Meribel, France

Off-Piste Coaching Intro Meribel

Méribel is one of the principal resorts in the French ‘Trois Vallees’. It’s a hugely popular ski area with a vast network of pisted terrain. What is unknown to many visitors, is that the off-piste terrain here is also very extensive and compared to the pistes is often deserted.

Our Off-Piste Coaching courses are intensive instructional ski courses aimed at helping you make the transition from piste to off-piste and teaching you the techniques to confidently ski the whole mountain. Each course blends off-piste instruction with sessions on mountain safety and awareness and excellent skiing that guarantees they are informative, educational and a lot of fun.

On our courses you’ll never ski with more than 6 in a group so that everyone receives excellent individual attention as well as enjoying loads more skiing, minimal waiting and a safer experience on the mountain.

In addition, our courses don’t just run for 6 hours during the day. We do our best to ensure that your group will really gel over the week. We use chalet style accommodation with comfy areas to relax and all meals are taken as a group (including one evening meal out during the week). So even if you come on your own, you are sure to meet loads of like minded skiers and have a great time. You’ll leave the course not only with new skills but with new friends and some wonderful memories!

This introductory course is ideal for anyone who wants to explore the mountains beyond the piste and discover the magic of skiing ungroomed terrain. At the end of the course you will be able to ski more confidently off-piste and have will have learnt new skills for coping with a variety of snow conditions.

The price includes 7 nights chalet board accommodation (twin-share) with breakfasts, afternoon teas with homemade cakes and delicious evening meal (on 6 evenings). 5 days off-piste instruction with inspirational BASI 4 (or international equivalent) Ski Instructors, group transfers between Geneva airport and the chalet, in-resort transfers.
Additional local expenses include lift pass, lunches, drinks, 1 evening meal, equipment hire
Single room are subject to availability and a supplement.

 

We proudly offer our returning customers and the Ski Club of Great Britain members a discount.

The promotion is valid for qualifying bookings made before the end of October 2024 using the discount codes provided at the checkout.

 

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE

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Ski Club Winter Arrangements limited (trading as Mountain Tracks)
Registered in England No. 2099115. VAT No. GB 461 5692 34

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This is an extensive list of the recommended clothing and equipment you will need if you are coming on one of our Off-Piste Coaching courses.  On these courses you’ll be staying in a comfortable catered chalet or hotels. When skiing you need to carry just a small day pack, which contains your safety equipment and any personal items you may need.

    • Good pair of ski goggles with a lens for low light is essential in the event of snow and poor visibility.
    • Good quality sunglasses with 100% UV protection
    • 25 – 30 litre rucksack with straps for carrying skis. If you wish to use an avalanche airbag/rucksack you are welcome to, you can now hire these in most resorts.
    • 1 – 1.5 litre water bottle – we don’t recommend hydration systems (e.g. camelbak) in winter as they can freeze.
    • Food – bring some of your favourite hill nibbles (chocolate, energy bars)*
    • Suncream and lip salve
  • This season, we’ve partnered with Ortovox to provide us with the very best safety kit and clothing. Our guides will all be decked out in the latest Ortovox jackets and trousers and will keep warm, dry and comfortable thanks to their technical wool base- and mid-layers. Our guides couldn’t recommend their kit more highly.
     
    • A good quality pair of ski trousers. They must be made from a waterproof and breathable fabric like Gore-Tex or similar. It’s useful to have some venting zips on the legs either inside or outside thigh or full-length side-zips. Integral snow gaiters and some pockets for handy items are good features.
    • An outer shell jacket made of waterproof and breathable material like Gore-Tex or similar with a built-in hood. We advocate the ‘layering principle’ and so a shell is recommended rather than an insulated jacket.
    • Comfortable underwear with good wicking properties. Very popular at the moment are the wool based layers from companies such as Ortovox. They are comfy, breathable, warm when needed and can be worn for days without your friends catching a whiff!
    • Several thin (rather than fewer thick) layers between your skin and the outer shell - an approach that gives better heat retention and good flexibility. These tops are known as ‘mid layers’.
    • Insulation layer like a down or primaloft jacket is a good item to have ready to wear in the event of cold weather, it can live in your rucksack as a spare layer and can come in very handy for sudden changes in the weather.
    • Roll neck rather than a scarf. We use and recommend the ‘Buff¹ ¬ a light, stretchable tube. Excellent despite the name! They do both a fleece/cotton version for warmth or just a cotton one (to keep the sun off).
    • Headwear to include warm hat and sun-cap or wide-brim hat for extra protection from the sun. Mountain Tracks fully supports the wearing of helmets for skiing, although not mandatory for any of our trips we do recommend them.
    • Good quality, ski gloves or mitts if you suffer from cold hands and 1 thinner pair of gloves made from a softshell or fleece material if the weather is warm. These are particularly useful if you do any ski touring or hiking on the trip as thick gloves quickly become too hot.
      Silk inner gloves can be useful if the weather is cold and you suffer from cold hands.
    • Technical Socks - Investing in good quality ski socks will improve fit, warmth and feel when skiing for long periods. Bring along a few pairs.
  • We continue to see big changes in ski, boot and binding design and technology, which make off-piste skiing and ski touring much more accessible.

    For our Off-Piste Coaching courses, good downhill ski and boot are required.

    Skis

    This winter our lead guides are using Elan skis. Praised by magazine testers and professional skiers alike for its unique blend of lightweight performance, the Ripstick 96 is proven to be the ultimate freeride ski in all snow conditions. The Ripstick 106 is the ultimate freeride ski for any terrain. From boundary line to base lodge, peak to parking lot, and trailhead to tailgate this ski excels in all conditions. The new Ripstick Tour 94 is designed on a wider platform, enabling the skier to float better, ski faster, and turn easier in backcountry conditions.

    It is built to blend high performance at a low weight, for the perfect mix of freeride downhill performance and efficient ascending capability. With Ripstick Tour 94, the confidence to conquer long ascents and charge challenging descents is the name of the game.

    There are many ‘all-mountain/freeride’ skis to choose from and we also recommend skis from Salomon, Dynastar, Movement, Black Crows, Trab Skis, Scott and Volkl.  Look for a ski that is the right size for your height, typically the tip of the ski should be somewhere around your nose height.  As for the width of the ski or “side cut” a mid-fat ski – 90-110mm under the foot is a good place to start; this offers plenty of flotation off piste while remaining suitable for day tours and they should also handle reasonably well on piste and mixed terrain.

    Elan Skis: www.elanskis.com

    Dynastar Skis:  www.dynastar.com

    Movement Skis: www.movementskis.com                                       

    Black Crows Skis: www.blackcrows-skis.com/

    Trab Skis: www.skitrab.com/en-us/

    Scott Skis: http://www.scott-sports.com

    Volkl Skis: http://www.voelkl.com

    There are plenty of other great skis to choose from so if you’re planning on buying skis for ski touring or general skiing and have any questions do not hesitate to call us, or Lockwoods, to discuss the options available.


    Boots
    For off-piste performance courses, standard downhill ski boots are ideal, they offer rigidity, responsiveness and flex depending on the snow conditions. If you have ski touring boots or a pair of the hybrid freeride/touring boots with a walk mode, then these are fine too, bring them with you. We do not recommend you come on a trip with brand new boots.

    Boot Liners
    These days many manufacturers offer ‘thermo-fit’ liners as standard equipment. You may also want to consider a custom liner. Heated and moulded to your foot and boot for a perfect fit, they can make all the difference especially if you have trouble finding really comfortable ‘off-the-shelf¹ boots. Zipfit liners are a great option for anyone seeking total customisation in fit and comfort. They will replace the original liner.

    Custom Footbeds
    Essential kit – to provide additional comfort and ski control. If you want to get footbeds made or a pair of new boots fitted then we suggest you visit somewhere like Profeet for a professional fitting. 

    Bindings
    Standard downhill bindings.

  • The “Safety Trilogy” - applicable for all our off-piste courses
    Avalanche Transceiver/Beacon 
    Snow shovel
    Avalanche probe

    We recommend Simple and intuitive ORTOVOX AVALANCHE RESCUE KIT 3+


    Avalanche airbags/rucksacks – if you wish to ski with one of these on our courses you are welcome to do so, they are not mandatory but we always support the use of available safety items.

    You can hire avalanche rucksacks in a lot of resorts, makes are usually Snowpulse/Mammut, ABS or Ortovox Avabag. Prices vary from shop to shop and resort to resort but a guide line price would be from €30 / CHF 35 per day 

    Remember it is not enough just to carry this equipment; you have to know how to use it.
    How about joining one of our specialist avalanche courses – check out http://mountaintracks.co.uk/discipline/winter-mountaincraft

Meribel 2015.JPG

Meribel

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Meribel is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps.  Meribel comprises of a number of villages, Les Allues, Meribel Village, Meribel Centre and Meribel Mottart which is the highest at 1,750m.  The resort has an extensive lift system linking to Courchevel and Val Thorens.  There is skiing above Mottart to 2,952m on Mont du Vallon.  Above Val Thorens, situated at 2,300m there is glacier skiing to over 3,000m.  Together the area has more than 200 lifts and over 600kms of piste suitable for everyone from first day novices to expert level. The off-piste terrain here is equally impressive with enough choice to satisfy the most demanding backcountry enthusiasts. The highest lifts take you to 3200m (on the Glacier de Peclet).

Meribel itself is at the heart of the Trois Vallée. It its own extensive ski area and easy access to the other 2 valleys.  There are many chalets and hotels in the resorts plus plenty of après ski and nightlife if you require it.  Shops, bard and restaurants are extensive the each of the villages.  

Our top reasons for visiting Meribel

  • unrivalled lift system and extensive on-piste skiing.
  • Lesser know but impressive off piste that is lightly skied and powder can be found days after snow, couloirs and tree skiing, its all available.
  • We start our beautiful Vanoise Haute Route Ski Tour from this resort. 
  • High quality accommodation in comfortable chalets with our accommodation provider.
  • Good links from Geneva and Chambery airport.

Resort Height: 1,500m

Highest Lift: 2,950m

Nearest Airport: Geneva or Chambery 

Transfer Options: Its best to fly to Geneva airport and then book a seat on one of a number of transfer services who offer shared seats to and from the resort.  Transfer time by road is typically around 2 - 2.5hrs.  You can also fly to Chambery airport and take a road transfer, this is slightly shorter at around 1hr 30 mins.  There are train services from Chambery to Moutiers.  From Moutiers you would need to take a taxi up to the resort.

For our week long trips to Meribel we have a fixed meeting time at Geneva airport (1430hrs) for joining a private transfer by minibus to the resort.  For the return journey we offer the same back to Geneva leaving resort around 0800-0830.

  • It is a condition of booking that you are insured for your chosen activity and the cover must include medical expenses, personal accident, personal liability, third party risks and rescue (including helicopter rescue). You are strongly advised also to take out cover against cancellation and curtailment.

    For UK residents Ski Club Travel Insurance may be a suitable option.

    For more details and to purchase a policy online visit http://www.skiclubinsurance.co.uk/
    If you need assistance arranging your personal insurance please let us know.
     

  • We include in the price of the trip 1 shared, group airport transfer from and to Geneva airport.  This is at set times so we ask you to arrange your flights accordingly.  

    On the arrival day the transfer will depart Geneva airport at 1430, you should book a flight that arrives no later than about 1345 so you have time to collect your luggage and make your way to the meeting point.  On the departure day the transfer will pick everyone up from the chalet at approximately 0830, this means you will be dropped off at Geneva at approximately 1100; this should be suitable for flight departures from 1300hrs onwards.  So we ask you to book a flight back that leaves no earlier than 1300hrs.  

    If you have to arrive/depart outside of these times then you will need to make your own arrangements to get to and from Meribel.

  • This course will be led by our team of BASI Ski Instructors which includes Dave Meyer, Will Evans and Greg Jones. They are all extremely talented ski coaches who are passionate about off-piste skiing. Our instructors consistently prove they have the ability to teach skiers how to hone their technique and confidence in off-piste terrain.They'll ensure you have a fantastic week.
  • For these courses our preferred chalet provider is GoSkiMeribel.

    They have a number of very comfortable catered chalets in Méribel where rooms are mostly ensuite, chalets have hot tub/jacuzzi, Wi-Fi, TV and plenty of space to relax and enjoy yourself after skiing. They serve daily breakfast, afternoon tea and a 3 or 4 course evening meal (on 6 nights of the week).

    Single room occupancy is subject to availability and will incur a supplement.

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