Val-d'Isere off-piste blog by Wayne
22 February 2025
A Year Today!
It's a year today that I injured my Achilles last season, and a year yesterday for Andreas's calf injury. I've got to say we were both feeling pretty sorry for ourselves at the time, but we both recovered and don't think too much about it now.
It's the last quiet weekend for the rest of the season so I'm off today. I'm going for a piste ski with Karen before sorting out my studio, and then settling in for an afternoon of Premiership Football on my sofa.
I've posted some photos of Millie, Lily and Myah, Katie arrives tomorrow evening, Dixie's ankle is really giving him problems, and happy birthday to Ian S!
Skiing News:
I skied with Karen this morning for the first time, and I must say I really know how to impress a lady!
Withing 15 seconds of leaving the Olympique my ski had popped off and I took the third worst crash of the season. Today's was rated just after when-I -almost-broke my neck January 10th , followed by when-I-tried-to-break-my-neck again about ten days later. I hit really hard this morning, and fortunately didn't do any damage. A man came down with my ski, another with my hat and goggles, and Karen came down with a pole. What a start! Anyway, I dusted myself down, and off we went for a cracking morning of piste skiing, We covered a lot of ground, and mixed in a little technique as well.
We met Uffe at La Rosee Blanche for a glass of rose afterwards, and I can see why I don't drink at lunchtime! The rose tasted way too good, and if I didn't have our studio to turn around I could easily have got stuck in and down myself some damage! It was a great morning, and a really nice day off!
Meanwhile Chris skied with just Martin in a group this morning, and that was a totally professional performance. Well done Chris! And Alex had a new French couple who wanted to ski couloirs.
I'm about to settle in for the second half of Everton v Man U followed by Arsenal v West Ham. Come on boys!
21 February 2025
Thanks Louise and Tchenko!
Over the years both Louise and Tchenko have given me some great recommendations for bands, and last night I went to see La Fox as both of them have been wanting me to see them for awhile. Since Karen and Andreas aren't playing tonight I took them up on it and had a good time last night in the Danois.
Back when Gill and the girls were spending their winter here with me I never went out. I came home after skiing, and did all those precious family things like cooking the family meal, bathing the girls, playing games, or sitting four-on-the-sofa and watching all the Downton Abbey Series. When the girls stopped coming for the winter I suddenly had a massive void as I was suddenly here alone.
Louise knew I loved music, and told me that I had to go to Le Petit Danois and see the Killer Beez. I'd never been before and decided to go. I arrived and Scottish Jim asked if I'd ever seen these guys? When I replied no he said, "you're in for a real treat!" The Killer Beez had Paul on electric guitar, Ben on bass, and Hugo on drums, and they were absolutely sensational! I never missed them after that, and continued to go when Ben left to marry a Finnish girl, and Paul and Hugo became the Guinea Pigs. Eventually Paul was also seduced by a Finnish girl, and that was the end of the Pigs. Many a brilliant night was enjoyed at the Danois after Lou prompted me to go that first time!
And then Tchenko started telling me that I had to come and see this band called the Lunettes. The problem was that I had a Pilates class every Thursday night, and couldn't come. Tchenko kept at me, and eventually I cancelled my class and went to the Danois to see Tchenko's band.
I was absolutely blown away by the Lunettes. The band featured Fernando on bass, Albert on electric guitar, and Marc on drums. I immediately went home and emailed all the members of my Pilates class to tell them that I couldn't do Thursday nights anymore, and was moving the class to Wednesdays! Albert has since left, and Fernando now plays guitar, and has new drummer Pedro, who is fantastic! They play Tuesdays, and I never miss them as they are a seriously classy act!
Somewhere in between Andreas started playing with Karen, and that became my Friday night ritual. And it's always fantastic when Karen brings Mike or Richie along as well!
Since the girls stopped coming for the winter the Danois has been a massive part of my social life, and sanity. I've made new friends, including Karen and Uffe, rekindled my friendship with Tchenko, and I always look forward to seeing the bands while being hosted by Henrick and Alice. Anyways, thanks to Lou and Tchenko!
Skiing News: Today was my last morning with Kit's family, and we had a tougher, but great morning to finish the three-morning intro-to-off-piste for his family. Conditions have been pretty tough to try to sell off-piste to your family, especially a 12-year-old girl, and her 9-year-old-little-brother, but Kit's wife and children have really enjoyed themselves. It's been really good fun, and I look forward to skiing with you all again sometime soon. I can pretty much guarantee that next time will be much easier! Bravo to you all! (see photos)
Meanwhile, Thomas and Chris headed up towards the Balme de L'Ours this morning while Alex headed to Tignes to ski the Couloir 3500. I spoke to Andreas this morning who's enjoying his golf, and not looking forward to returning to flat-light, and I'm not sure what the rest of the boys were up to?
I'm looking forward to having dinner tonight at John and Margaret's, along with Chris and Suzanne.
Stay tuned!
20 February 2025
What A Bonus!
For starters the forecast a few days ago was for yesterday, and today, to have been murky cloudy days with flat-light. And believe me with the conditions at the moment flat-light would have been dreadful! Instead the last two days have been beautifully sunny, and it's made all the difference!
After spending several days in a row in Tignes it was time for a change of sectors this morning. After showing Kit's family an adventurous time with great ambiance in the Sachette yesterday, we headed up to the Fornet for a trip over the Col Pers. The scenery is always stunning, and a trip over the Col is always a treat, especially for the first time!
We skied the first pitch before 'skinning' to the Lechoir, and then we ended up under the Glacier Pers before 'skinning' out. We had a double bonus of sunshine, and much better snow than I was expecting. Even the Grand Torsai was good skiing, and that in itself was a nice bonus because we all know how tricky the bottom section can be. (see photos)
Twelve-year-old Clara, and her nine-year-old brother Harvey have done brilliantly dealing with traversing, 'booting', 'skinning', and whatever else the mountain has thrown at them. And that goes for their mum Sarah as well who has been a real trooper. Bravo to you all!
Chris and Thomas were also up at the Fornet and going over the Col, while Alex was in Tignes skiing off the back of the Ves and back to the Palet. Jerome was skiing but starting later so I've no idea what he skied today. (Henry and Andreas were off)
Just a reminder that Karen and Andreas will not be playing this Friday as Andreas is away. There will be a band but I've no idea who.
I'm going to stop by the Danois tonight to visit Lou, Al and Tchenko. They are there every Thursday night for Le Fox, who they say are really good, and they all have a good taste for bands.
And for you football fans, the Premiership title race is heating up as Liverpool are starting to drop points. And the Reds have a tricky away game to City this weekend. City still have quality players, and they are wounded after being embarrassed by Real Madrid. I expect them to be dangerous this weekend!
Stay tuned!
PS I feel sick about the constant rubbish that spews out of the mouth of Donald Trump. Making the Ukrainians the bad guys in Putin's war is a step too far. I was pleased about the supportive comments from Germany's Chancellor earlier this afternoon. Trump is a seriously dangerous man, and I can't stand the sight of him!
19 February 2025
What A Night!
I'm up early so I thought I'd get started with the blog.
What a night it was in the Danois last night! Except for 4 or 5 songs Fernando and his Brazilian drummer Pedro played a completely new playlist, and it was fantastic. There were a few new people in the crowd who'd never seen Fernando play before, and they were ecstatic with what they witnessed. I was pleased that 11-year-old Martin came along with his mum, dad, and sister, as well as Kit who sneaked in for a few pre-dinner drinks and to take in the music! I'm already looking forward to next week's gig when Katie will be there!
I start with Kit's family this morning including his wife Sarah, 12-year-old daughter Clara, and 9 year-old son Harvey. Hopefully we'll have some visibility this morning, and I'm really looking forward to it!
I've posted a photo Millie and her pal Lily who has arrived in Australia for the rest of Millie's travels. Have a great time girls!
The result of my dental appointment the other day is that I need a root canal. I'm getting pretty good at them as this will be my 4th!
Skiing News: I had a great morning in the Sachette with Kit and his family. The snow wasn't always easy, and in fact pretty tricky at times, and Clara, Harvey and their mum Sarah did incredibly well. (Kit is a 'all-terrain-any-type-of-snow' type guy who you don't have to worry about, as you can see in the photos) And at just 9 years-old Harvey must be the youngest person I've ever taken in there? Not only did they deal with the traverse, but the 'boot' up plus a 'skin' as well. Bravo !!!
Chris was in the Sachette as well and did a couple of 'skins' with his team. It was nice to see him again as we've been in totally different areas the past few days. Meanwhile Henry was on the last day of his three-day HAT Course, Alex was off to do the Lores, I'm not too sure what Thomas skied, and I don't remember seeing Jerome this morning?
I've housework to do as Katie arrives soon, followed by a Pilates class later. Stay tuned for skiing news and photos tomorrow!
PS Phillip Gladman told me this morning that he thought Alex was an excellent addition to the Alpine team. Thanks for the feedback Phillip and well done Alex for integrating so seamlessly!
PPS Andreas had a hole-in-one today on a 100 yard par-3 hole. Nice one Andreas!!!
PPPS X-rays and a CT Scan showed no breaks but apparently Dixie's ankle in a real mess and very painful. We all wish you a speedy and full recovery Dixie!
PPPPS I thought that I was a bit tired at the end of the morning. But, I'd forgotten that my ski popped off and rolled part way down the Sachette Couloir and needed retrieving. That might have done it!
18 February 2025
Bravo Martin!
I skied with Vincent and his 11-year-old son Martin this morning, and Martin did brilliantly as it was pretty hard work! We didn't 'skin', but we did do a lot of 'booting', and we worked hard for our turns. Martin hung in there, and wasn't to cross with me or his dad! Bravo Martin. (see photos)
It's not often that we ski with 11-year-old's, and it's a tricky judgement call about how much you can reasonable do. With tough conditions and not a load of options, it had me thinking. Martin was knackered and is really looking forward to an afternoon of relaxing before he comes to the gig at the Danois tonight. He plays the drums so hopefully he'll be able to see Pedro play. Hope to see you guys there!
All the boys (except Andreas) were in action again today making the most of what's on offer, while Henry is in the middle of a three-day HAT Course. Well done boys!
It turns out that Dixie's injury isn't as bad as first thought, and thankfully his ankle isn't broken. If it doesn't improve drastically over the next two weeks he'll need an MRI scan. Good luck with it Dixie!
And don't forget Fernando and Pedro at the Danois tonight and I hope to see you there!
Stay tuned!
17 February 2025
Varied But Good Skiing!
I had the pleasure of skiing with Stuart R, and his teenage boys Thomas and Bertie this morning. With the wind, heat and tracks our options have dwindled, but we managed a great morning in stunning weather.
I'm in code-mode as it's tough out there. This morning we had varied but good skiing, skiing some lovely deep winter snow, a good spring snow run, and some more 'educational' snow at mid-altitude. (see photos) The boys did really well, and were looking forward to their lunch as they worked pretty hard! Well done boys! (And their dad Stuart is a cracking good skier!)
Thomas, Chris, Henry, Jerome, and Alex were all in action after a quiet weekend, except for Andreas who is away this week playing golfing. Have fun Andreas!
I've a Pilates class shortly followed by another trip to the dentist, so I need to get going. I'll post again later if any significant news comes in.
Stay tuned!
PS Significant News: Dixie was skiing in St Foy today with his long-time friend and guide Jean-Luc, and was helicoptered off the mountain with an ankle injury. The good news is that it turns that it may not be as bad a first thought, so fingers crossed for you Dixie!
PPS Don't forget the magnificent Fernando and his excellent drummer Pedro tomorrow night at the Danois!
16 February 2025
A Day Off!
It's very quiet this weekend so I'm having the day off and heading down to Bourg to do some shopping. I've Katie arriving next weekend followed by Gill so I need to get some supplies in.
Thomas had a great day yesterday with Adam, Doug and Charlie (Charlie just about behaved himself) and they finished off with cote de boeuf at the Etincelle. Nice on boys!
I've added a couple of photos plus one of Millie with Julian and Maria.
Stay tuned for more news later in the day!
15 February 2025
A Late Start!
I've a late start this morning so I thought I'd get the blog going early, especially with an full afternoon of Premiership football action!
We had a great night in the Danois last night. Jerry who skied with me 15 years ago and who reads my blog daily, introduced himself, and had a fantastic evening with Robert and I. The Danois was surprisingly quiet and it made a nice change to listen to the music without being buffeted about by people trying to constantly squeeze past.
Millie is in Melbourne visiting my great friend Julian and his lovely wife Maria. I posted a photo of Julian's 'Alpine' hat, and Millie says he definitely needs a new one!
There was definitely some tough skiing out there yesterday, and I didn't fully appreciate our outing until I heard the stories of other people's mornings. Hopefully the snow will have lightened up overnight with the cold temperatures, because the good snow certainly isn't everywhere!
Today's photos are up and news will come at halftime!
Today's skiing news: The snow still isn't good everywhere, but the cold temperatures last night certainly helped to lighten the snow. I had a short morning as Michelle and Bruce had to drop their son Charlie off at ski school, and I was joined by Fi and Louise.
We had a cracking morning skiing the lower Borsat and meadows, followed by Wayne's Shoulder, then the Combe du Lanches,, then a funky run where I took the website photo of Frans (no name), and then the Familial to finish in time for ski school pick-up.
I thought of skiing the Chardonnet but I'm glad I didn't. I saw Wilkie and Pete on the bus and they said there were pockets of good snow but the main couloir was almost un-skiable. And they are fit young guys with fat skis and proper ski boots!
Because I started at 9:30 I wasn't at the Gourmandine this morning, and don't know who else was skiing this morning. I know Thomas was, and he mentioned doing a 'skin, (code-mode) and I'm sure where he had chosen would have been good!
We are in for a few days of very warm weather so we are about to lose some options to heat/sun crust. Hopefully it will stay cold at night and the winter exposures will continue to lighten up after the wind damage.
Stay tuned!
PS Andreas is off for the next week playing golf, and there will be no gig at the Danois next Friday.
PPS I set off a nice plaque today off the cornice while exiting my shoulder. I climbed up to get a good line to exit on and it went just below my feet. (see photos)
PPPS Two people died in an avalanche at the Fornet today. They were taken into the gorge on the glacier where you ski from the Col down to where you start 'skinning' for the Col des Fours.You can see i the photo the narrow path of the slide ending up i the little gorge. And yesterday a skier survived after being buried for 90 minutes under 1.5 metres of snow near the Pont des Neiges.
14 February 2025
Happy Valentines Day!
When listening to Radio Val announcing 127 kph of wind and -14C on the Pisaillas Glacier I never thought I'd end up anywhere near the Fornet this morning. But, as it transpired I spent most of my morning up there off the Pyramid Chair.
After a run off the Fontaine Froid, which was wind-compressed but good skiing, Thomas and I headed for the Tour de Charvet via TJ's Shoulder. We were the first in and as usual the views and ambiance were stunning. The snow was pretty good, but being in the lee where the snow accumulates it hadn't snowed as much as I'd expected, and you could feel the base on the lower section. Still, it was good skiing, and it was nice to be out there. (see photos)
While exiting there were about thirty chamois, which always adds to the experience, but I missed them as I had my head down breaking trail! The Manchet-side had been ravaged by the wind and didn't look too appetising so we decided to ski the Super L, and then head up to the Fornet hoping for some pockets of protected snow.
The wind was still quite fierce, and the only lifts open at the Fornet were the cable car and Pyramid Chair. But, we ended up having 4 excellent rotations in the lower Combe du Signal before having one in the trees on the way down, while Thomas and Adam ended up 'skinning' up to ski the Grand Vallon as the poma was closed.
Chris, Henry and Jerome were all skiing, and I think they ended up in Tignes? I haven't heard any reports, and Alex was on-piste this morning.
Don't forget Karen and Andreas in the Danois tonight, starting at 5:30.
And a big happy birthday to Virginie, who hits one of life's landmarks today!
Stay tuned!
PS I posted a couple of photos that I took last night.
13 February 2025
Great Result!
As mentioned yesterday options are limited, so when it started snowing around 8AM thoughts of a good day tomorrow popped into our heads, but we still had today to deal with. The new snow wasn't enough to improve much this morning, and it left us with flat-light and tricky navigation to deal with.
Knowing we had flat-light ahead of us Chris, Jerome, and I all headed to the Glaciers Pers. It's one of those places where you can relax, and not worry about 'haggis traps' as the terrain is relatively smooth. And when the light is bad you can escape by feeling your way out following the contours of the mountain. There are much more difficult places to be when you can't see, and we all felt comfortable there.
As it turned out we were rewarded with some moments of really good visibility, and combined with fantastic snow quality it added up to a great result. We did hit some fog part way down the Grand Torsai, but by this time the potentially tricky navigation was behind us. (see photos)
Meanwhile Thomas headed towards the Lavachet, and then I'm not too sure where, and the rest of the boys were off.
I've had a couple of nice new clients this week in Will and Olivier. It's always great to have new people join in, and I look forward to seeing them both again soon.
I posted a couple of photos of Millie in Melbourne with her old school friend Ted, who gave her a tour of the city. Ted has been working there for the past three months, and they had a great time catching up after a few years away at different universities.
Don't forget Karen and Andreas tomorrow night at the Danois, kicking off around 5:30. See you there!
Stay tuned as it's still snowing lightly and decent light is forecast for tomorrow morning!
12 February 2025
Limited But Good!
We have been pretty limited for options over the past few days, but the skiing is still pretty good in places. We need more snow than we've received as it hasn't snowed enough to cover old tracks, and with all the wind we've endured there are hard wind waves here-and-there. To compound our problems the visibility hasn't been great. We've had much appreciated moments of vis during our mornings, but we've spent more time dealing with flat-light than not. Still, we've had some good skiing, but some snow and good visibility would be greatly received! (see photos)
I took another massive hit in the face again today as I skied over a rocky patch, came out of both bindings, and slammed my face into the snow. After my neck injury January 11th I didn't really need traumatise my neck again, but I seem to have got away with it. Fortunately I wasn't going very fast as it happened on the flat area just after you put your skis back on on the Grand Torsai.
Earlier in the morning we had a laugh from the chairlift as a telemarker skied over the most obvious patch of rocks that I've ever seen. He's was unhurt or we wouldn't have had a chuckle, but it was a blatantly obvious patch of rocks. But, that will teach me for having a laugh at another's expense. I learned a long time ago to never laugh at another's golf shot, and this is a similar lesson!
Andreas has just finished his week with Ian and now has ten days off to play golf. Have a great time Andreas, and see you for your Friday gigs!
Speaking of gigs, Fernando and Pedro were brilliant again last night. The place was absolutely rammed, and the boys had the place rocking. Wow, what a performance!
We've another potentially tricky day tomorrow before perhaps some snow tomorrow night followed by some sun on Friday. That sounds way too good to be true. Fingers crossed!
11 February 2025
Great start, Trickier Finish!
We had a great start to the morning up at the Fornet, with pretty good visibility and a little fresh snow. Chris and I did a 'triple-skin' to access some gentle but lovely skiing way out in the Pays Desert. (Thomas, Henry and Jerome all started on the Pisaillas this morning) Just as we were coming to last third of our itinerary the weather started to come in and our visibility was drastically reduced, but we finished our run and 'skinned' back out as snow started to fall.
Instead of finishing early I tried to come up with some last minute bonus turns, and found some rubbish instead. Yesterday's heat magnified by some cloud cover turned what should have been good winter snow into a tricky mess. Thomas experienced the same thing on a slope that was fantastic yesterday, which turned into tough going this morning. On hindsight, instead of trying to be clever I would have been better off skiing the L!
The falling snow bodes well for tomorrow, and hopefully it will continue this afternoon and tonight. Even ten centimetres would make a massive difference as we really could use a 'fresh canvas' to work with now.
Andreas organised some ice-climbing for Ian this morning, and Ian had a great time. (see photos)
Millie is now in Melbourne where it is 35 degrees, and she's looking forward to seeing Julian Bower on Saturday. And I'm really looking forward to seeing Katie who is coming to visit me on February 23rd! Mags and Becs are skiing with me that week, and with Katie we've a nice 'girls' team forming.
Don't forget Fernando at the Danois tonight. He and Pedro are fantastic, and will be kicking off at 5:30. My group of Julian, Olivier and Will who has 9 friends here, are all planning on coming. Hope to see you there!
PS And Gill is coming to visit on the 28th, crossing over with Katie for one morning!
10 February 2025
Back In Business!
After having a day off yesterday I was back in business this morning. It didn't look like the easiest of days snow and visibility-wise, but both were better than expected.
Chris and I headed up to the Fornet, and skied the Pays Desert in really good light. We came back up again to ski the Pays Desert out wide, but the visibility was poor and it was seriously white. Both of us preferred to ski the Col Pers in flat light as there is more relief so we headed over the Col, and were rewarded with good snow, and improved visibility. (see photos)
I had a new young client today named Will, who is great company, enthusiastic, and a good skier. He's here for the next few days so I'm looking forward to showing him around. And bravo to Kit who drove all the way from Verbier to ski this morning before heading back to Geneva to fly home later today.
Andreas headed Tignes-way with Ian, Thomas was skiing on-piste with a French Canadian family on their first trip to Val d'Isere, I'm not sure where Jerome went, and Alex and Henry were off this morning.
Millie was caught in a massive rain storm in Sydney yesterday, and experienced what they call a ' danger to life rain bomb'. She says she's never seen rain like it, and coming from the UK that's saying something!
It did snow a little this morning and hopefully we'll get a few more flakes before the morning. What did fall last night helped, but a bit more snow would be gratefully excepted.
Don't forget Fernando and Pedro at the Danois tomorrow night kicking off at 5:30. If you're in town you don't want to miss it, and I hope to see you there!
Sports Report- The French may be crying in their Kronenberg's but they won't feel nearly has bad as Liverpool fans. Man, talk about bad results!!!!!
9 February 2025
A Day Off!
I'm enjoying a much needed day off although it looks like a nice day out there!
I started off with an afternoon of rugby while cooking before Wils, Rosie, Lois and Zach came over. We watched the England v France classic, before settling in for food, wine and song. It was a great night and lovely to have them all over.
Millie has left her family and is now in Sydney on her own. I'd like to thank Myah and her parents Andrew and Jenny for their outstanding hospitality. Their kindness and generosity made it so much easier for Millie to settle in, especially when she arrived being seriously jet-lagged and homesick. Knowing Millie was in such good hands helped Gill's (and my) stress levels early on when we were worried about her. They have all cemented friendships for life, and are such a lovely family. Thank you so much! (see photos)
And a big Happy Birthday to Gill's mum Liz. Have a great day Nana!
I'm trying to organise a massage through Ginny for sometime this afternoon, and make the most of my day off. Stay tuned as I'll be back in business tomorrow!
8 February 2025
Saturday!
It's been a week since I last skied in Tignes, and the fact that it was Saturday played into my decision. Saturday's are always a good day to mix some piste skiing in with the off-piste as it's the quietest piste day of the week. And when you've a lack of options with iffy weather a good trip though the Sache with great piste skiing to-and-from is always a good option. I thoroughly enjoyed this morning, and although it was windy we had more visibility than expected. (see photos)
Chris and Andreas skied the same this morning, Jerome was skiing but I don't know what he skied, Alex was on his last day with his group of Vikings, and Henry and Thomas were off.
I have my first day off of the season tomorrow that has been planned in advance. I missed two days earlier when I noodled myself and hurt my neck, plus I missed one day with the dreaded gastro, but that's not the same as going to bed knowing you've a day off. (I'll probably be bored but my legs need a rest!)
I'm having Wils and Rosie over tonight along with their partners Lois and Zach. I'll whip up one of my Mediterranean Arrabbiata pasta sauces with garlic, aubergine, courgette, onion, red and yellow peppers, and green olives. Wils is passing by Chevallot for dessert and it promises to be a great evening!
Millie is a little sad today as she's leaving Myah's family tomorrow. She's been with them since New Year's and she's made some great friends, and will miss them all very much. She is heading to Melbourne where she'll see her golf pal Iola, and then visit with my great friend Julian and his wife Maria. She'll be there for about a week before meeting up with her childhood friend Lily, and they are then travelling up the east coast of Australia together before continuing on the Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
And thanks to Karen and Andreas for another fantastic night in the Danois!
I need to start cooking. Stay tuned!
PS It was the last day of a brilliant week for Paddy, and Charles and his pals are sadly on their way back home. And a big Happy Birthday to Mike for tomorrow!
7 February 2025
What A Bonus!
What a bonus this morning turned out to be! The forecast for today wasn't great, but the skies cleared and we were left with really good visibility all morning long.
I had such a good day yesterday that I decided to return to take advantage of the excellent snow, and wonderful scenery. ( It was also a nice bonus to have my nephew Wils along again this morning.) Chris, Thomas and Henry were all in the neighbourhood, and a great morning was enjoyed by one and all. (see photos)
Meanwhile Andreas skied the Sachette Couloir with Ian, Jerome 'skinned' to the Balme de l'Ours, while Alex is working with a couple of Mountain Guides entertaining a big Swedish group.
Don't forget tonight's Alpine Weekly Wind-up featuring Karen and Andreas at Le Petit Danois starting at 5:30.
Tomorrow's forecast isn't great, but then again today's wasn't either, but we may be lucky and get some snow tonight. Fingers crossed!
PS On the way down from the Pisaillas Glacier I noticed that the Signal poma had reopened after being under repair for the past couple of weeks. We headed up to take advantage of what was left in the Combe du Signal to finish off our morning. From a distance the snow looked excellent, but it was tougher than it looked. But, Paddy, Robert, Adam R, and Wils did a great job and skied it really well. From afar our tracks looked fantastic making the the snow and my 'call' better than they were. Thanks boys!
Stay tuned!
6 February 2025
A Cracking Morning!
With perhaps our last morning of sunshine before the clouds roll in it was important to make the most of it. We've had wind damage, heat damage, and of course track damage eating away at our possibilities, making each day a little tougher. Another factor is how far do people want to walk? Not everyone is fit enough, or has the desire to 'skin' for a couple of hours to find what's left of the good snow.
I had a cracking morning inspired by Chris with two ten-minute 'skins' and one of 20-minutes to access our snow in an extreme Pays Desert. It was excellent top-to-bottom with stunning scenery, and although much of it is gentle skiing we got in a lot of turns this morning. (see photos)
Andreas had some lovely skiing in Tignes, Alex was off on a big outing to the Col du Montet, Chris took Tejina to Italy for the day (I wonder if he got any restaurant tips from Tchenko?), and I'm not sure what Jerome, Henry or Thomas skied?
Hopefully we'll get some decent visibility in the morning before the clouds roll in, and hopefully we'll get some snow. Although the skiing has been excellent of late no one would complain about a 'fresh canvas'. Fingers crossed!
And don't forget Karen and Andreas at the Danois tomorrow night for our weekly end-of-the week Alpine get-together.
Stay tuned!
PS Millie and Myah have been to a concert, and it looks like a great little venue.
5 February 2025
What A Night!
Wow, what a night we had at the Danois last night! Fernando and Pedro were in full flow, and it was a stunning gig. Their renditions of Black Magic Woman and Purple Rain were particularly outstanding, and their range of songs was fantastic.
It was great to have Wils, Rosie, Viv, Lois, Zack, Rob, Wendy and John along, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. And I was pleased that Robert and Paddy made it from my group, as well as my buddy Charles and his cricket pal Pacer. (Pacer was a fast-bowler in his day, hence Pacer) Charles texted afterwards to say, "I've never not left the Danois on a high!" What a night, and thanks to Alice and Hendrick for putting on such a class act!
It was a pleasant surprise to arrive at the Gourmandine this morning to find Dan Egan with Henry and Roscoe. Dan is back for a week's skiing with his girlfriend before returning again towards the end of the season. Welcome back Dan!
As for today's skiing news with all the sunshine we've had it is definitely 'walkies time'. All the boys did some sort of 'skin' this morning varying in length according to fitness levels. As times are tough again it's back to 'code-mode'. (I actually managed not to delete all my photos today so I have posted a few!)
Stay tuned!
4 February 2025
Whoops!
Whoops, unfortunately I managed to delete all of today's photos off my memory card. I'm a bit bummed as I took 165 photos, and was going through them when I hit the wrong button. There were some really good shots as well, as we had great snow on great pitches, with some lovely backdrops. It's bloody annoying to say the least!
It was unseasonably warm today, and the sunny exposures will have taken some serious heat today. Some of what was skiable today won't be skiable tomorrow, which is why Chris and I skied Mont Roup. Mont Roup was fantastic this morning, but we needed to play away from the sun to avoid heavy snow.
All the boys were in action. Thomas skied towards the Crete du Genepy while Andreas headed up to the Fornet, and I'm not too sure what Henry, Jerome or Alex skied.
I posted a few photos this morning. Three of Millie and Myah's trip to the beach to watch the sunrise, and one of me that Paul W sent from our 'skin' into the Grand Vallon on Sunday.
I've some spare time as I no longer have 165 photos to process so I'll enjoy a relaxing afternoon before tonight's gig at the Danois featuring Fernando and Pedro. Don't miss it as the boys are brilliant!
Stay tuned!
PS Long time friend and Alpine client Jane Seaford has booked a two bedroom apartment April 5th toApril 12th. Her friend who she was sharing with has had to pull out so she has a bedroom free at the moment. If anyone is looking for a bed that week get in touch with Jane on janeseasford@xtra.co.nz
3 February 2025
Wonderful!
All the boys were in action today, and I'm not too sure where anyone else skied today except for Chris. (I'm still in 'code-mode' so I wouldn't be telling anyway!)
It was a wonderful morning with some fanatastic scenery along with great snow accessed by 35-minute 'skin', and then another short 'skin' of about 10-minutes. (see photos) (Chris's second 'skin' was more like 30-minutes as I left him after our first descent)
I had a pleasure of skiing with my nephew Wils this morning, and the young man has turned himself into a fantastic skier. Bravo Wils! And Paddy has returned after a four year break, Viv and Matt are back after having two babies, and Robert and Simon rounded off a cracking good group.
There was a terrible collision in Tignes yesterday where at least one skier was killed, and maybe two? It's not surprising really as too many idiots are skiing at ridiculous speeds with very low skill levels. I always enjoy the first piste run in the morning when it's quiet, but by the time we return to the pistes later in the morning it is often terrifying! And sadly it is only going to get worse!
I've a Pilates class shortly so I must run. Stay tuned for more skiing news and photos tomorrow.
PS Don't forget Fernando and Pedro at the Danois tomorrow night starting at 5:30!
2 February 2025
A Change of Scenery!
The sun was shining today, and it's forecast to shine for the next 5 days or so at least. That means 'code-mode' as our stashes of nice snow are going to become more precious with each passing day.
I went of a change of scenery today and with a short 'skin' accessed some fantastic snow, great slopes, and stunning views. (see photos) Meanwhile Chris was sking with Tejina and Suzanne, Thomas was skiing with a couple of old Top Ski clients who are real characters and great skiers, and Andreas was skiing with his brother Mattias and his pals as well as a Swedish Mountain Guide named Jurgen who is based in La Grave. Alex was also in action but I'm not too sure what he skied today, but since I'm in 'code-mode' I wouldn't be telling anyway!
I'm doing some housekeeping as Gill's sister Viv is arrivng later before I settle into a brilliant afternoon of Premeirship football with Palace v Man U followed by Arsenal v Man City.
The rock slide yesterday caused incredible tailbacks and it was taking 6 hours to arrive from Moutiers. It's slow going again today and I hope Viv, Wils, Rosie, Lois, Zack, Rob, Wendy and John don't have too tough of journey. (Sounds like a potentially dangerous week!)
Stay tuned!
1 February 2025
Back On-Line!
As I mentioned some time ago the website's blog page as been very temperamental, and for the past few days it has been down and impossible to log on. You all know that I post daily, rain or shine, so if there is no blog it is down to a technical issue. And if I was ever injured and unable to post Chris would do it, as he has full access.
After our extraordinary powder day on Wednesday, we've had some great skiing to follow it up. After Wednesday's 'powder-frenzy' I've never seen the mountain as tracked out as it was. It was a massacre! There were tracks everywhere on the Val d'Isere-side of the resort, but on Thursday we found some fantastic skiing towards the Sache, and surprisingly had the pleasure of being first in to the Sachette Couloir with lovely powder snow. And yesterday we had a cracking day up at the Fornet with fresh tracks everywhere we skied. (see photos)
Today with a fierce foehn wind blowing, and cloud cover up at the Fornet we returned to the Sache sector for another brilliant morning. We had great snow, sunshine, and stayed out of the wind. (see photos)
Last night's gig was absolutely brilliant as Karen and Andreas had the Danois rocking. (I thought it was one of their best performances!) Andreas's brother and his pals had a fantastic time. Mattias was so proud of Andreas and spent the night grinning from ear-to-ear! I ran into Chris B, who published my book all those years ago, and it was great to catch up with him. I also had the pleasure of skiing with Wilf and his buddy Martin last week, and Martin bought my book 25 years ago, and brought it to the Danois for me to sign, which I thought was quite cool! All in all it was an outstanding evening!
My buddy Charles is having a great time and today is skiing with Karen, Fay and Nigel. He's in good company, and I'm sure they've had a cracking lunch somewhere as Karen takes her day off quite seriously!
Unfortunately there has been a rock slide down the valley and the road up-and-down the mountain is closed. The road closure is causing absolute chaos, and hopefully they can get the road back open as quickly as possible!
I've just watched my first match of the day as Forest demolished Brighton, I'm waiting for Bournemouth v Liverpool followed by the rugby, and then a pizza at Flash. Not a bad afternoon!
During this time when I haven't been able to post I've still managed to post my photos. So if there is no blog there still should be some photos to check on. Stay tuned and fingers crossed this technical issue has been sorted!