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Off-piste Skiing Courses

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0845 345 8848
ski@jagged-globe.co.uk

Off Piste Skiing Further Information

Our High-Calibre Instructors

Simon Christy BASI Coach
[Simon Christy, 5 kb]Simon is a British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI) coach and trainer and has many seasons under his belt. He is based in Courchevel throughout the season and is a gifted teacher and instructor on all of our off-piste skiing courses in The 3 Valleys, Tignes and La Grave. Simon will help improve your skiing technique - guaranteed!

Neil Milne BASI Coach
[Neil Milne, 5 kb]Neil is a BASI Coach and BASI Off Piste and Mountain Safety Trainer. He has been based in The 3 Valleys for the past ten seasons. Neil has also worked in Italy and Switzerland, as well as other areas of France. Neil is an excellent Instructor who has done a great job working on our Off Piste Introduction week. He's not just a skier and during the summer months leads treks throughout the Alps.

Philippe Terrettaz Ski Guide
[Philippe Terrettaz, 2 kb]Philippe Terrettaz is an Off Piste Ski Guide based in Verbier and knows his home area incredibly well. He is a fluent English speaker and regularly accompanies Simon Christy on our Off Piste Perfection courses. Philippe is taking a break in 2012.

Rob Sewell BASI Coach
Rob first turned up in Courchevel in December 1985 and has been there every winter since. He started ski instructor training in 1991 and got his full ticket in1999. He has been teaching full time since then. He worked two seasons with New Generation (where he met Simon Christy) and has been an independent instructor since. Before he was qualified he did a lot of skiing for himself and was off piste much of the time. He has also done a lot of touring over the years. Rob rates he best trip as when he and Simon went to Alaska.

Jim Kerr BMG IFMGA
[Jim Kerr, 3 kb]A fully qualified mountain guide for nearly twenty years, Jim skis and climbs mainly in Europe, with trips to Peru, Bolivia, Nepal, Canada and rock climbing in France, Italy, Spain, Sinai and North America. He is a past trainer and assessor for the British Mountain Guides Association and has been a regular Course Director and guide on Jagged Globe Alpine Courses for many years. Jim is based in the Chamonix Valley and is a brilliant skier and teacher, as well as mountaineer and guide. His wealth of experience has been appreciated by our course participants time and time again, and we're lucky to have him as part of our guiding team. In 2012, Jim is guiding on our Off Piste Perfection week.

Off Piste Skiing grading

We offer three levels of off piste coaching courses:

Off Piste Introduction Introductory
For piste skiers, who can ski red runs confidently with linked short turns. The course will mainly make use of lifts to access the skiing, though we may do small amounts of walking to get to the best snow. You should be prepared to ski full days (with a lunch break) at a reasonable pace. For a more detailed assessment of the skiing level required for this course, please read our Ski Grading page.

Off Piste Improvers Intermediate
For those who have some off-piste experience (at least 1 week) or have completed an Off Piste Introduction course. As with the Off Piste Introduction course, the skiing will be mainly lift-accessed, though we may do some walking. A good level of fitness will allow you to enjoy full days of skiing and enable the best progress of your skiing. For a more detailed assessment of the skiing level required for this course, please read our Ski Grading page.

Off Piste Perfection/Freeride Advanced
For intermediate to advanced off piste skiers who are able to ski efficiently and in control on all snow types. On the 'Perfection' week, we use skins on several days and will offer all the tips for easy uphill travel if this is new to you. As this week may involve sections of uphill skinning/walking a good level of fitness will allow you to enjoy the descents and improve your skiing further. A standard Alpine set up is required for the Freeride week. For a more detailed assessment of the skiing level required for this course, please read our Ski Grading page.

The Venues

The 3 Valleys
www.les3vallees.com
Resort altitude 1,800m (Meribel)
Lifts to 3,200m (Pass for 6 days costs approximately 232 euros)

From our base in Brides-le-Bain, we can access the largest ski area in the world, with 200 lifts and 330 runs with an accumulated length of 600Km. The 3 Valleys includes the Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens ski areas, which we will make good use of throughout the week. It is an excellent area for introducing students to the delights of off-piste, due to the scope of 25-35°, slopes and quiet areas, overlooked by the hardcore off-piste skier. The 3 Valleys is easily reached via Geneva or Grenoble and the transport hub of Moutiers.

Tignes
www.tignes.co.uk
Resort altitude 2,100m
Lifts to 3,450m (Pass for 6 days costs approximately 197.50 euros)

Tignes is a purpose built resort, created in the 1960's when concrete was a fashionable building material. You do not come here for the aesthetic architecture! However, due to its high altitude, it has become increasingly popular with more reliable snow conditions than many other resorts. Tignes boasts an efficient lift system and over 300Km of pistes, which gives us quick access to the renowned off-piste skiing of the Espace Killy. If conditions allow, we may be able to attempt the Tarentaise Tour, an Off-piste circuit linking the resorts of Tignes, La Plagne and Les Arcs in one long and memorable day.

La Grave
www.la-grave.com
Lifts to 3,550m in La Grave (pass is 40 euros per day. From our base in Bourg D'Oisans, we aim to ski at Les Deux Alpes and L'Alpe D'Huez too).

Bourg D'Oisans is 77Km from Grenoble, so can easily be reached by coach from Lyon Airport or Grenoble Airport.

Chamonix
www.chamonix.com
Lifts to 3,842m (Chamonix Le Pass €205, Mont Blanc Unlimited €250 for 6 days skiing)
Resort altitude 1,035m

Chamonix almost needs no introduction. Historically, this Alpine village at the base of Mont Blanc is intrinsically linked with the development of extreme skiing and ski mountaineering. Chamonix is a favourite destination for intermediate and advanced off piste skiers, but there is a lot more to it than the Grands Montets and the Vallee Blanche. Our Instructors know the best spots to get away from the crowds. For après ski, the village has a ‘buzz’ unlike any other ski resort.

Travel and Accommodation

All course members are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to the course venue. Detailed travel advice will be provided along with the confirmation of your booking. Here is a quick overview:

The 3 Valleys: The price includes accommodation in a shared, self-catering apartment (maximum 3 persons) in Brides-les-Bains. A hotel upgrade (half board) is available for an additional £300, based on twin sharing at the Hôtel les Alpes in Brides. A single room supplement is payable should you want to have a room to yourself. Brides-les-Bains is easily reached via the travel hub of Moûtiers. The village is a 15-minute bus ride up the hill. The 3 Valleys ski area is accessed via a bubble from Brides-les-Bains.

Tignes : Valley accommodation is in the Hôtel de la Vanoise in Tignes Val Claret. The hotel accommodation is provided on a twin-share, half-board basis and is included in the price. A single room supplement is payable should you want to have a room to yourself. Tignes is reached via the travel hub of Bourg Saint Maurice. A road transfer from Bourg takes approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour.

La Grave (Bourg D'Oisans): Valley accommodation is in Eric and Pauline's lovely Chambre de Hôte, which we used every season on our Alpine Ice - La Grave course, as well. The accommodation is provided on a twin-share, half-board basis and is included in the price. A single room supplement is payable should you want to have a room to yourself. Bourg D'Oisans is an hour from Grenoble and is easily reached by coach from there or Lyon.

Chamonix: Valley accommodation in our hotel, La Chaumiere. The hotel accommodation is provided on a twin-share (or occasionally, triple/Quad), half-board basis and is included in the price. A single room supplement is payable should you want to have a room to yourself. Chamonix is 50 minutes by road from Geneva Airport and we can book a transfer for you.

Food
Please note that no food is included in the course price for the Off Piste Introduction in The 3 Valleys. Course members will need to provide their own lunch and drink each day for all of the courses.

Equipment

We provide an avalanche transceiver for each course member and probes/shovels to be shared amongst the group. You will need to provide your own skis and boots and personal clothing. Skis and boots are available to hire from each course venue.

Buy or hire?
How many weeks a year do you ski? If the answer is less than 2 or 3, then hiring skis may be the best bet. You don't have to travel with cumbersome ski bags, and you will normally be able to hire current models of ski. Boots are another matter, as by buying you can spend time getting the boot fitted perfectly to your feet, which guarantees pain-free ski trips.

Which skis and bindings?
For Off Piste Introduction, Off Piste Improvers and Freeride courses, standard alpine ski gear is fine (ski-touring bindings are not necessary). An 'All-Mountain' ski with a minimum width underfoot of 80mm is ideal, giving good performance across the full range of snow-types. 'Fat' or 'Big Mountain' skis, with a width underfoot of more than 100mm, although great in soft snow, are not so nice to ski on hard-packed snow that we may encounter on a typical week. There are many, many brands of ski out there. If you are considering buying a 'All Mountain Ski', we can recommend the following skis:

For those joining the Freeride course, you may want to use a slightly wider and stiffer 'Freeride' ski, to make skiing in powder easier. You must be a decent skier to get the best out of these skis, or else what can be fun can easily become hard work!

For our Off Piste Perfection courses, ski touring bindings and skins will be required as we may use these to access some descents. Lighter, touring skis or 'All Mountain' skis are fine for this course. Of the touring skis, the Scott Crus'Air is a classic.

Which boots?
The most important consideration with boots is a good fit. The boots should also be of appropriate stiffness (not too firm, not too soft) to provide support for the ankle while still allowing it to flex under load. For the Off Piste Perfection course, touring or Freeride boots present the advantage of more comfortable "walk-mode", but are not strictly necessary. In Chamonix, we recommend boot fitters, Pro Ski Montagne.

Clothing/backpack
Normal ski gear is fine, but should be versatile enough to cater for warm or cold conditions. A small day-pack is ideal for Off Piste and Freeride weeks (20-30 litre). This should be able to hold a shovel & probe, spare layer of clothing, and a water bottle. Black Diamond make some really nice packs, as do Ortovox.

Helmets
They have the advantage of protecting your head and keeping it warm! Fit is everything, so go to a well-stocked shop and try on lots of them.

Course Inclusions and Exclusions

The following paragraphs summarise what is included and excluded from the course cost.

Inclusions

Exclusions

*Please bring enough money with you to cover additional costs, especially cable cars and lunches. Credit cards are widely accepted and can be used for most cable cars. Insurance should be organised and paid for before you travel to the Alps.

On-line booking

You can book any of our courses securely on-line by selecting your preferred dates and paying a deposit by credit/debit card of £150 per course. We will send you a confirmation of booking and comprehensive Joining Instructions, which includes travel information and a detailed equipment list... Book Now!