Intro
ski touring & backcountry
2024
Chamonix based | 5 days of IFMGA guiding | 3 day mini ski tour & huts  |
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| Course
overview |
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If
you have spent most of your time on
skis on piste or on popular off piste
runs, and want to escape the crowds,
this course will give you the skills
to access the mountains throughout the
winter season by learning ski touring
and more advanced backcountry skills. |
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This
course is also ideal as an introduction
or preparation for famous ski tours
such as the Haute Route (Chamonix to
Zermatt) later in the season. The
itinerary is flexible to take account
of the previous skills, experience,
and aspirations, but typically includes
a 50:50 split of ski touring and backcountry skiing. |
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For
this level you have skied a minimum
of two weeks off piste before, such
as a
one week off piste course, and another
week of off piste experience. Your
key ambition is to improve and get some
good instruction. If you are looking
for an early season alternative to this
course, see our Aosta
ski touring week. |
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Previous
touring experience
is not required, as this course aims
to teach key skills starting with the
basics. Sometimes people have done a
day or two of touring before, but not
received any formal tuition, so use
this course as a springboard to future
tours. |
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Any
mountaineering skills or knowledge of
ropes are an advantage, but not essential
as all necessary techniques are taught.
During the week you are based in Chamonix
Mont Blanc, but often have the the opportunity
to ski tour in Italy or Switzerland
too. |
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Key
skills taught during this course include... |
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• using skins and touring skis
• avalanche
transceiver use
• glacier travel
techniques
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• kick
turns for ascent on skis
• use
of couteaux / harscheisen
• using
crampons and ice axes |
• choice of kit
for ski touring
• crevasse rescue
for skiers
• recognising avalanche
traps |
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Dates: these
are listed in the column on the right,
and they show the live availability
from our secure online booking system.
When you book online, you receive immediate
confirmation, your Alpine Information
Booklet, course specific kit list and
invoice. |
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Avalanche
safety airbags
We have teamed up with Black Diamond, who
we also stock in our Windermere mountain store,
to rent their avalanche airbags. We selected
the Halo 28 JetForce airbag for our hire equipment,
as the pack size is well suited to our off
piste and intro ski tour courses. The key
features are the PIEPS automatic self diagnosis
performs full system check on every startup,
the travel-friendly fully rechargeable lithium-ion
battery which supports 4+ deployments per
charge, a Cordura airbag made from puncture-resistant
automotive material is easy to repack for
practice and multiple deployments, and the
unique Jet fan which inflates the 200 L airbag
in 4 seconds, and automatically deflates after
3 minutes to create a potential air pocket.
Click on image on the left, for hire details. |
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Brief
Course Itinerary
The itineraries should give
an idea of what you can achieve during the week.
Each week this course runs slightly differently
to cater for your preferences, the conditions, and
where the best weather and snow is to be found.
This flexibility allows you to have the course tailored
to your needs. The last three days are spent ski touring to a hut for a three day mini tour, with two nights half board in mountain huts included, with the days between spent touring to reach an Alpine summit or high pass
beyond, before returning to
Chamonix on the third day.
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Friday
Travel
to Chamonix, and check in to the course accommodation.
If you require ski touring kit hire, ensure
that you arrive in town before 18:00, to allow
time for boot and ski fitting. We use an excellent
ski touring specialist shop, which offers
preferential rates for our clients. Key
personal safety kit (alpine harness and transceiver), can be supplied by the guide in the morning, if reserved upon booking.
If you have your own safety kit, you should take it, as it is always better for familiarity. Night in Chamonix.
Saturday
At
08:30 you meet your Guide at the course accommodation,
and have an introductory safety briefing,
and they check your kit and supply any extra
safety items required (e.g. transceiver, shovel,
probe, harness). You are then driven the short
distance to start your ski tour. The destination
varies, as a suitable location is dependent
on weather and snow conditions. Some ski tours
can start from the valley floor such as to
Refuge de Loriaz, whereas others require an
uplift such as the Col du Tour Noir from Grands
Montets. During the day you are taught ski
touring techniques, and where time allows,
the use of the avalanche safety / crevasse
rescue kit. Today the focus is much more on
the ski touring techniques, to allow you time
to adapt to the kit, practice kick turns,
fitting and removing skins and ski crampons.
There is usually the chance to take in a col
or a summit during the day, before you ski
back down to the valley at the end of the
afternoon. Guiding ratio 1:6 (max). Night
in Chamonix.
Sunday
The
guide will pick you up again from the accommodation,
and you will tackle another day ski tour
above Chamonix. Examples include the Crochues-Berard
from Index to Le Buet, Traverse of Vallee
Blanche to Helbronner and ski descent of
the Black Bowl variant of the Vallee Blanche,
Col du Tour Noir on the Argentiere Glacier,
or Aiguillette des Houches from Brevent
and the ski down to La Flatiere. The choice
is on putting the skills learnt yesterday
into practice, and giving you a challenging
but realistic objective for the day. There
is also the opportunity for some further
skills training, such as an avalanche beacon
search or some crevasse rescue practice.
By late afternoon you descend to Chamonix. Guiding ratio 1:6 (max). Night in Chamonix.
Monday - Wednesday
Start a three day ski tour, with the next two nights spent half board in mountain huts. When packing for the nights, there's very little extra to carry, only a sleeping bag liner, head torch, and toiletries (tootbrush, paste, wet wipes). The evening meals are at least 3 courses and cooked, and you get continental breakfast in the mornings. Bedding (duvet, pillow and sheet) is provided. Using the huts enables you to escape into the moutains, which is the essence of ski touring. There are plenty of choices of where to go, from the Argentiere and Albert Premier huts at the head of the Chamonix valley, to options in the northern Aosta valley such as Bezzi / Benevolo / Bonatti, or even some of the Swiss options including the Grand Saint Bernard monastery. On the first day you travel and ascend to the hut that has been selected by the guide with the group, and you'll find there's places to store and dry equipment including your boots and skins. The evening meal is typically served around 19:00, and the breakfast at whatever time the guide and itinerary options dictate in the morning. The second day is either a tour above the hut, to return to the same one, or to traverse to a different hut for the second night. The third day is a final ski tour, and descent to the valley, with the return drive to Chamonix. Typically this final day is a little shorter, finishing in the mid afternoon, to allow you time to return any rental ski touring equipment to the hire shops. Return transfers to Geneva airport should be scheduled for 17:00 or after. This allows you enough time to fly home on the Wednesday, to make it into work on the Thursday, minimising the days you need to book off. You'll have a silly grin on your face, and your work output will be pathetic, but as you click on e-mails and spreadsheets, just think that the previous day you'd completed your first mountain hut ski tour! |
ITINERARY NOTES: Where possible we follow
itineraries. Mountain adventures are weather
and conditions dependant, so occasionaly we
are forced to alter the plans. If this is
the case, suitable alternatives are offered.
Please use this outline itinerary as a guide
to the types of route / activity that you
will attempt. |
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| Course
Prices |
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Standard
course |
5
full days IFMGA guiding, 1:6 max ratio
Guided days are Satuday-Wednesday |
£999 |
Live
availability |
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
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Secure
online booking system |
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| Standard Course
Inclusions |
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1) Hand picked IFMGA Mountain & Ski Guide
for five days (1:6 ratio max) |
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2) Chamonix concierge service for logistics, advice and support |
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3) Road or rail transport
in Chamonix valley to and from the slopes each day |
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4) Pre course information dossier, with training plans and kit lists |
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5) Briefing the first evening, with latest updates and weather reports |
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6) Equipment discount voucher for our Windermere shop / online |
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7) Preferential
rates on ski touring kit and equipment hire in Chamonix |
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8) Free 36 page
technical Course Instruction Booklet |
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9) Pre-course online course open evening one month before trip |
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10) Accommodation 3 nights (Fri, Sat, Sun) in Chamonix on room only basis |
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11) Accommodation 2 nights (Mon & Tue) in mountain hut on a half board basis |
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12) Transport to / from Chamonix to the area for the 3 day hut to hut ski tour |
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| Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Chamonix, 2) Cable cars (c.50€/day, click
for current prices, with Unlimited Pass
including lifts in Chamonix and Courmayeur) as required*, 3) Equipment
hire, 4) Personal laundry, telephone calls, lunches, &
any purchases in mountain huts / hotels / restaurants,
5) Transport outside the Chamonix valley e.g. Courmayeur not specified above,
6) Sunday pre-dinner drinks & Friday celebratory meal
& drinks, 7) Activities insurance, excess baggage
charges. |
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| Group
sizes: 3 - 6 people per IFMGA
mountain guide. For group sizes of over 6 people, there
are multiple guides, and the teams travel independently
of each other. |
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Ski
passes*: There
is great flexibility on the course to use
cable cars or to leave them far behind. Day
passes cost c.50€ (click
for current prices),
but you can save by not using cable cars on
some of the days. |
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