Zinal Off Piste
adventure 2022  |
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| Course
overview |
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The
Val d'Anniviers and Zinal is a hidden gem
for off piste skiing in the Swiss Valais.
The area hosts amazing descents, such as
past the Moiry dam, and past the Victorian
hotel Weisshorn through the trees to St
Luc, and the villages of Grimentz, Zinal,
and St Luc are picture postcard pretty.
For lift accessed freeride, the Zinal region
takes some beating, and is a real connoisseurs
choice. |
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During
this week you will challenge and enhance your
skiing ability, with long descents down open
and wooded hillsides, or through deep powder
down into picturesque valleys. |
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For
this course you should have done at least
one full week of off piste skiing, such
as a structured off piste course, such as
previously attending the Icicle Chamonix
Level 1 course. |
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Your
expert IFMGA Mountain & Ski Guide will
show you some of the most remote regions of
the Zinal region, whilst improving your technique
and looking after your safety. As with all
our courses, you are taught important skills
such as avalanche awareness and tranceiver
searches, digging snow pits, essential Alpine
ropework, route finding over glaciers, and
crevasse rescue systems. |
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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. Our
aim is for you to enjoy a challenging, thrilling,
great off piste week. |
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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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Brief
Course Itinerary
The
itinerary of this course is adapted daily to cater for
the best snow conditions, and your improving ski level,
but these details should give an idea of what you can
achieve during the week.
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Sunday - Arrival day
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 rental of equipment.
Briefings are over by 19:00 and the Chamonix hosts
accompany the group to pre-dinner drinks. Some clients
opt to travel out a day or two early to get their
ski legs back and to test out their skis, whilst
many others opt to do a one day avalanche awareness
safety course. Night in Chamonix. |
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Monday - Day
1 guiding
Day 1 off
piste, 1:6 Guiding:
After breakfast, you are driven over to Zinal which
takes about 90 minutes. You are dropped off direct
at the ski lift, and get going straight away. The
first day is ideal as a refresher for your off piste
skills, and there are plenty of good areas to select
from depending on the weather and conditions. At
the end of the day you ski down to your valley accommodation,
your base for the next four nights. Night in Zinal
valley on half board basis. |
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Tuesday - Day
2 guiding
Day
2 off
piste, 1:6 Guiding:
A good option for the day is to take the funicular
up from St Luc to explore the off piste around the
Bella Tola area and the great backcountry region
extending up into the bowls behind. This area has
great skiing through the trees down to the village
of St Luc, as the woods are not to dense, so can
provide really enjoyable off piste in well preserved
snow,
as the slope has a westerly aspect. Night in Zinal
valley on half board basis. |
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Wednesday - Day
3 guiding
Day 3 off
piste, 1:6 Guiding:
A week in the Zinal valley would not be complete
without skiing past the famous Hotel Weisshorn,
perched up on the ridgeline overlooking the Val
d'Anniviers. It dates back to Victorian times, and
is a great place to stop for lunch. This area has
more high mountain off piste above the hotel, and
there are hundreds of possibilities for great ski
descents in this part of the valley. Night in Zinal
valley on half board basis. |
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Thursday - Day
4 guiding
Day 4 off piste, 1:6 Guiding: Perhaps
a day enjoying the off piste above Zinal or Grimentz
villages. By now you will have realised the full
potential of this amazing region, and you will head
to the area that has the best conditions. The head
of the valley is circled by 4000m peaks, so there
is never a shortage of snow, and the views are stunning.
After the skiing, you return to your Zinal valley
accommodation. Night in Zinal valley on half board
basis. |
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Friday - Day
5 guiding
Day
5 off piste, 1:6 Guiding: As it is your last day
of guiding, most groups opt for an early start to
make it a big day. A popular choice is to head up
above Grimentz to ski down past the Moiry dam, or
to enjoy the off piste beneath the Becs de Bosson.
These slopes are east facing, so the best snow is
in the morning. At the end of the afternoon, you
ski down to the village and then get the return
transfer to Chamonix. Celebratory dinner and night
in Chamonix. |
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Saturday - Departure day
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 |
£1299 |
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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Course Inclusions: 1) IFMGA Mountain Guides
for five days and all their lift passes and fees, 2) Pre
course information booklet, 4) Equipment discount voucher
for UK kit shops, 5) 2 nights self-catered accommodation in
Chamonix and 4 nights half board accommodation in the
Zinal ski area (includes linen, bedding & towels),
6) Free 36 page technical Course Instruction Booklet. |
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| Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Zinal, 2) Cable Cars & uplift
(ski pass for the week), 3) Ski / boot hire, 4) Personal
laundry, telephone calls, lunches, & any purchases
in mountain huts / hotels / restaurants, 5) Transport
outside the Zinal valley, 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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| Upgrade
options |
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Avalanche
Skills Training
£75 (throughout the season) |
To
learn avalanche prediction, reutschblocks and use
of avalanche tranceivers. Course is available on
any dates, either scheduled or private, details. |
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