La Clusaz 2005 shop ski trip
by Al Whittaker

In March 2005 the shop ran a short ski trip to La Clusaz in the French Alps in order to recce the region and put together an itinary for taking customers to the area next year. Staying in the fantastically appointed chalet belonging to friends Ali and Allen of Last Resort fame, Si was able to provide shop manager Al and client Dave Christensen with a brief introduction to off piste skiing. Here is Al's account of his experiences…

"It was with some trepidation that, after a ten-year break, I clipped into a set of ski bindings, pointed myself downhill and surrendered to the pull of gravity. Would the skills come flooding back or would I spend the majority of the next three days in a heap on the ground? It turned out that the answer to both questions was yes…

The first turn came surprisingly easily. Admittedly it was a highly cautious snowplough, but I was still upright! Then a parallel, and another –- this all felt pretty natural. Fantastic! The morning progressed with a whistle stop tour of the beautifully groomed pistes of La Clusaz. The snow conditions were superb, and the warm March sunshine made for a great return to the sport.

By my reckoning it only took about one hour to get back to the standard of skiing I was at 10 years ago –- a competent piste skier who occasionally ventured off the groomed tracks…and usually fell over. I was thoroughly impressed with the modern breed of carving skis. They were easy to turn and very forgiving of mistakes.

Sure enough, pride comes before a fall. Just as I was beginning to feel rather pleased with my skiing ability, our intrepid leader Si (a qualified instructor of several years experience) decided to take us on a little short cut through trees and powder. "In at the deep end" is a perfect phrase to sum up the next hour, as my efforts bore a closer resemblance to swimming than skiing. Eventually I was spat back onto the piste, tail between legs. A quick talk about the new techniques needed and we pressed on to the next short off piste section.

The rest of the day brought more deep snow and moguls. Whilst technique slowly improved, fatigue in the legs meant that the crash rate soared. It was always easy for the other guys to locate me due to the choice language turning the air blue in my locale. [May I take this opportunity to apologise to any English-speaking holidaymakers in the area at the time. Perhaps you will have learned a few new words].

That evening, Dave and I spent a valuable hour with Si learning more about avalanche transceivers and how to search for bodies. I used a piece of kit from BCA called the DTS Tracker. Very simple and intuitive to use, it allowed me to find the buried transceiver within minutes. The other unit we used was the Ortovox M2. From the point of view of a newcomer to this area, the BCA unit had the edge because of its simplicity. Simply walk in the direction of the arrow. The Ortovox unit was also fine in a practice situation, but in the panic of a real incident its increased complexity may increase the search time for a novice user. It did have the advantage, however, in the way it straps to the body and is deployed.

Accommodation for the trip was provided by Ali and Allen at The Last Resort. Located in the unspoilt village of St. Jean de Sixt the chalet is perfectly placed right between the two ski areas of La Clusaz and Grand Bornand. A relaxed and super-friendly atmosphere combined with restaurant quality food made for a perfect haven after a hard day of crashing!

Day two dawned bright and sunny. Our plan was to head straight for the Balme area of La Clusaz. After some warm up time on piste, Si and I walked to the Col de Balme. From here we could ski the Combe de Bellachat, an area completely devoid of lifts, patrols or marked runs. Again, my ability on the piste had been fine, but as soon as we ventured off the beaten track I ended up head first in deep snow. (This is no exaggeration – I still have a fine bruise on my knee from the crash). After a strenuous walk I arrived at the Col, several minutes behind Si – the effort was well worthwhile. Check out the photo!

A tricky descent lay ahead. The first section was particularly nerve-wracking as a 200ft cliff lay directly down the fall line. I proceeded very cautiously for the first few hundred feet until I was clear of the cliffs. After that, deep powder was the main challenge and despite Si's guidance I struggled desperately to relax and pick up enough speed to float on the surface. Irrational fear kept taking over and was causing me to over-turn instead of letting things flow. The descent was pretty frustrating and time consuming, punctuated with regular face-plants. Despite this, I knew it was the kind of skiing I aspired to – so much more satisfying than staying on the groomed pistes. Admittedly it was the kind of experience that is enjoyed more in retrospect.

Arriving back in the village I was absolutely exhausted. After a local speciality for lunch (which I later found out to be pig's guts!) we continued with the fun. As with the previous day, the fatigue in my thighs outweighed any improvement in skill I had gained. The crashing continued as we explored more deep snow but I realised that my skill set had increased in quantum leaps and that only tiredness was the major limiting factor now.

Glad to get back to the comfort of the chalet, I stuffed my greedy face with the excellent tea and cakes that had been laid on. Later on, Joe the chef again rustled up an outstanding meal. I was rather pleased to be presented with a birthday cake (for the following day). Several beers later we sloped off to bed.

Day three was our last day, and my 29th birthday. I couldn't have asked for more. We drove to the tiny village of La Giettaz from where we gained access to the Megeve ski area. The weather was stunning and the views toward the Mont-Blanc range were incredible. Because we stayed on the piste all day, it gave me a great chance to focus on some of the new techniques I had learned from Si. For the first time ever I discovered what it meant to really carve a turn. During the afternoon I made a brief attempt at some deep snow and moguls but – you guessed – I crashed in a big way and lost a ski!

Three days of fun and a brilliant return to the sport. I can honestly say I am hooked again. I am particularly keen to combine skiing with my mountaineering skills. If I can gain some more competence in difficult snow then a whole new world will be opened up. I can't wait!

Thanks again to the guys at The Last Resort for their hospitality - I can't recommend them highly enough. Check out their website at www.paraglidingholidays.com"

PLEASE NOTE: All participants in the above trip were insured for off-piste skiing, carried avalanche transceivers, shovels, radios and probes and were competent in their use. Conditions were assessed using experience, local knowledge and the La Clusaz piste patrol service. Off piste skiing can be highly dangerous and parties are well advised to seek out a local qualified guide to ski with.

Postscript: The shop now runs an annual introduction to ski touring course in and around La Clusaz. For further details of our next course, please click here. Al has been a participant on two of these trips and his back country ski ability has improved dramatically!