Off Piste Ski Technique - Andermatt

2009 DATES Click Dates To Book.... Week 12: 15 Mar - 21 Mar Full Skiing Programme Click Here COURSE DURATION 5 days, 6 nights ALL INCLUSIVE PRICE £975 Your course price covers: • Guiding + guides expenses • Full board + accommodation • All picnic lunches/snack food • All course transportation • All mechanical uplift • Loan of technical equipment Click here for Full Details LEVEL Intermediate

Andermatt is a natural centre for off-piste skiing and ski touring. With a reliably impressive snowfall each year and a vast choice of uplift, it is no wonder that enthusiasts rate it as one of the best off-piste venues in the Alps, comparable to the Grandes Montets in Chamonix but without the crowds.

Andermatt and has retained its character as an ancient, traditional Swiss village, and the high peaks around it form the watershed between the Rhone and the Rhine.

For skiers the jewel of the area is the Gemstock which goes almost up to 3000m. The runs are mainly north facing which means that there is normally plenty of powder for all. The terrain in this region is very complex and the same lift can give access to a vast variety of different off-piste ski runs away from any pistes. It is common to ski well away from the lift system and use a train to make the short return journey back to Andermatt.

Other ski resorts close to Andermatt are Winterhorn and the villages of Sedrun, Disentis and Oberalp. These are accessible using the Andermatt ski pass, giving unlimited scope for off-piste skiing and ski touring in this region.

THE COURSE CONVENES IN ANDERMATT and we stay at the very comfortable Hotel Badus (named after the peak that we hope to climb at the end of the week). The village is mainly constructed of the local granite stone which gives it a unique ambience.

This course would suit the more experience off-piste skier. There will be a strong emphasis on ski technique especially early on in the week as this will give you points to focus on when we are ripping up the powder. We begin with an instructional day where your ski technique both on and off-piste will be analysed (using video as required) by our guide. This will give each participant technical points to focus on during the varied programme of the following four days, when we ski a wide variety of venues. The aim is to use as much uplift as we can to ski some fantastic off-piste runs whilst improving your skiing.

Ski-touring techniques will be used to gain the more remote runs, so essential ski-touring skills will be covered as part of this course. Throughout the week the guide will be giving tips and instruction to improve your off-piste skiing ability on all types of terrain and snow conditions. We will also be looking to find the best powder skiing available. This is the perfect week to improve your off-piste technique, and to enjoy plenty of off-piste powder.

NB. This course can also be taken in conjunction with the Haute Route Soleil which runs the following week, making a perfect combination of off-piste skiing and ski touring.

Sample programme:

Day 1. An instructional day on and off-piste skiing on the Gemstock. The pistes of the Gemstock are wide enough to have plenty of space to work on ski technique, but are still dwarfed by the neighbouring powder fields. We will work on ski technique in a variety of different terrains, giving us an important foundation to build on skills during the rest of the week. There is also plenty of off piste to dive into so that we get plenty of feedback from the techniques being taught. We shall also have a session on Avalanche Rescue training covering essentials skills on how to rescue an avalanched victim.

Day 2. A day to explore further the joys of the Gemstock. The Felsental, Unteralp and Guspi valleys are just some of the off-piste options available to us. With 1500m of descent on each run we quickly rack up the vertical descent. This is a perfect place to consolidate the ski lessons from the first day.

Day 3. The day starts by skiing off the back of the Gemstock. A short ascent with skins (15mins) takes us to a col from which we have a magnificent 1500m vertical run down to Hospental. After having lunch in Hospental we take the lift from Hospental to access to yet more north facing powder. At the end of the day we take a 5 minute train ride back to Andermatt

Day 4. Short tours from the back of the Gemstock give us access to some remote and wonderful off-piste valleys. We begin as Day 3 but one third of the way down the valley to Hospental we start to ski-tour towards Peak Centrale. Peak Centrale is a classic ascent taking 3 hrs, finishing with a small couloir which is climbed on foot to the summit. As its name suggests it is a commanding view point for the Urner alps. The descent takes us to the east side of the Gemstock and directly back to Andermatt

Day 5. For a superb and varied day we ski from the Oberalp resort. The lift is accessed by a 3 minute walk from the hotel and the resort has an extensive lift system reaching Disentis, giving many opportunities for off-piste and short ski tours in this region. We can choose to go back to Hospental and make a longer ski tour across the ridge towards Piz Lucendro, and the nearby ski resorts of Winterhorn, Sedrun and Disentis also have great off piste and ski touring options.

The days of the programme will be interchanged to make the most of prevailing snow conditions.

Maps: Nufenenpass 265 s 1:50 000 and Sustenpass 255 s 1:50 000

Ski ability required: Strong piste skier with good parallel turns on piste (confident on black runs) and effective turns off-piste. No ski touring experience necessary. You need to have a good level of fitness and be able to comfortably sustain a climb at a rate of 250 vertical metres an hour. A typical day will not involve much uphill, but one day may involve 2 hours of uphill skinning (up to 600m height gain). Uplift will be used as much as possible.

Click here for Andermatt Information

Click here to see client feedback on our courses