Annie Donovan

Annie is an internationally qualified alpine and telemark instructor - BASI Level 4 ISTD (International Ski Teacher Diploma) with 20 years teaching experience in France, Italy, Switzerland and New Zealand.
She is also an American Avalanche A.I.A.R.E level 2 trainer. For the past 12 years she has worked as an independent Ski instructor in the Portes Du Soleil ski area.

Annie is a specalist in off-piste coaching/develpoment and has worked on our Performance level off-piste courses for the past 10 seasons.

Annie, in her own words:

"I am passionate about skiing and love teaching the sport to all levels. Although I still get a kick out of introducing someone to the sport my real love is developing a piste skier into on off-piste powder hound!!

Over the past 10 seasons with Mountain Tracks I have been lucky enough to work with some great clients. Some have never skied off-piste, while many have clocked a staggering number of years ski touring but often just surviving the descents, rather than enjoying them!! I'm sure now they will enjoy them! I always have a fantastic time and love passing over ideas, tips and skills I have gained over the years of skiing off-piste regardless of the conditions!!

People often think of powder when you say off-piste - in facts it's the 'icing on the cake'. All the other snow conditions that you often encounter when ski touring often present the harder challenges.

Another passion is the Avalanche Awareness training work. For the past 6 seasons I have attended many courses myself as its an area which you never stop learning something new. For the past 3 seasons I have been running training days for all the workers in Morzine: I really enjoy running avalanche workshops so that skiers and snowboarders can travel safely in the mountains.

To relax, if I am not to tired after all the skiing, I enjoy ski touring.

Most memorable trip: the Italian High Level route.

Many skiers ask me where's a good place to start ski touring: personally, I like the Silvretta area, or day tours in the Vanoise around Val D'Isere.

In the summer I swim a lot in our local outdoor pool in Cumbria! I love fell running: my favourite route at the moment being Bowscale to Blencathra and back to Mungrisdale (but this changes every few weeks depending on my energy levels!)

I also love to mountain bike, cycle, play tennis and cook: I eat loads!

Most memorable summer trip: G.R.5 route walking/running from Geneva to Nice!

What our clients say about skiing with Annie:

"Annie was absolutely brilliant!!!!!" (Morzine Off-Piste, February 2006)