Chamonix Off Piste & Touring Skills 🇫🇷 April 2022

“A ski instruction course designed to improve your technical off-piste skiing, mountain safety awareness and touring skills, whilst doing lots of good skiing in the process”.

Course Aims

• To develop competence and confidence skiing in variable off-piste terrain and to ensure it is something you look forward to rather than fear. To achieve this there are two skill sets that need to be developed; ski technique and safe travel skills. You will come away from this course feeling that you have developed both.
• You will also hopefully be inspired to embrace a creative approach to your ski adventures in future and realise the potential for fun ski journeys with touring bindings, skins, map and a good plan!

Chamonix Off Piste & Touring Skills is a joint venture between High Mountain Guides and Off Piste Performance aimed at giving you expert advice and coaching in all aspects of mountain skiing.

We run this course in late Jan, Feb, March and mid-April so you can really experience and enjoy the variety offered by skiing in the Alps through the winter and spring season.

This April course aims to make the most of the high spring conditions which generally means high snow volume, trips in to the high mountains and hopefully a great combination of fresh tracks in high altitude shady powder and ‘hero’ spring snow.  As with all our courses a key element is making the most of the prevailing conditions and discussing how best to do that.

Classic Course Pre-requirements

Ski Ability

To get the most from this course you will be a strong piste skier and be able to get down all groomed slopes with confidence. You should also have existing off-piste experience and be reasonably competent descending in a variety of snow types from powder to crust! Instruction & coaching will be given as part of the course and the aim is to gain confidence and skill rather than ski particularly steep slopes.

We have found that people really enjoy this course when they have done lots of off-piste mileage but never quite got the hang of it. Or if you are able to rip it up in the powder but feel you only have “one skill set in your tool box” so struggle to make changes to adapt to the changes the off-piste environment throw at you..

Mountain Fitness

You’ll need to be fit & robust enough to be able to cope with 5 full days out skiing in the mountains and be able to skin steadily (250m/hr, including all stops & transitions) uphill for 2-3 hours (this will feel like hill-walking uphill not running uphill!)

Team Approach

These are group courses and you will need to embrace this important element of the week and the important team aspect of off piste skiing and touring.  If you are keen to maximise your time in terms of individual ski coaching, or completing longer / more physical tours then we recommend Chamonix private ski guiding.