UKH

Hi, can anyone recommend an organisation/company to start off piste skiing lessons, eventually leading to ski touring. Probably somewhere in the Alps? 

Thanks!

In reply to RX-78:

done couple of courses with UCPA, represented by Action Outdoors in the UK. Excellent value, good instruction, and well set up for individual travellers. They even let us do a days touring this January on an advanced course in Val d'Isere. They also have several touring courses. Everything is in France as they are a French organisation.

In reply to RX-78:

Snoworks are excellent, though a bit pricier than UCPA.

In reply to RX-78:

Well, the obvious answer is to head to the Alps and get yourself booked in on ski school for a few days. They tend to be in the morning and then you have the afternoon to practice. Be prepared for lots of falling over - oddly, your triceps will ache from pushing yourself back up a lot!

Various other flavours are available, such as having a couple of lessons at one of the UK ski centres, such as Hemel Hempstead, to get a feel for it before heading to the Alps.

Once there, you also have other options, such as booking 1-1 lessons that will be expensive, but tailored to you.

Be aware that ski touring is a different skill/equipment set to piste skiing - you'll need to get proficient at the basics on-piste before getting into skinning and skiing powder.

Touring also brings in the possibility of crevasses and avalanches that's yet another set of skills to recognise and deal with. 

In reply to RX-78:

Pretty much all ski schools and guides offer off-piste skiing or even touring skiing courses or private lectures.

That being said, how good of a skier you are on piste? Because if you can survive the touron/tourist moguls in the afternoon rush down to the village in good style (so skiing and not some uncontrolled sliding on skis like the majority of  people)... well, then you don't need any courses and could simple start hitting the off-piste (provided you  don't get too far from the slopes, so no need to worry about avy-danger).

For that, I would reccommend smaller resorts (and ones that don't involve graciers). Namely for three reasons.

1. less competition for the easy pickings

2. less people on general, so more time skiing and less time in the lift que

3. cheaper tickets, living and so on.

And after spending at least 2 to 4 weeks of doing "safe" off-piste on your own. Go to an avy-course, so you can venture further form the lifts (and you can also assess the slopes you are going to ski).

Only after you are already confident in off-piste skiing and also assessing avy-conditions etc. would I try to book a ski-touring course (albeit that is not rocket science... so you could just get suitable gear and some mates & start touring).

Unfortunately I can't suggest any specific resort in the alps for lift served (and safe) off-piste. As the times I have been to the alps, I was already reasonably competent off-piste skier. But I would say, that some of the Nordic resorts migth actually be more suitable for training off-piste skiing.

As a last note, if you are even reasonable skier... the only course you need would be the avy-thing... and a proper course on it is atleast 2 full days, preferably more. So my advice would be to get competent at skiing on piste (which might require lectures) and then get on the deep-end and start practicing off-piste skiing on safe'ish locations on yer own (maybe get a private ski lecture from ski school for that, for like half a day or a full day...  if you're skiing is not on-par with what you wish to do).

 

In reply to RX-78:

As previously, I'd recommend John Eames and Bonny Masson at the (Telemark and) Off Piste Ski Company. Most of their clients are on ski mo gear these days and only a few of us on teles, sadly!

Both are great guides and instructors, and experienced mountain types (Bonny was a very good climber in her day - and wrote the essay on Suicide Wall in Extreme Rock - and John was a contemporary of Alex McIntyre). The majority of their trips are for off piste skills (often "side-piste" e.g at Cervinia) or interesting destinations (Georgia, Maccedonia, Greece, Iceland, Kosovo, Arctic Norway). http://www.telemarkskico.com/off-piste-index.htm has more details, but we have had twenty years of intermittent trips with them and have become good friends - they are really good folk. 

Have fun

b

In reply to RX-78:

Most off-piste skiing is not blasting down in clouds of powder leaving perfect swerves in the snow but edging down defensively, coping with all kinds of different snow conditions and above all skiing in safety. Snow lore isn't something you can learn from a book or Youtube so day trips are a good way and for this it pays to attend organised sessions or, if you are in a group, hire a guide.

In reply to HeMa:

+1 for your entire post. Any flaws in piste technique will be amplified once they hit changeable conditions off piste. 

A couple of hours one to one with a high end instructor, on piste, will improve anyone's skiing. 

In reply to RX-78:

Offpiste performance (run by Alison Culshaw/ Thacker) in Chamonix do great courses. Can especially recommend their ski performance for mountaineers course. Of course depends what level you’re starting at...and +1 to HeMa’s comments. 

In reply to RX-78:

Apologies, I read that last night as "start off piste skiing", putting you as a total novice, not "start off-piste skiing", so I guess you can already ski.

In reply to HeMa:

Things seem to be changing with the growing popularity in Off-piste. I'm lucky enough to live in the Vercors near Grenoble and two of my local resorts (Lans-en-Vercors and Villard-de-Lans) both have 'safe' offpiste runs. Basically lift-served (but you can ski up) ungroomed pistes which are not patrolled but deemed not to be an avalanche risk. Good for dipping your toes. Unfortunately the snow has been abysmal this year (we had a our best snow in mid November and its been flaky since).

Alternatively, a lot of resorts are offering signposted 'off-piste'. Decathlon do a guide to these routes. https://skitouring.decathlon.fr/

I've not done one so can't vouch for them but sounds like a decent way to progress.

FWIW I simply learned to piste ski the normal way then went out touring with a guide. I've got strong fitness from trail running and going up is easy, but skiing down as rightly mentioned is a) really hard work, and b) entails adapting to a lot of different conditions. Very rewarding though.

In reply to RX-78:

Hi all, sorry I should have said we have been on piste skiing for a good few years now and looking for something a bit different. I have assumed a course would be the best approach as if going off piste by ourselves I assume one would need to be familiar with the area and we have tended to ski in different resorts rather than get familiar with one ski area. 

In reply to inboard:

+1 for this - I did a week with them in Chamonix last year and learnt so much that I am going back for another round in March.

Alison's sister, Gillian, also runs two day courses in Scotland which are great when there is snow (not so much this year). 

In reply to inboard: You are dead right about Alison. Sadly for the OP, if he wants actual instruction from Alison (and not one of her colleagues from BASS) he will need to contact her in April this year to secure a place for next winter. That tells you all you need to know.

In reply to HammondR:

Yep - although we’ve had sessions with Derek Tate (BASS) who is also excellent. 

In reply to CathS:

I agree, I’ve found that my off piste skiing has improved more with Snoworks than other providers. The trips have been good fun too with numerous options for dates and location 

In reply to inboard:

+1 for this too.  I did some sessions with Derek last year (through Alison's company, he was doing some work for her while she was on maternity leave) and he was also great.

In reply to RX-78:

I have enjoyed two excellent courses with Off Piste Performance  https://www.offpiste.org.uk

and the Austrian Alpine Club also offer good courses, with grants if you've been a member for >= 2 years.

In reply to RX-78:

Let me know when, how many etc and I could get one organised for you with local guides, accomodation, ski pass etc... if you click through to my profile you'll see I own Casa Alfredino and we are starting to collaborate with some experienced guides in our area to create packages of this type in the Dolomites.

In reply to beardy mike:

Hi, Thanks for the offer! We have already  booked with snoworks this time, but am hoping this will be the start of our adventures off piste so I will keep your offer in mind.

In reply to RX-78:

Should be fully up and running by next year...