UKC

Hi,
I am going on a family ski holiday in La Plagne for a week over this new year with my family. I am wanting to start ski touring but I dont have anyone to go with so I would probably have to go with a guide or if anyone knows if there is any way of meeting up with others?

I have done a fair bit of alpine/winter climbing and I am good at skiing on piste and in powder but I have never done any proper off piste, I dont have experience with avalanche tranceivers and I have never done any ski touring.

Any advice welcome, and any recomendations with guides or groups I could go with? Thanks!
Nicos

I have just found a website Ski CLub Great Britain. It sounds like if I join there will be an ambasador in the resort who may be able to help find people to ski with, has anyone tried this and know if it is a good way to find people to ski with? I would still have to have some guided instruction first with practising with avalanche tranceivers etc first though.

In reply to Nicos:

In my experience (I'm not a member) the Ski Club of Great Britain is mostly focused on resort skiing so it'll be a way of finding folk to ski with on piste, maybe offpiste but probably not for touring. Most ski tourers wouldn't base themselves in a resort like La Plagne although you might be lucky & find a ski tourer there with their family who would like to tour for a day or two

In reply to Nicos:

Which la Plagne are you going to be staying in?

In reply to aligibb:

Hi,
I will be in La Plagne Villages 2050m

In reply to Nicos:

The best way and by far the cheapest would be to do grand ski with ESF, 82 Euro's per day, here's a link http://www.esf-plagne.com/ski-school-la-plagne/plagne-soleil/training-cours...

I see your off a lot during the week, if u want to do some touring in Scotland mid week give me a shout.
Also there's the British Backcountry group on Facebook.

In reply to Gael Force:

You could try the Eagle ski club as well probably won't be able to help you for LaPlagne but they do lots of introduction courses.

In reply to Gael Force:

Not clear that "Stages Grand ski" will be touring, more likely off piste, but maybe over glaciated terrain (hence the guide rather than monitor). But worth asking at the guides office as they likely will offer 'ski de randonée'

In reply to Nicos:

I would not rule out ski club of Great Britain. They do run many off piste and touring holidays. They are well organised but not regimented and based around your skiing ability to ensure all in the group are roughly at the same standard.

Apart from their organised holidays, which are a good way to build experience until you are ready to do your own thing, the club also is a good way to make contact with kindred spirits.

Their resort ambassadors are only in France because of the recent prosecutions of British ski guides. Therefore they have suspended the ski-with-you service there (this does not apply to their organised holidays ) however in the other alpine nations they still operate ski reps./ leaders in resort so members can turn up and ski with them. They usually have a weekly programme which takes different levels each day including the chance to ski with a qualified mountain guide who will certainly give you as much as you can handle in the way of off-piste challenge if you are up for it.

I have skied with the club over many years both on and off piste and always had a great time. Their holidays are not cheap but definitely good value and a good way to build up off piste and touring experience.

In reply to Arcturus:
La Plagne is an excellent resort for off piste skiing, though perhaps not classic ski-touring: but if you're new to serious off-piste, you need to get fluent in this anyway, and that will take more than trip.

There is a vast amount to go at. I would recommend booking private guided sessions of half a day or so through Evolution 2, who you will find at Les Coches and elsewhere. The range goes all the way from easy descents such as the big natural half pipe near Belle Plagne known (somewhat portentously) as the Valley of Death, through fantastic tree runs down to Les Coches, to the mighty runs on the North Face of Bellecote - some of the biggest and grandest lift-served descents in the Alps. Even the "petit Bellecote" a little to the left of the main face is an unforgettable and full on ride. You couldn't find anywhere better for this.

In reply to Nicos:
I will be out over New Year, going to see about some Touring/Offpiste too. Drop me a line if you want to team up. Also for future check out UCPA, I'm off to Chamonix the week after for one of their Offpiste weeks.