In 1980 Michel commenced his professional training to become a professional mountain guide. Michel always had a great passion for the mountains, this naturally became a way of life.

Michel has worked as a mountain guide all over the Alps, both ski touring and climbing. In the summer months Michel ascends major alpine peaks over 4000 meters high. He has also guided in the Himalayan ranges, Patagonia, Moroccan Atlas mountains and Kilimanjaro. Michel has carried out numerous trekking expeditions.

Keeping an eye on conditions, monitoring the daily snowfall as well as registering past snow layer history gives Michel a better understanding of slope safety.

Michel says …

“I have skied down every slope and every “couloir” in the Chamonix area. I have visited all of the important alpine mountain ranges from Corsica and Mercantour in the Southern Alps to the Tyrolean mountains in Austria. My speciality is the Chamonix – Zermatt Haute Route as well as the Mont Blanc ski ascent.”

Michel believes strongly that a good Mountain guide must seize the moment when the conditions are naturally good and go!

Michel’s season is long, it starts in December and runs all the way until the start of June, during these months Michel works off piste, ski touring and mountaineering. Michel sees his role as a guide and a teacher where by he shares his mountain experience with his clients, adapting his mountain plans to the abilities of his clients and the conditions equally.

Above all, safety and security are top of Michel’s list.

Advancements in skiing equipment technology has also meant that recreational skiers can experience both higher speeds and more control on-piste and also search more easily for the legendary powder snow that can be found off-piste.

Demands on ski schools and instructors to cope with the speed of skier and snowboarder advancement has meant thinking out of the box for many established and new businesses in major alpine winter resorts.

Specialist snowboard schools have been created to serve the growing number of beginners who need help and guidance during those early days. Snowboarding can be more physical at the start and for this reason a dedicated snowboard instructor will be able to help with the challenges encountered at those early stages. Many snowboarders choose to go alone after these initial lessons but having specialist instruction from a snowsports professional at all levels will increase the learning potential, and ultimately the pleasure gained. As a snowboarder, choose a school that represents the ethos and lifestyle of the snowboarding culture and try out everything from carving to park tricks.

Telemarking, the original form of skiing where the heel of the boot is not attached to the ski is as popular as ever and many skiers want the opportunity to try the sport on their winter sports holiday. There are not many pure telemark ski schools in existence but there are some schools that actively promote Telemarking as part of their package and employ experienced staff who are qualified Telemark instructors. It is crucial to have professional coaching in telemark skiing as the techniques are quite precise and getting things wrong at the start will have negative consequences for the future.

With the popularity of off piste skiing growing every year the role of the mountain guide has never been more important. A mountain guide is a qualified professional who holds a specialist qualification (UIAGM). These dedicated mountain professionals are not ski instructors but extreme alpine experts with knowledge of the mountain environment. They are qualified to lead people over glaciated terrain, attach ropes for safety and lead multi day ski tours through the mountains. A ski coach diploma holder (in France) is able to guide and coach you over much of the off piste terrain, technically the non glaciated areas. These professionals specialise in off piste ski technique coaching not just guiding.

Many ski schools and private instructors also run specialist coaching clinics for a variety of disciplines. For example, you can learn to ski through slalom gates like the racers you see on television! Of course you need to be at a certain level of skiing, but there are many ski schools that can prepare you for this stage. Never skied off piste? Then search out a specialist off piste clinic that concentrates specifically on the necessary techniques that are essential for safe and enjoyable experiences in the powder.

With an abundance of choice out there it is up to you to decide what you want and find what ski school, instructor or guiding service will suit you best. If what you want to do is simply improve your skiing, well, that’s what all good ski or snowboard instructors want to do for you, so enjoy yourself and if you are not happy in one place then remember, you can always go 3 doors down to the next ski school in town.

Rob Stewart

1) Chamonix: The Vallee Blanche

The world famous Vallee Blanche starts at the top of the Aiguille Du Midi with a roped descent on foot to the glacier below. Magnificent scenery is not the only distraction, as the huge glacier must be tackled with care due to crevasses. This is a day trip to remember and there are several variations to suit intermediate level skiers upwards. Always go with a fully qualified mountain guide.

2) Courchevel: The 3 Valleys: Combe Saulire

This famous red run in Courchevel gains its reputation from always being immaculately groomed with fantastic snow conditions. Long and wide it provides skiers of all abilities the chance to cruise down with effortless joy. Get there first thing in the morning for the best conditions.

3) Morzine / Avoriaz: The World Cup downhill course

High above the town of Avoriaz at the top of the ‘Hauts Forts’, the world cup downhill run starts its long journey down towards Les Prodains in the valley below. The piste is marked black all the way and is used on the women’s Alpine world cup downhill calendar. Although challenging it is possible for experienced recreational skiers to tackle in good snow conditions. As you arrive at the end of the run you will feel a sense of achievement and a well-deserved rest in the excellent restaurant, before jumping on the cable car back up to Avoriaz.

4) Zermatt: Klein Matterhorn

The Klein Matterhorn lift is the highest cable car in Europe at 3820 meters. You walk through a tunnel carved through the rock and appear on the glacier with fantastic views of the Matterhorn right in front of you. From here you can ski all the way down into the town of Zermatt itself. In total you will descend 2200 vertical meters and ski for 13 kilometres taking in some of the world’s most stunning scenery. Best in good weather conditions and normally fully open between late November and April.

5) Verbier: Vallon d’Arby

Verbier is renowned for its off piste skiing but Vallon d’Arby is a must do route for any powder snow fanatic. It is marked as an itinerary route on the piste map and when closed must always be skied with a fully qualified guide. The access to Vallon d’Arby is via a road carved out of the mountainside by a machine. After a heavy snowfall this route can be tricky, but once the main skiing bowls are reached there is a huge descent through open fields and into trees finally ending up in the village of La Tzoumaz.

6) Val d’Isère: Col Pers off piste ski run

Val d’Isère has an incredible array of ski runs, one of the all time classic off piste routes is the Col Pers, this can be accessed from Val d’Isere’s Pissaillas glacier. This run can be tricky if one descends in the wrong direction therefore it is always advised to take a professional ski instructor or mountain guide to show you the way and how to ski the mixture of powder snow and steep slopes! The ski run route ends up in Le Fornet.

7) Tignes: Vallon de la Sache

Although Tignes has an abundance of fantastic piste skiing it does also have some classic off piste routes. The Vallon de la Sache is located beside the famous Aiguille Percee or eye of the needle, a formation in the rock that has been there for millions of years. The first part of the descent is steep but afterwards the skiing becomes gentler. You can ski all the way down to Tignes le Brevieres way down in the valley which is the lowest point in the resort. This makes the Vallon de la Sache one of the longest off piste itineraries in the Alps.

Take a professional.

Les Deux Alpes: Vallons de la Meije and La Grave

Les Deux Alpes is a huge resort and for most skiers or snowboarders you will find enough to keep you occupied for weeks. If your sense of adventure gets the better of you then hire a qualified mountain guide and ask them to take you to La Grave. From the top of the glacier you can hitch a ride on a piste machine that will take you across the high altitude terrain to La Grave. This is not just one ski run but a resort of almost exclusively off piste skiing. Even the marked runs are itinerary routes and are great fun themselves. Deviating from them requires the services of a guide and most of the skiing is on glaciated terrain.

9) Alpe d’huez: La Sarenne

Officially the longest black run in the word the Sarenne is a classic route that will take you from the highest point in the skiing area all the way down to the bottom of the Chalvet ski lift over 1000 vertical meters below. Although not technically challenging as a whole, the run is not usually groomed at all and as it is so long, provides a challenge for all levels of skier and snowboarder. Best to start first thing in the morning when the legs feel fresh and finish with a nice lunch in one of the many mountain restaurants.

10) La Plagne: The Paradiski region: Montchavin powder skiing

The Paradiski region is the combined area of skiing for Les Arcs and La Plagne. The area is fantastic for all levels of skier and in the right snow conditions (light, fresh powder snow) the slopes between the Dos Rond and Mont St Jacques in the Monchavin/Les Coches sector are great for perfecting those powder turn techniques. These big open bowls are easily accessible and not too steep. Closer to the villages lies some excellent tree skiing which on a bad weather day provides excellent shelter from poor visibility. Remember not to go off piste without a qualified mountain guide or instructor.

Rob Stewart

But, the reality of the current economic climate and exchange rate between the Pound and the Euro has put extra pressure on UK holiday maker.

The good news is that there are plenty of options available out there as the competition between airlines, tour operators and travel agencies heats up.

The budget airlines are as ever fighting it out. Travellers need to take advantage of this as airlines like Easy Jet and Ryanair travel to great locations and are offering great deals.

Grenoble is a fantastic airport for resorts such as Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez and both Ryanair and Easy Jet fly from multiple UK departure points.

Geneva serves the major French resorts like Morzine, Avoriaz and Chamonix in Haute Savoie as well as those in the Savoie region such as Val d’Isere, Tignes, Meribel and Courchevel. Verbier and Zermatt in Switzerland is also best accessed by Geneva. Geneva airport is used by Easy Jet and British Airways who have some great deals.

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