Chamonix Freeride Ski Course

Ski the best freeride off piste runs in the world with one of our experienced IFMGA mountain guides.

Chamonix has to be one of the best off piste ski and snowboard resorts in the alps, with it’s quick access to high mountain terrain where you can ski on north facing glaciers or sunny south facing spring snow.

Our off piste freeride ski weeks are based in Chamonix with neighbouring resorts such Courmayeur in Italy and Saint Gervais/Megeve. These are all great resorts, with a large variety of runs including trees, bowls and long “itinerary” descents.

A days skiing in Italy is always good and there’s time for a quick cappuccino between off piste runs!

  • Led by experienced IFMGA Mountain Guides
  • Small group sizes
  • Ski in France and Italy
  • Trips available throughout the season

How good a skier I do I need to be?

These weeks are suitable for intermediate off piste skiers, you should be comfortable skiing red piste runs in complete control as well as off piste runs of a similar slope angle.

This isn’t a ski lesson week, we will obviously give you some tips, but is about traveling around some great off piste terrain safely and finding some good snow. Our maximum ratio is one guide to six skiers, giving you a more personal experience and lots more skiing than if you were in a large group.

Thanks Ben for possibly the best day off piste powder skiing in 20 years…Just awesome thank you, when can I come back?!!
- Sally - Chamonix 2016

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Why ski with Vertical Frontiers?

Skiing with a mountain guide allows you to ski good safe snow. Mountain guides can also work on glaciers (unlike ski instructors) so you can experience some of the best terrain the mountains have to offer. If you want a specific ski lesson then you should book an instructor, but if you can ski to the side of the piste and want to try some more challenging terrain, or your an experienced off piste skier who wants to explore thenIFMGA hiring a mountain guide is the thing to do.

We are passionate skiers and during the winter log a fair amount of time on skis, off the lifts, and ski touring as well. Skiing is our number one priority in the winter. The mountaineering gear gets put away until the summer as searching out the best conditions for the weather and clients is satisfying, and great fun! All our guides are fully qualified IFMGA mountain guides and all are english speaking. Most are British and are members of the British Mountain Guides Association.

Safety is our main priority

Our guides know both resorts intimately, and will plan the weekend based on the weather and conditions at the time. Safety is our main priority and we equipe each skier with avalanche safety gear such as an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel (included in the trip price).

Weeks Itinerary – Pre-trip preparation:

We begin our skiing right away, so you will need to have your own skis or arrange ski hire before we meet on day 1.

Day 1

The first day is about finding your ski legs again, assessing conditions and of course seeing how the group skis! This then allows us to plan the week ahead, both for your ability and the current snow conditions.

We always start with a warm up run on piste, getting the legs going again before gradually heading out on some off piste runs. During these initial runs we brief the group on avalanche safety and awareness as well as checking the avalanche transceivers.

Days 2 - 5

Skiing in Chamonix offers lots of flexibility with the option of skiing at Les Houches, Brevant, Flegere, Grand Montet and Le Tour. All of these mini resorts are within the Chamonix valley and often we pick one based on the weather and conditions. Grand Montet is a bit of a favourite and offers some amazing runs from the top lift down onto the Argentiere glacier, for which we would equipe the group with harnesses and brief you on glacial skiing.

Other venues nearby include heading through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur as well as the Arve valley at resorts such as Saint Gervais, Combloux and Contamines.

Each day your guide will look at the current conditions and decide on the venue for the day, thereby giving the group the most suitable ski runs and conditions. We aim to ski in a different venue or resort each day if we can.

Vertical Frontiers - Off Piste Gallery

Chamonix Freeride Ski Course 2019 - £680 per person

A minimum of two bookings is required for the trip to run.

Monday 1st - Friday 5th April 2019

You might also be interested in our Private Ski Guiding and our Vallee Balanche Descents, both of which can be added before or after our Chamonix weeks.

What is included?

  • All guiding fees for your IFMGA Mountain Guide
  • A low guiding ratio of 1:6
  • Avalanche safety equipment including transceiver, shovel and probe. You will need a rucksack for these, that can be hired from us if need be
  • Group Guiding equipment such as first aid, shelters etc will be provided by your guide
  • Transport within the Chamonix valley and to Courmayuer. We pick up between Les Houches and Les Praz, so if you have booked accommodation elsewhere you will need to catch a bus into Chamonix to meet us

What is not included?

  • Lift passes. Courmayeur is 50€ and the Mont Blanc unlimited pass is 60€, although sometimes we just buy the ChamPass for 45€ if we are not using the top lifts due to the weather
  • Ski hire. You will need skis suitable for off piste skiing as well as boots which can all be hired in Chamonix. We highly recommend booking ahead in high season
  • Accommodation in Chamonix – lots of options here
  • Rescue insurance, which needs to cover you for off piste skiing. Check out the BMC and Snowcard
  • Bring some money for lunch and coffees

Booking & Enquiry Process

• Browse the scheduled trips above and click View Details to check dates, guide ratios, and indicative pricing.

• Depending on the trip, you can enquire about your preferred dates (so we can confirm suitability and availability) or book online with a deposit (with the balance due six weeks before departure).

• Each participant reads our Terms & Conditions and completes a short medical form (sent by email).

• Once confirmed, final meeting details and logistics are sent out ten days before your trip.

Last-Minute Bookings & Custom Dates

Call us on +33 (0) 787371926 or send us an enquiry for last-minute availability or private guiding.

Please note that indicative prices shown are subject to change and are valid for bookings made at least one month in advance. Last-minute bookings may be subject to an additional charge depending on hut or lift availability.

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+33 (0) 787371926

We are open for enquires 7 days a week all year, we check and respond to emails once a day during the high season

email@verticalfrontiers.com
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