Latest posts for the topic "backcountry suggestions europe"

backcountry suggestions europe

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:11:38 GMT

hello forum,

i was wondering if people could give me a few suggestions on european resorts/areas that offer serious backcountry and powder, baring in mind im looking to go around the 26th dec to 5th jan, so thats going to make powder difficult to come across.

thanks for your time

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:06:47 GMT

La Grave
Verbier
St Anton

Its about all I can think of right now

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:36:53 GMT

cheers la grave looks intersting im worried about the snow conditions for that time of year though

do you know much about the conditions that can be expected at la grave during late december early jan?

thanks

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:39:44 GMT

goodacre88 wrote:cheers la grave looks intersting im worried about the snow conditions for that time of year though

do you know much about the conditions that can be expected at la grave during late december early jan?

thanks

Not for there, but I have been to 3 valleys and Austria over Xmas and early Jan and have never had a problem with lack of snow. If you go high enough up you will always find some snow.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:00:32 GMT

goodacre88 wrote:

do you know much about the conditions that can be expected at la grave during late december early jan?

thanks

Changes winter to winter.
Are you looking for lift accessible back country or are you looking to skin up?

Verbier has the best lift accessible off piste in the world imho. If you are planning to hike in then you could do a lot worse than the Vanoise National Park, lots of places to base yourself but the better known ones Val d'Isere, Tignes, Les Arcs.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:37:02 GMT

Neiltoo wrote

Changes winter to winter.

Spot on. There used to be a really good site that gave historical snow records for all main resorts, by month and year. It was useful, to the extent that you could read the trend for the resort. Sadly, the site folded. Iglu has restarted, but does not have the history.

Even given a resort's history, in any individual year, anything may happen, weatherwise.

The other point that Neil makes is also valid, in that what you are looking for is not clear. Are you gondola up, then Vail-type deep snow back bowls? Or are you starting at village level, and going up mountain, over the ridges, heading for the next village? Or something else?

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:58:06 GMT

'Serious backcountry' is open to a lot of discussion. I would be impressed if by serious you meant North face of the Aiguille du Midi serious :lol:

Better off telling the audience exactly what you are looking for.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:55:09 GMT

Pablo Escobar wrote:'Serious backcountry' is open to a lot of discussion. I would be impressed if by serious you meant North face of the Aiguille du Midi serious :lol:

There was a time when I used to think that if snow would stick to it I would ski it. Then I spent a year in Chamonix :shock:

The definition of what is skiable seems to change when you enter that valley. :D

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:12:46 GMT

Pablo Escobar wrote:the Aiguille du Midi

I have been looking into the prospect of "doing" this recently. Looks, erm, interesting.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:07:08 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

Pablo Escobar wrote:the Aiguille du Midi

I have been looking into the prospect of "doing" this recently. Looks, erm, interesting.

The north face is even more, erm, interesting. I think this is one of the skiable lines.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:10:13 GMT

Pablo Escobar wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

Pablo Escobar wrote:the Aiguille du Midi

I have been looking into the prospect of "doing" this recently. Looks, erm, interesting.

The north face is even more, erm, interesting. I think this is one of the skiable lines.

Your interesting is a lot more mental than mine

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:43:39 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

Pablo Escobar wrote:the Aiguille du Midi

I have been looking into the prospect of "doing" this recently. Looks, erm, interesting.

One of the Guides Bureau told me I wasn't a good enough skier to do the Vallee Blanche (unless you`re really planning to ski the Aguille du Midi, in which case buy life insurance now) :shock:

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:46:34 GMT

bandit wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

Pablo Escobar wrote:the Aiguille du Midi

I have been looking into the prospect of "doing" this recently. Looks, erm, interesting.

One of the Guides Bureau told me I wasn't a good enough skier to do the Vallee Blanche (unless you`re really planning to ski the Aguille du Midi, in which case buy life insurance now) :shock:

Thats interesting. I read an article in the Sunday Telegraph about the Vallee Blanche, and the journalist who did it with a guide was an intermediate skier with little off piste experience, and he said he was fine, and that any skier who was competent and reasonable would be fine.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:26:56 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

bandit wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

Pablo Escobar wrote:the Aiguille du Midi

I have been looking into the prospect of "doing" this recently. Looks, erm, interesting.

One of the Guides Bureau told me I wasn't a good enough skier to do the Vallee Blanche (unless you`re really planning to ski the Aguille du Midi, in which case buy life insurance now) :shock:

Thats interesting. I read an article in the Sunday Telegraph about the Vallee Blanche, and the journalist who did it with a guide was an intermediate skier with little off piste experience, and he said he was fine, and that any skier who was competent and reasonable would be fine.

I'm surprised by that too. I booked guides for many groups to do the Vallee Blanche and their standard line (the guides, that is) was if you are confident on red runs you'll manage fine. They can vary the difficulty depending on the exact route and the snow conditions do obviously play a part but its not seriously difficult. If you have a problem with heights though, the access is pretty scary.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:49:10 GMT

bandit wrote:One of the Guides Bureau told me I wasn't a good enough skier to do the Vallee Blanche

:?: ...yeah, but how long ago was that? No way would the Vallee Blanche give you any kind of trouble el bandito. I coped fine way back in my pre-Optimum days (so would have been skiing old-school style on skinnies).

It is no worse than a decent Blue for most of its length, albeit with the rather crucial difference that you will likely survive if you fluff a turn on an actual Blue... You do need to be able to turn and stop accurately as there are a couple of points (depending on snow cover) where you have to pick your way down amongst huge chunks of ice and between crevasses. IIRC that's where two glaciers merge?

For most of the route you're in vast open spaces at a fairly shallow gradient. Important to follow the guide, precisely, as this is almost all glaciated and the crevasses below the snow go all the way to the centre of the Earth and you'll be eaten by dinosaurs and your remains frozen for all time (think that's what he said, but my French wasn't up to much...).

It is 20-25km, with no way out, so you do need to be reasonably fit. Depending on snow you may be walking the last few km too.

The other thing you need is a head for heights. Before you get your skis on you need to carry them down the arrete... :shock: ...edging down a steep ridge that has a steep drop of several hundred metres on one side, and around 1500 metres on the other, does concentrate the mind.

It needs to be on your "must do soon" list, Tony. :thumbup:

It shouldn't be compared to the North Face, however; that is for nutters... 8) ...and Phil Ingle. :shock:

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:43:53 GMT

There is a video somewhere of folk skiing it, that really puts it in to perspective.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:09:30 GMT

La Grave wouldn't be open for most of that trip, it doesn't open till january!

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:18:05 GMT

Admin wrote:

bandit wrote:One of the Guides Bureau told me I wasn't a good enough skier to do the Vallee Blanche

:?: ...yeah, but how long ago was that? No way would the Vallee Blanche give you any kind of trouble el bandito. I coped fine way back in my pre-Optimum days (so would have been skiing old-school style on skinnies).

It is no worse than a decent Blue for most of its length, albeit with the rather crucial difference that you will likely survive if you fluff a turn on an actual Blue... You do need to be able to turn and stop accurately as there are a couple of points (depending on snow cover) where you have to pick your way down amongst huge chunks of ice and between crevasses. IIRC that's where two glaciers merge?

For most of the route you're in vast open spaces at a fairly shallow gradient. Important to follow the guide, precisely, as this is almost all glaciated and the crevasses below the snow go all the way to the centre of the Earth and you'll be eaten by dinosaurs and your remains frozen for all time (think that's what he said, but my French wasn't up to much...).

It is 20-25km, with no way out, so you do need to be reasonably fit. Depending on snow you may be walking the last few km too.

The other thing you need is a head for heights. Before you get your skis on you need to carry them down the arrete... :shock: ...edging down a steep ridge that has a steep drop of several hundred metres on one side, and around 1500 metres on the other, does concentrate the mind.

It needs to be on your "must do soon" list, Tony. :thumbup:

It shouldn't be compared to the North Face, however; that is for nutters... 8) ...and Phil Ingle. :shock:

A couple of seasons ago, I would have said forget it, way out of my league, not the sort of thing I would be interested in, etc etc. However, things have changed, I have progressed, and my requirements have been amended now that I have taken an interest in venturing away from the pistes a little.
I also have to admit having dismissed Cham in the past as something of a "dudes hangout" and with a rather spread out ski area. However, reading that article really got me interested in doing the Vallee Blanche.
What you said was basically what the writer said, including the bit about falling to the centre of the earth and being eaten!!!
It also covered off, in great detail, the traverse at the start, holding onto a rope whilst side stepping on ice across a 3 inch wide path whilst balancing your skis on your shoulder. It also mentioned the number of people who had died by falling off it in recent times. Not huge numbers, but 1 death is enough to make even the bravest person think twice. I understand it was particularly bum clenching stuff, but worth it, although the writer did say they were amazingly lucky with the weather and did it on a bluebird day after a day of fresh snowfall. Lucky so and so.
Anyway, yes - it has been added to my "things to do soon" list. I was even thinking about driving down for a short break sometime and having a crack at it, weather permitting. The only problem would be that I really dont think Mrs H would be up for it, as she really is sensible, and to be honest if anything happened to her I would never live with myself. YES - it IS that dangerous!!!!!
My ski buddy Skidaddle would not be up for it. He is not particularly keen in venturing away from the piste, he has racing skis, he doesnt like particularly cold temperatures, and he said he is never going to France ever again ever in his life ever!
Therefore, finding someone to share the experience might prove difficult.
I need to give it some thought.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:27:32 GMT

Admin wrote:

bandit wrote:One of the Guides Bureau told me I wasn't a good enough skier to do the Vallee Blanche

:?: ...yeah, but how long ago was that? No way would the Vallee Blanche give you any kind of trouble el bandito. I coped fine way back in my pre-Optimum days (so would have been skiing old-school style on skinnies).

As a matter of fact it was just over 2 years ago in April. I had booked a Guide privately as a Birthday present, and was most upset, and have not been back to Cham since :roll:
I had spent quite a while researching which route to ask the Guide for, including watching several home videos of the variants, and taken advice from a friend who skis with me regularly. I was advised to avoid the regular tourist route as it would be boring. All of the descents are subject to weather cancellations, so you can do all the planning and prep, and get cancelled on the day. Not so with my booking though. Personally I think we were gazumped, but it's just a feeling. We asked for a refund, as we had run out of holiday, after they messed us around for several days 1st. We were quite definitely told (in English) we were not good enough skiers, despite the Guides Bureau, nor any of their contracted Guides having seen us ski.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:45:23 GMT

bandit wrote:Personally I think we were gazumped

I can well believe it, I saw it happen a number of times.

Re:backcountry suggestions europe

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 20:51:03 GMT

Tony_H wrote:A couple of seasons ago, I would have said forget it, way out of my league, not the sort of thing I would be interested in, etc etc. However, things have changed, I have progressed, and my requirements have been amended now that I have taken an interest in venturing away from the pistes a little.
I also have to admit having dismissed Cham in the past as something of a "dudes hangout" and with a rather spread out ski area. However, reading that article really got me interested in doing the Vallee Blanche.
What you said was basically what the writer said, including the bit about falling to the centre of the earth and being eaten!!!
It also covered off, in great detail, the traverse at the start, holding onto a rope whilst side stepping on ice across a 3 inch wide path whilst balancing your skis on your shoulder. It also mentioned the number of people who had died by falling off it in recent times. Not huge numbers, but 1 death is enough to make even the bravest person think twice. I understand it was particularly bum clenching stuff, but worth it, although the writer did say they were amazingly lucky with the weather and did it on a bluebird day after a day of fresh snowfall. Lucky so and so.
Anyway, yes - it has been added to my "things to do soon" list. I was even thinking about driving down for a short break sometime and having a crack at it, weather permitting. The only problem would be that I really dont think Mrs H would be up for it, as she really is sensible, and to be honest if anything happened to her I would never live with myself. YES - it IS that dangerous!!!!!
My ski buddy Skidaddle would not be up for it. He is not particularly keen in venturing away from the piste, he has racing skis, he doesnt like particularly cold temperatures, and he said he is never going to France ever again ever in his life ever!
Therefore, finding someone to share the experience might prove difficult.
I need to give it some thought.

Please don't get phased by descriptions of the Arete. Most of the season it has rope both sides, and you will be roped to your Guide for the walk (assuming you book one). You may have to queue to get onto it (think Harrods on 1st day of sales) Buy a rucksack that you can fasten your skis onto, which will free up a hand and improve your footing. 20,000 folks ski the various routes in a typical winter. A guide will pick your route through the crevasses. The most important thing for you to do is exactly what they tell you, which includes when and where to turn. Ideally, for the 1st time you will want to choose a period when it has not snowed (ironic innit)and the run down will be more like a piste.