Monte
Rosa freeride week 2020 
Based in Gressoney - 5 days off piste guiding
- Half-board lodge in Italy |
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Course
overview
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This
week is designed to enjoy the best off piste
conditions in the Monte Rosa massif, based
in a lodge at 2300m on a half-board basis,
so that you literally spend the week in
the mountains, and can ski in and out every
day of the trip. Our aim is for you to enjoy
a challenging, thrilling, great off piste
week. |
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The advantage of staying in this altitude
lodge in the middle of the ski area of Gressoney,
is that you are alone on the slopes in the
evening, and in the morning you can do the
first tracks before the opening of the lifts.
The week is always guided by a local Alpine
IFMGA ski and mountain guide. |
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As
you'd expect from this region of North Italy,
the food is amazing, the welcome is warm,
and the area is unspoiled and relatively quiet.
Fortunately this region is far less marketed
than other commercial resorts. The high massif
of Monte Rosa is very snow sure, and offers
a huge variety of skiing. |
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Your
expert IFMGA Mountain & Ski Guide will
show you some of the most remote and beautiful
wilderness regions, whilst improving your
technique and looking after your safety. If
you all wish, you can elect for the opportunity
to try using ski touring kit for a day during
the week. |
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A
night at each end of the trip is spent in
Chamonix on a B&B basis, to facilitate
access via Geneva airport. The guide meets
you early on Monday morning to drive you to
Gressoney for the week, and you stay half-board
in the lodge until the Friday when you return
to Chamonix for the last night. |
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The
level of the runs is only limited by your
previous off piste experience and the conditions.
You do not need to be super fit, but good
stamina will make the days easier and allow
you more breath to enjoy the scenery. |
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Key
skills often taught during this course include... |
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• avalanche
transceiver use
• glacier travel techniques
• recognising avalanche
traps |
• group
management off piste
• emergency
procedures
• choice of kit for
glacier skiing |
• crevasse rescue for
skiers
• route planning &
navigation
• crevasse rescue ropework |
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The
group for each course is limited to six people
per Guide to ensure that you get good access,
and learn as much as possible, as we have
found that a small group on the mountain achieves
and learns far more. |
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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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| Instructors: this
course is led by an IFMGA International Mountain
& Ski Guide. This is the only qualification
that allows you to be instructed on glaciated off
piste run. It is a key selling point that you are
led by ski guides, as there are many off piste courses
offered by others, which are led by ski instructors
who are not guides. If you book one of their courses,
you are limited to no glacier skiing, and will not
ski the classics that Gressoney and Monte Rosa are
famed for. When looking for an off piste course,
ensure that it is led by an IFMGA guide, so you
can ski on glaciers. |
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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 the image to the
left, for details of how to hire this. |
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Brief
course itinerary
The
itineraries are for guidance, but should give an idea
of what you can achieve during the week...
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Sunday
Travel to Chamonix to arrive for the 17:00 check-in
followed by and course safety and itinerary briefings.
There is time for kit checks or any rental of equipment
that is required. Briefings are over by 19:00 and
the Chamonix hosts accompany the group to pre-dinner
drinks. Night in Chamonix. |
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Monday
After breakfast you meet your guide and drive to
Gressoney, and get straight up the ski lifts, then
drop your bags off at the lodge, and enjoy a good
day off piste skiing in the resort. There's all
sorts of terrain from open snowfields to tree skiing.
Night in Gressoney lodge on half-board basis. |
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Tuesday
Typically today involves off piste over glaciers.
The guide will typically spend an hour or two early
in the week teaching or refreshing your avalanche
awareness skills, and the use of avalanche transceivers
and search patterns. Night
in Gressoney lodge on half-board basis. |
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Wednesday
Searching for fresh tracks over glaciers, or through
the forests to the valley floor.
As you will by now have spotted there are hundreds
of options for off piste skiing in Gressoney, so
don't worry as there is too much to choose from. Night
in Gressoney lodge on half-board basis. |
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Thursday
By now your ski level should have developed well,
and you could consider more challenging off piste
descents. Your guide is an expert in the region,
so will find you the best off piste with fresh tracks
and powder skiing every day. Night
in Gressoney lodge on half-board basis. |
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Friday
On the final day of skiing, most groups go for a
big day of classic off piste runs. An alternative
is to try ski touring on the glaciers, so as to
pick up a new skill to access better off piste next
time. Evening
social drinks,
then a celebratory meal, with the final night spent
in Chamonix. |
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Saturday
Breakfast
then the accommodation check out is by 10:00. Most
arrange their airport transfers to leave around
this time, to catch a flight from Geneva about midday. Depart for home.
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
7 days holiday in total, Sunday-Saturday |
£1099 |
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: 1) IFMGA Mountain Guides
for five days, 2) Chamonix course hosts for logistics
& briefings, 3) Pre course information booklet, 4)
Equipment discount voucher for use in our Windermere mountain
store, 5) Two nights B&B accommodation in Chamonix
(inc. bedding & towels), and 4 nights half-board in
a mountain lodge in Gressoney, 6) Free 36 page technical
Course Instruction Booklet, 7) Road transport between
Chamonix and Gressoney, and the tunnel and autostrada
tolls. |
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| Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Chamonix, 2) Cable cars (c.40€/day),
3) Equipment hire, 4) Personal laundry, telephone calls,
lunches, & any purchases in mountain huts / hotels
/ restaurants, 5) Transport outside that detailed in the
itinerary, 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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Current
course availability
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| Testimonials |
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| Press
& media |
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| Films
& videos |
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| Photo
gallery |
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| Location
data for this trip |
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| The
closest airport is Geneva, and then the groups meet in
Chamonix, and are driven to Gressoney for the week. You
return to Chamonix at the end of the trip, as there are
frequent airport transfers from there, which take c.90
minutes. |
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Time
Difference
GMT +1hr |
Local
Currency
€ Euros |
Travel
from UK
1hr flight |
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| Skis
& equipment advice |
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we know it is so important to you to have the most suitable
equipment and clothing for off piste skiing, we have devoted
a page especially to it, which you can access by clicking
on the image to the right, or by clicking
here. This page outlines the key equipment
you should bring, and gives examples of skis that are
suitable for the course. If after reading this page you
have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch
with our Chamonix team, who will be able to advise, and
to help you avoid any costly mistakes. The key point to
highlight is that it is highly unlikely that your piste
skis will be suitable for off piste skiing, as they are
too narrow at the waist and will not offer enough flotation
in the powder. In fact slalom style skis cut through powder
to the older crusty snow below. |
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| Prefer
a private group? |
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course price for our scheduled course dates is just £1099
per person. There's no difference to the scheduled dates
course price whether you are booking on your own, or as
a small group. However, if you have a group and would
like to form a private group whether you have a group of six people or are on your
own, we can run an off piste course for you on any week
of the winter season. To
organise a private week, please get in touch. |
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| Suggested
reading and kit |
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View
full course equipment list,
with examples of kit, click
here |
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| So
why choose Icicle? |
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Itinerary
flexibility to allow you to take full advantage
of the weather and snow conditions each day, so
that you maximise the amount of time spent skiing
each day. |
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Our
prices are fixed in £ pounds sterling, to
protect you from euro currency fluctuations, so
that you can budget accurately. |
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We
have a team of over 30 IFMGA guides, and a resort
support team, who all want you to have the best
off piste skiing possible! For more details on the
guiding team and qualifications, please click
here. |
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| Any further questions? |
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A
key part of choosing a company is being able to come and
talk about your plans with an experienced course advisor
face to face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know
our clients value speaking to real people, getting open
and honest advice. The vast majority of our clients are
British, and our office and outdoor store is based in
Windermere in the English Lake District.
 
Get
in contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee
to discuss your course in person with a trip
advisor. |
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