stevo – pretty much everything except the board!

Geoff – Cervinia is definitely a good shout for early April. Whilst The runs in Cervinia are less challenging there is a lovely long run from the top of the Keine Matterhorn down in to Valtournenche – 15km I think- punctuated by only a 200m chair! You also have the benefits of access to Zermatt.

Cervinia is pretty much perfect for beginners/early intermediates. Most of the runs are wide, long and relatively gentle. A definite confidence building place.

Something new being built up at the top of the Cucumelle!

Oh, and first snow, too! WOOOOO!

For anyone heading to Serre Che, head straight for the Cucumelle. Long, brilliant red to warm up the legs, or all sorts of slack country fun either side of the piste.

Oh, and a nice place to have a coffee mid way down the mountain!

The lift in the background is the brilliant, and fast Vallons lift that whisks you up from just below right to the top. Lots of options below the coffee stop, too.

We were playing at Euro carving last season while waiting for the snow to come – my tip is don’t forget to close your arm cuffs.

Flights booked for Whilster – yay! Back country guides in Japan already fully booked – booo!

Anyone recommend me back country guides out of Hirafu/Niseko other than Black Diamond? Split boarding out of resort rather than lift assisted stuff.

On the construction topic, rumours of a new lift linking the Chavannes side to the Mont Chery mid-station in Les Gets. There’s certainly a dirty great construction going in, though what it actually is and when it will be finished…
Interestingly it’s bang on the line of the red egg (when we were there in August they were piling down the side of one of the red egg towers) which makes me wonder if (assuming it is a new lift) it will be possible to transfer off the red egg on to it.

New Chavannes to Mont Chery Lift – Work Begins

Had to Google Euro carving

Uhuh

Or as I call it euro-losing-an-edge-and-wiping-out

To be honest, when I watched a YouTube video on it I thought it was a piss take!

Wallop – it is. I mean how can you see where the next bar /restaurant is when your heads that close to the ground?

And are those in line bindings and plastic boots? Practically skiing.

Does anyone have any ideas about who/where/what for me doing a week in Jan by myself? Only I am going with the lad end Feb, but am desperate for a week somewhere first and all the people I know are going with families etc.

I know there are companies who do solo stuff, but looking for advice. I want to be involved with other ideally.

( I do have friends….honest! :()

What’s your standard rockape? Fancy a week being challenged off-piste?

Edit: just seen this:

going with the lad

Which makes no difference, I guess! No idea how old you both are! Do you both fancy a week being challenged off-piste?

Asking because the only trip I’ve done on my own was to La Grave, stayed in a hostel and spent 9 days swapping between riding with Tina and Francky at Band of Boarders, and Didi and Fred at Snowlegends, depending on which groups were doing what.

Utterly shattered by the end. Every day was a big day! Absolutely incredible trip, though.

What’s your standard rockape? Fancy a week being challenged off-piste?

(meant to say ‘going with the lads’ end Feb)

well I’m a skier, not boarder, so that probably rools that out?

Nope. I rode with skiiers all the time I was with Snowlegends. Because it’s a place where you need a guide unless you know the place, it’s well set up for joining groups – enough other singles, pairs, small groups looking to do the same thing and share the cost of a guide.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw8MOGHIZkc[/video]

http://www.snowlegend.com/snowlegend-ecole-freeride-la-grave/index.php?lng=en

@piemonster – Great, see you there, I’ll be the terrible skier in the bright blue Oakley jacket with a group of about 14 other Brit skiers of all kinds of levels 🙂

Staying in the Le Village if you have noisy neighbours, my apologies!

@Rockape63 A guy from work went with UK Ski club at somepoint to ease the solo trip problems and he said it worked out well.

Rockape have a look at Snowheads, lots of singles & ideas on there, plus several resorts have Snowheads knocking about often keen to meet up for a slide.

Fancy a week being challenged off-piste?

just watch that vid and my immediate thought was **** that! Thanks anyway, but I know my place! I’m still recovering from a nasty crash on New Years eve (off piste) and what with running a business and being 54, I’m being a bit more careful these days!

Will check out snowheads thanks Guys.

Silly carving on wakeboards is the same.

Toe edges win, every time!
Shaun Murray.

Rockape – you could try UCPA. I understand they’re like the French equivalent of the YHA. Their holidays include lessons/guiding with random groups. You’d have to check out whether there is actually an upper age limit though as technically they’re for younger skiers/boarders. Action Outdoors are the UK agent.

The Snowheads shout is a good one. They have regular bashes, I think there is usually a week in Kronplatz at the end of January just before their birthday bash which is usually early Feb and heads to Arabba.

@Toby

May drop you a quick email nearer the time. We’ll also be skiing badly, but in cheaper clothes.

[/url]

Finally got some snow falling in Colorado.

Ned, Thats what I was dreaming about when I first went to La Grave.
What we got was hard pack.
Our “Guide” (Random Swedish seasonaire, who had been a few times before, and fallen down a crevasse the week earlier, I found that bit out in the evening after)
Still, two turns into Triffide, one of our group lost an edge and did the lot on his front, head first.
He was okay when he stopped, thankfully, a bit shaken.
We dd find some fresh later in the day which was great.
I would love to go back one day, access seems to be an issue this year though.

Hi Rockape
Neilson are doing lessons/guiding with some of their holidays. WE’re off to Alpe d’Huez with them for that reason. We’re a party of five and so far have always met people who join our party when we’re there.
Ski club is also going there, £10 for 1/2 day guiding with instructor and £20 for a full day.

Thanks Sprootlet, have had a quote from Neilson for a week at Serre Che staying at the Grand (which I don’t think is very Grand!) and having five half day lessons. Is that the same thing?

Onthesnow.Co.UK have lots of pics of early snow in the alps!

Woo!

You ended up at the Grand Hotel?

Well, thankfully it’s not empty cold and bare. It’s in a great location. Chantemerle is my favourite of the villages and the Grand is on the little square right by main lifts. Make sure you have coffee with Sandrine across the road!

A few flakes high up in the Pyrenees recently.

And are those in line bindings and plastic boots? Practically skiing.

Specialist kit for Eurocarving is cheating. Has to be done in soft boots, on a freestyle board, in a duck stance!

Quite heavy snow/rain round here last night BTW. A swift look out my window suggests the snow/rain limit was somewhere around 1800-2000m.

Opening day today for some of the Colorado resorts. I’m going to hit the ‘white ribbon of death’ tomorrow for some training. Hopefully don’t get nailed by one of the over eager people!

You ended up at the Grand Hotel?

No…cos I would have been a complete Billy no mates! Will get back there one day though, I still remember the really interesting skiing there. Waay better than Courcheval, where I might be heading to in a group.

Tempratures finally starting to drop in Whistler and there’s a snow line starting to creep down the mountain. Be a while before anyone is skiing though.

@piemonster, don’t be fooled, it was from when the Oakley outlet shop still existed in Letchworth, not sure what I’ll do next time I need kit! Feel free to say hello as and when.

@whatnobeer – I reckon it’ll be a payback year to make up for all the rain last year.

Hard to be much worse than last year. Forecast is for a warmer winter, but no more snow. Not sure how that works, but fingers crossed. Next year could be a killer with a La Nina weather system predicted.

Have we done these yet?

http://apexskiboots.com/

Unconvinced, myself. Would be interesting to hear if anyone’s tried ’em.

Snowboard boot with a built in / clip on (don’t know how to define that bit) binding that clips into ski bindings?

Also unconvinced.

Though they might make it easier for skiers to walk to the pub, or snowboarders eurocarve – although we now know that would be cheating.

91 sleeps!

Sprootlet – Neilson don’t do official guiding any more – not since the whole thing blew up in France last year. Maybe Andorra or Italy, if you’re LUCKY. Expect it again over the next few years though, when they move everything in house – own instructors, gear etc

I’m fairly qualified to answer that, as I’ll be in France this winter working for them, and have just spent this summer working for them (as a bike guide, woop, woop!)

NOt what I was told on my Neilson summer break .

They are enploying ESF instructors to go out with bigger groups to get round the guiding issue .- bigger group keeps the cost per head down .

This is what i was told by a neilson employee who does both summer nad winer seasons ..

RockApe .- You got full ARVA kit , and some fat-ish skis ? I might be lookig for a ski buddy as well??

I understood they Neilsons were using qualified instructors and they are offering guiding/lessons. If this isn’t the case then we are going to be royally p****d off!

Not sure why anyone would want to go out in a bigger group. I’d rather ask where the best snow is am / pm and read a piste map. Signed Mr Grumpy 😉

STM/Sprootlet – that’s exactly what I’d heard too. I think in a letter/brochure sent in the post from Neilson.