Powder, Peaks & Picnics: A Week of Ski Touring around Chamonix. Part 1.

twenty third March 2025 | Tashie Cove, Chamonix & Surrounding Areas.

I’m again in London, sitting on my couch, sipping tea, legs nonetheless aching however coronary heart full after an unforgettable week ski touring in France, Switzerland and Italy.

Six days of pushing limits, sharing laughs, navigating steep icy traverses, and having fun with extra cake than I in all probability ought to have.

“Enterprise off the crushed monitor to find breathtaking distant areas and carve contemporary tracks below the steering of skilled mountain guides, earlier than returning to our centrally situated chalet,” promised the Ski Membership GB brochure.

It delivered, and extra.

Right here’s the way it all unfolded as I took The Chamonix Backcountry Exploration journey  with with guides, Jim Kerr and Simon Abrahams.

As somebody who loves snowboarding however is comparatively new to touring, I approached this journey with a mixture of pleasure and nerves.

Abandoning the pistes for untouched backcountry felt like moving into a brand new world – and Chamonix, with its towering peaks and storied alpine historical past, was the right place to start.

We have been staying at a heat and welcoming chalet run by Elle and Josie, who shortly turned legendary for his or her every day selfmade desserts and wonderful suppers.

In our touring group have been Clive, the reliable Ski Membership rep, and fellow skiers Abbi, George, and David.

We have been guided by the sensible Simon and Jim, who not solely stored us protected however made positive we had enjoyable too.

Dave, Abbi’s accomplice, wasn’t touring with us however was all the time prepared with tales and laughter once we returned within the evenings.

Saturday – Arrival & Briefing

I arrived in Chamonix within the early night, with the others ready for me on the chalet.

Simon greeted us with a complete briefing of the week forward.

He coated every part – from itinerary and climate to avalanche security and what to pack in our rucksacks.

The Ski Membership had transceivers for individuals who wanted them.

We kicked issues off with a hearty three-course meal: warming soup, beef bourguignon, and a selfmade tiramisu.

The bar was set excessive.

We had some extra wine to assist the introductions after which slipped off to mattress, excited and nervous for what the week had in retailer.

SUNDAY:

Sunday – Le Tour & First Classes

A full English breakfast ready us for our first day at Le Tour.

The Ski Membership had rented a van for the journey, sparing us the trouble of the native buses.

We began with transceiver checks led by Jim, adopted by a number of relaxed warm-up runs to ease us in.

Simon and Jim quickly guided us to a hidden powder stash for a 15 minute stretch of superb contemporary snow.

The snow was sensible as a result of few folks got here right here, the one method again was skinning.

And so the skins got here out for the primary time – Simon and Jim reminded us easy methods to connect them correctly, easy methods to handle our layers to keep away from overheating, and the essential tip of not conserving our skis vertically standing within the snow to forestall the glue from melting.

We began our brief, pleasurable 45-minute pores and skin uphill – a refresher to touring I may positively deal with.

We shortly discovered our rhythm and I discovered myself imagining my Bernese Mountain Canine fortunately bounding alongside us, considering how a lot she’d love this journey.

Afterward, we practiced avalanche rescue drills: utilizing probes, shovels, and transceivers to find and dig out a buried machine.

Simon demonstrated intimately precisely easy methods to discover Jim’s hidden transceiver, which included getting low to the mountain whenever you’re shut and scanning the ground.

When his transceiver was about 0.3meters away, he confirmed us easy methods to use the probe entering into circles across the level to search out the “physique”.

All of us had a bit go probing one another to see what’s it feels wish to probe an individual/rucksack somewhat than a rock/grass.

Simon and Jim then confirmed us the latest strategies for shovelling- going barely downhill to the physique and digging into the mountain to succeed in them.

The logic being that when you get to them you aren’t shovelling into their physique, however can roll them out and get to their airways shortly.

We every took it in turns to search out the hidden transceiver.

Not solely was this nice coaching but it surely was reassuring to know the folks I’d be spending the week with had some follow.

Again on the chalet, we relaxed with tea and selfmade cake, adopted by a soak within the scorching tub earlier than one other wonderful supper.

Spirits have been excessive, even when muscle groups have been beginning to really feel the primary hints of fatigue.

MONDAY:

Monday – Contamines: Blisters, Mont Blanc Views & a Slushy Shock

We woke to a different feast of a breakfast – eggs, contemporary bread, and sufficient espresso to kick-start even essentially the most drained legs.

Spirits have been excessive as we packed up for our first huge day exterior of Chamonix, heading for the quieter space of Les Contamines.

En route, we swung by an area sandwich store to seize picnic provides – the sort of thick, crusty baguettes that solely France appears to get excellent.

We additionally scooped up our guides, Simon and Jim, who have been on equally good type.

Jim kindly lent me a pair of crampons to attempt for later within the week, although the thrill light barely once we realised they didn’t match my bindings.

The crampon saga had formally begun…

The Pores and skin Begins

After one warm-up run to get our legs going and our avalanche transceivers checked, we have been quickly standing on the high of the off-piste space staring on the traverse forward.

The huge mountains stretched earlier than us, damaged solely by a faint monitor main across the shoulder of the mountain.

The blue sky above us made for essentially the most lovely of days.

We began the lengthy traverse after which hopped out of our skis to kind the skins, apply a variety of suncream, and take some layers off.

We started what can be a gentle 2.5-hour pores and skin.

Many of the route adopted a mild gradient, good for settling right into a rhythm and getting a correct really feel for the uphill grind.

Jim’s sharp eye caught me fidgeting in my boots, and positive sufficient, I used to be brewing blisters.

He stopped me immediately, knelt down on the slope, and expertly patched them up.

“At all times cope with them early,” he jogged my memory, reinforcing the golden rule of touring consolation.

Grateful and re-taped, I carried on with contemporary willpower.

Because the pores and skin wore on, the incline steepened barely, and Simon led us via a number of trickier sections, teaching us on environment friendly kick turns.

We tackled a enjoyable little problem: snowboarding barely downhill with skins nonetheless on.

Wobbly doesn’t fairly cowl it.

With heels unlocked and skins gripping underfoot, leaning ahead was a no-go – I felt like Bambi on ice however managed to remain upright, laughing all the best way.

A Picnic With a View

We reached the highest with sensible views of Mont Blanc.

Off got here the skins and out got here the sandwiches and thermoses as we perched on our rucksacks, gazing out over a jaw-dropping panorama.

Mont Blanc itself stood proudly on the horizon, surrounded by jagged peaks cloaked in swirling cloud.

The group sat quietly for a second, absorbing the dimensions and drama of all of it.

After lunch, we jumped again into our skis, excited to start the respectable.

Though we stopped in our tracks once we realised our skis have been very sticky and felt like our skins have been nonetheless on.

Jim seen our skis had picked up a thick layer of sticky snow.

He handed us scrapers – one other touring important – and we took turns shaving off the clumps earlier than clipping again in.

The Descent – From Powder to Slush

The descent started with windblown and barely crusty snow, making for a number of cautious, wobbly turns at first.

However as we dropped decrease, we discovered the candy spot – a stretch of soppy, forgiving powder the place each flip felt fluid and satisfying.

About midway down, we skied previous a colossal dam, an sudden man-made function amidst the wilderness.

Beneath it, the snow started to vary.

Crisp powder gave method to heavy slush as we descended additional.

We discovered a brief pitch via some timber providing a number of remaining pretty turns earlier than – slap – again into sticky spring snow.

Finally, the snow thinned out fully.

Off got here the skis, and we hiked throughout a grassy patch, boots crunching on naked floor, to succeed in a connecting piste.

Just a few chairlifts later and we have been cruising again in direction of Les Contamines.

A fast drink on the base was simply what we would have liked to toast a difficult, however rewarding day.

Then it was a 40-minute drive again to Chamonix, feeling barely drained however buzzing.

There was nonetheless one remaining mission to finish: sorting my crampons.

Making an attempt out nearly all the ski retailers on the town, I couldn’t discover any retailers that had any crampons that fitted my bindings.

Jim had instructed me I didn’t want them for tomorrow, however I’d for the remainder of the week.

After wandering round limitless retailers and my frustrations constructing, I made a decision to name it an evening on the crampons search.

On the chalet, Elle and Josie had outdone themselves once more – a contemporary cake awaited on the desk, nonetheless barely heat.

After a scorching bathe and a soak within the scorching tub, we felt able to deal with dinner responsibility ourselves, because it was Elle & Josie’s well-earned night off.

They’d left us an enormous pot of selfmade chilli con carne with all of the trimmings – bitter cream, nachos, rice, and a guacamole so contemporary and zesty it disappeared nearly immediately.

And simply once we thought we couldn’t eat one other chew, we noticed the cheese board – a beneficiant unfold of native alpine cheeses that topped off the meal completely.

TUESDAY:

Tuesday – Courmayeur Powder, Tree Snowboarding & Après Vibes

We woke to a different hearty chalet breakfast – pastries, eggs, the works – as Clive gathered us spherical and shared the plan for the day forward.

Courmayeur was on the playing cards, pleasure buzzed across the desk.

It’s one of many joys of staying in Chamonix – in lower than an hour you might be over the border and snowboarding in Italy.

Positive sufficient, we loaded up the van and picked up our guides en route, chatting away as we cruised via the Mont Blanc tunnel.

Rising onto the Italian aspect, we have been greeted by timber heavy with contemporary snow and that unmistakable buzz of latest powder.

A fast drive to the underside of the carry and we have been quickly making our method up.

Regardless of a number of clouds hanging round, the sight of all that untouched snow had us itching for these first turns.

Tree Snowboarding & Japow Flashbacks

The morning was a flurry of off-piste exploration.

Our guides led us via quiet gullies and superbly spaced timber, bouncing via powder that had me reminiscing about my current PlanetSKI journey to Japan this season and people unbeatable ‘JaPow’ days.

One of many beauties of ski touring and heading uphill for hours on finish is to free your thoughts and see what pops in.

I’m a relative novice, however I find it irresistible.

Within the current the snow was delicate, contemporary, and forgiving – good for ducking out and in of the timber.

From time to time, we’d catch glimpses of Courmayeur’s jagged peaks via breaks within the cloud.

Late morning merged into lunchtime, and we discovered ourselves tucked into a country mountain restaurant.

A plate of handmade ravioli, drizzled in sage butter, and a glass of one thing native hit the spot completely.

There’s simply one thing about snowboarding in Italy – the meals all the time delivers.

The post-lunch runs noticed us again into the powder, linking top-to-bottom descents with big grins all spherical.

However no day is full with out a little bit of drama – second-to-last run, one among our group discovered a rock lurking beneath the snowpack, tearing a large gap within the base of his rental ski.

Fortunate it occurred close to the top of the day, much less fortunate when he was hit with a €400 invoice to interchange it.

With legs properly and actually cooked, we wrapped up and made the brief hop again via the tunnel to Chamonix.

Again on the town, whereas the others peeled off, I dashed to the ski rent store on a mission – crampons have been now high precedence.

Tomorrow’s plan concerned glacier journey, and the guides had already briefed us within the van on what we’d want: harnesses, crampons, sleeping bag sheets, avalanche package, snacks, and the same old hut necessities.

After visiting a string of outlets and slowly feeling the strain mount, Snell Sports activities got here to the rescue – the final pair of crampons in inventory that will match my bindings.

End result.

With package lastly sorted, I joined the crew at Chambre Neuf.

The après scene was in full swing – stay band blasting out classics, folks dancing on tables, and jugs of beer being handed round like confetti.

Courmayeur to Chamonix and straight into social gathering mode – basic Alps.

We wandered again to the chalet the place Elle and Josie had whipped up one other cracking supper.

Bellies full, it was time to pack for the following day’s journey.

Sleeping bag sheets, head torches, crampons (phew), harness, snacks – verify, verify, verify.

The guides’ warnings to “pack gentle however sensible” echoed in my thoughts as I attempted to cram every part into my rucksack.

As I crawled into mattress, package packed and prepared, the nerves kicked in.

Tomorrow we’d be heading out into the excessive mountains, staying in a single day in a distant hut.

I couldn’t resist a late-night Google of the refuge, Lämmerenhütte – perched up amongst glaciers and peaks, it seemed spectacular.

A mixture of nerves and pleasure made sleep really feel like a good distance off.

That is now formally essentially the most thrilling ski journey I’ve had and one of the best is but to return.

Do verify again for Half Two as we in a single day in a Swiss mountain hut, attain peaks & summits whereas getting deeper, a lot deeper, into the backcountry…

What You Have to Know:

See right here for full particulars of the Ski Membership vacation: The Chamonix Backcountry Exploration.

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