs from the top of Flaine all the way down through the trees to Sixt.  Lunch at the top of Sixt, always quiet, is so picturesque and worth a trip!  You then take a bus back to Samoens to ski back into wherever in Le Grand Massif you are staying.  Well worth doing whatever your level of skiing!

You can see some photos from this trip on our Facebook page.

GITES DE GERS - JUMPING OFF A ROOF!  19th JANUARY 2012

I love the Gites du Gers – it’s a great little restaurant that is on the edge of a lake that I have only ever seen frozen.

Set at the bottom of the Gers bowls which is one of my favourite places to ski when there is fresh snow – just amazing off piste skiing! Or if off piste skiing is not your thing then take the blue Cascades run from the top of Flaine – a 14km run all the way down to Sixt, a stunning run through trees, past frozen waterfalls! Beautiful.

Half way down you can pick up a phone and call the restaurant who send someone to come and tow you up to the restaurant behind a ski do! 

I have been taken up to the Gers lift (a very long and in places steep drag lift!) in the back of a converted piste basher, I have seen a helicopter pick people up, I have even stayed the night there and often you can see Chamois’ grazing on the slopes above it.

It’s a tranquil beautiful place unless you have friends like me who will disturb the peace by jumping off a nearby chalet roof – see the video here!