Off-Piste
Chamonix stands out as one of the off-piste and extreme ski capitals of the world. What could be a better place for an off-piste course? The main ski areas of the Grands Montets, Brévent, Flégère and Le Tour take on a whole new dimension when you venture away from the groomed runs. In addition, you have the Vallée Blanche, probably the most renowned off-piste descent in the world - 20km of stunning glacier off-piste skiing through towering seracs with constantly changing views of the highest peaks in Europe. As if that was not enough; we now also have access to Courmayeur and La Palud on the Italian side, only a 30min drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel.
Venturing into such domains is not without risk; experience, local knowledge and off-piste technique are essential. With this in mind, Chamonix Experience has developed our off-piste course.
Course Description
Designed for those who want to both learn and explore, our 6 day off-piste course offers a mix of instruction and off-piste guiding, during which you will be able to improve both your technique and mountain safety skills at the same time as skiing one of the best off-piste areas in the world.
A few of our off-piste guides are qualified ski instructors as well as IFMGA mountain guides and normally it will be one of them leading the course. Alternatively, the first two days will be under the tutelage of a ski instructor who will help you hone your off-piste technique. For the rest of the week you will be with an IFMGA mountain guide, whose agenda will be to take you to the wild and remote areas of the region at the same time as teaching the essential skills of avalanche awareness and skiing safely on glaciers.
During this 6 day off-piste course you get similar knowledge as you would get from doing the one day Crevasse Rescue Course and the one day Avalanche Awareness course. The Mont Blanc Unlimited lift pass, also included in the course, gives you not only access to all lifts in the Chamonix valley (excluding Les Houches) but also free skiing in Courmayeur and La Palud on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc range. Both areas have amazing off-piste skiing and are often a good alternative should the weather and conditions be less favourable on the the Chamonix side. With all these choices and the local knowledge of our off-piste guides, you are certain to find good off-piste skiing every day.
To maximise your time and your skiing we leave it up to your guide to tailor the programme to suit weather, conditions and the overall level of the group. Every day s/he will choose the area offering the best off-piste skiing at the moment.
EXTRA - Video analysis with Sebastien
A great way to improve your off piste technique is to watch yourself skiing. During the courses guided by Sebastien, he will film you and take some time to analyse your technique whilst you enjoy a hot drink in the relaxing atmosphere of the Chamonix Experience coffee shop.
New winter 2009 - fully catered chalet accommodation!
We have improved our all-inclusive winter courses this year with higher standard and fully catered chalet accommodation at the Yeti Lodge. We have used this comfortable chalet for the last two years for our summer Mont Blanc courses and we are proud to now be able to include this in our winter packages as well.
The Yeti Lodge is located in the charming village of Argentière, close to our office and sport shop for your convenience. The chalet has a sauna, hot tub and superb views of Mont Blanc. The luxurious and spacious bedrooms are twin or triple bedded, so you should be prepared to share your room with one or two course participants. The comfortable lounge area has a real fireplace, satellite TV & DVD and free WIFI. There is a secure underground car park, ski lockers and overnight ski boot warmers in the basement. All meals (breakfast, afternoon tea and three-course dinner) are included and prepared by our hosts, so you can relax and fully enjoy the course.
Course Details
Duration: 6 days
You should plan to arrive Sunday before course start date and depart Sunday after course finish date. Accommodation and meals included.
2009 Dates:
* January 19 - 24
* January 26 - 31
* February 09 - 14
March 02 - 07
* March 09 - 14
March 16 - 21
* March 23 - 28
* = This week is guided by IFMGA Mountain Guide and Ski Instructor Sebastien Montaz-Rosset. To find out more about your guide, please follow the link.
Group Size: 3-6
Ratio: 1:6
Included: Guide fee, 7 nights accommodation (Sunday to Sunday) with dinner and breakfast on a twin or triple share basis, 6 day Mont Blanc Unlimited lift pass, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe, in-resort transport.
Not included: Personal ski equipment, harness, mountain rescue insurance, lunches.
Equipment: See Equipment List or contact our office
Price: 1,995€ per person.
Price less accommodation and meals 1195€ per person.
For whom: Competent piste skiers who have started skiing a bit off-piste and want to learn more. If you are thinking of starting ski touring and your off-piste experience is limited we highly recommend doing this course first.
