guided mountain adventure
This exciting and challenging ski touring safari in the Swiss Alps gives adventurous skiers the chance to ski some of the most impressive terrain in the Swiss Valais. We use a combination of lift access and ski touring, with the goal of providing the ultimate week of freeride adventure. The skiing is about as exciting and varied as it comes.
The Val d’Anniviers in the Valais area of the Swiss Alps is one of ski touring's best kept secrets and offers huge potential for the adventurous skier. The area is characterised by high alpine terrain, deep valleys and charming alpine villages. This area is a fantastic antidote to the more heavily developed areas of the western Alps. 1500m powder descents abound and there are many vast bowls where fresh tracks can be found weeks after the last snowfall! The area features a high and comprehensive lift system and multiple slope aspects which ensure good conditions throughout the season. No mass tourism, no high-rise buildings, and few skiers off piste; the area is aesthetic and traditional, with only tentative signs of new development.
A single lift pass covers 4 areas: Zinal, Grimentz, St Luc and Vercoran and the sheer volume of terrain on offer ensures that it’s unlikely we ski the same run twice.
| Dates | Accommodation | Price | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sat 31 Mar 12 - Sat 07 Apr 12 |
7 nights |
£1,195 |
1 place left! |
The Val d’Anniviers in the Valais area of the Swiss Alps is one of ski touring's best kept secrets and offers huge potential for the adventurous skier. The area is characterised by high alpine terrain, deep valleys and charming alpine villages. This area is a fantastic antidote to the more heavily developed areas of the western Alps.
The skiing is about as exciting and varied as it comes. 1500m powder descents abound and there are many vast bowls where fresh tracks can be found even weeks after the last snowfall! The area features a high and comprehensive lift system and multiple slope aspects which ensure good conditions through out the season. A quality of the area which people find particularly appealing is that there is no mass tourism, no high-rise buildings, and few skiers off piste; the area is aesthetic and traditional, with only tentative signs of new development.
A single lift pass covers 4 areas: Zinal, Grimentz, St Luc and Vercoran. The sheer volume of terrain on offer ensures that it’s unlikely we ski the same run twice.
The week includes 5 full days of off-piste skiing, touring & instruction. There is also 1 'free skiing' day when no instruction is provided.
The itinerary below is based on our April 2010 trip - which got the thumbs up from all participants!
Day 1
Travel to Zinal and a welcome by Eric and Penny at the chalet. In the evening you will meet your guides who will give a briefing on the plans for the week.
Day 2
The week starts with a warm-up day with no guiding. You can explore the local Zinal ski area and Penny and Eric will be happy to advise on the best places to ski.
Day 3
We'll start off with a day in Zinal or Grimentz where your guide will do an avalanche safety briefing and then some warm up skiing on and off piste. You will do some skills sessions on ski touring and familiarise yourselves with the equipment and go for a short ski tour in the afternoon. Return to the chalet.
Day 4
Our first touring day - head up into the Zinal ski area and ski the north slope of Corne de Sorebois before turning left and skiing round to Grimentz. Take an early lunch and then go to the top of the Roc d'Orzival (2816m) to ski the north slope in to Orzival followed by a long easterly traverse back into the Grimentz lift area. Take the Bec du Bosson lifts and skin and ski to the Bec du Bosson hut (2983m) where we stay the night. Approx 150m of skinning.
Day 5
From the hut skin up to the Pointes de Tsavolire (3026m) before skiing the north east face. Skin back to the hut (150m) and ski into the plateau of the Lac de Lona (2640m) followed by the skin to the Basset de Lona (2792m) and the excellent ski down to the Moiry dam and back to Grimentz. Return to Mottec on the bus. In total: aprox 400m (2 hours) of skinning.
Day 6
We start with a road journey to St Luc where we take the lifts up to the top of the Bella Tolla (3025m) and traverse round the west side of the summit to ski the north north east facing bowl. This is followed by a 150m climb west to the Parilet. Ski down to above the dam and another short skin to get back in to the St Luc ski area where we stop for lunch. Back up to the Bella tolla and ski down the Bortertalli valley to Oberrems on north and east facing slopes. We descend with the cable car from Oberrems in to the Rhone valley before returning back to Mottec using public transport. This is a big day with rather complex travel arangments but it all fits together if you make an early start. A total of 250m (1.5hrs) of skinning.
Day 7
Back to Grimentz via Zinal ski area and then up to the Roc d'Orzival. This time go south west and ski north west from the Col du Tsan and skin north east to near la Brinta for 250m (1.5hrs). This gives accsess back to the orxival and the Grimentz lift area. Return to Mottec.
Day 8
Breakfast at the chalet followed by outward travel.
The price includes 6 nights chalet-board accommodation (twin-rooms), 1 night in a high mountain refuge and 5 days guide fees & expenses.
The price does not include travel to/from Zinal, airport transfers, local transport & uplift, personal insurance, equipment hire, lunches & drinks
Single room occupancy is limited and where available will incur additional charges. Ask us for details.
All our ski touring trips are run by our team of IFMGA Mountain Guides. The team is led by Olly Allen, Matt Dickinson and Nick Parks. The maximum ratio for this trip is 6 skiers with 1 guide and may run with up to 12 skiers and 2 guides.
Our base is Chalet Edelweiss in the hamlet of Mottec, 2kms from Zinal. The chalet has been fully restored in 2008 and offers very comfortable accommodation. One night is also spent in the Bec du Bossons refuge.
I can honestly say that it was one of the best weeks that we have ever had. The chalet was beautiful and Penny & Eric were fantastic hosts. The group were good fun and up for anything. Owen and Dylan were fabulous. We were a little dubious to start with that neither of them seemed to know the area very well, but it didn't matter at all - they worked hard, did their homework and took us on some wonderful adventures in fantastic snow. We will definitely join you again .... in fact we can't wait!
Just wanted to say thanks to you all for a fantastic week, really enjoyed it!!! Special thanks to Owen & Dylan for making the week one of the most enjoyable ski experiences I have ever had!!! Also, a huge thank you to Penny & Eric for sharing their lovely chalet with us, it was a real pleasure to stay there!
I can ski red and black runs on piste without a problem. I am new to off piste skiing or maybe I have skied a little on the sides of the piste, or even attended a previous off piste specific course. I would like to ski powder snow with confidence and learn to link turns off piste. Learning to vary turn radius and control speed is an important goal. Gaining confidence in a variety of terrain would move my skiing to the next level.
I have at least a couple of weeks off piste skiing experience and/or received some previous instruction on an off piste specific course. I can link at least 8 – 10 turns together in reasonable control, speed and style, following the fall line in most snow conditions. I would like to improve my skiing in deep powder, heavy crusty snow uneven terrain and trees. I am happy to hike or ski tour for short distances to get to the best snow and terrain. I aspire to ski fluidly off piste and to ski steeper slopes. At this level all ski tourers must have some previous experience of using a touring set up, skinning and kick-turns.
I am confident skiing challenging terrain and steeper slopes. I can sideslip forward and backwards, side-step up and downhill and traverse steep slopes with no problems. I am happy to ski tour and hike for 1 – 2 hrs to reach the best snow and terrain. I aspire to ski the best snow available, push myself to ski steeper slopes and extend my ski touring experience. At this level all ski tourers must have some previous experience of using a touring set up, skinning and kick-turns.
I can ski fluidly and autonomously on all terrain. I often ski couloirs and gullies and seek out steep slopes to ski. I can jump turn in narrow couloirs and have experience of abseiling and side-slipping on steep terrain. I dream of skiing powder snow, I can ski fast, fluid “freeride” style turns, I can jump off small rocks, ski trees and challenging terrain with no fear or problems. I will often hike and ski tour to reach the best snow and terrain. I am familiar with using ice axe and crampons and some basic rope techniques. My aim is to push my skills and challenge myself further.
The Val d'Annivièrs is a typical Walliser Valley with five idyllic and picturesque villages; St. Luc, Chandolin, Zinal, Grimentz and Vercorin which are all ski areas in their own right. They stretch between 1200m – 3000m. With skiing on all aspects of the compass the valley is reknowned for its variety of snow and the scope of its freeride domain.
We rate Zinal and the Val d'Anniviers as one of the best areas for off-piste and backcountry skiing in the Alps.
For our weeks in Zinal we stay in the newly renovated Chalet Edelweiss.
Our good friends Eric and Penny Kendall have created a fantastic chalet in the village of Mottec just 2 minutes from Zinal.
Find out more about the Auberge at www.skizinal.com
The area has a large network of lifts servicing about 200kms of pistes up to an altitude of almost 3000m. The whole area is characterised by stunning, high alpine terrain, deep valleys and charming villages. There are 4 main ski domains: Zinal, Grimentz, St Luc-Chandolin and Vercorin, all of which are well-connected by local buses. The area also has the advantages of being relatively unknown (and therefore not so busy) and easily accessible from Geneva, Zurich or Sion airports.
You want to arrange to arrive in Zinal by late afternoon on day 1.
At the end of the week the course finishes after breakfast on day 5. We recommend that you arrange your return/onward flight for mid to late afternoon to give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport without having to rush!
The most convenient airports are Geneva or Zurich airport from where you can take the train to Sierre (Geneva 2 hrs, Zurich 2.5 hrs). At Sierre catch the yellow Post Bus to Zinal, you may need to change in Vissoie. Ask the driver fro Mottec (as it’s a request stop) and the bus stops right outside the Auberge Edelweiss. This is the large balconied house fronting the road. Train and bus timetables can be found at www.sbb.ch/en Alternatively you can hire a car at the airport, driving time to the Auberge is approximately 2 hrs from Geneva and 2.5 hrs from Zurich.
250 York Road, London
SW11 3SJ, United Kingdom
info@mountaintracks.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 8123 2978
Fax: +44 (0)20 7905 0921
