by Len Gallagher
There is a new snow experience out there The Back Country Skiing Course. Introduced in the winter of 2005 by Derek and Shona Tate and Robbie Fenlon in Chamonix it is a very interesting amalgamation of off-piste and ski-touring techniques; interesting because the two derive from quite different philosophies.
Off-piste training teaches the proper techniques to handle all sorts of snow conditions which you will not meet on a prepared piste, building up to the excitement of a linked turn descent through deep powder, tackling everything from heavy rutted stuff to screeching ice pack on the way. Edge control, balance, floating the skis through powder, are all part of the armoury of the off-piste skier not to mention the adaptability required to move through the varying terrain and conditions. The name of the game is pointing your skis downhill and feeling the buzz.
Ski touring is less about style and rhythm and more about getting safely from A to B, when you are miles from a piste, . There are significant pauses en route to check safety gear, to look at snow profiles for avalanche risk, to assess the proposed route. The pause to put on skins and release your bindings is followed by the uphill march, without which you won’t get too far off the beaten track.
The concept is to develop and hone off-piste skills and introduce participants to the joys, mysteries and techniques of ski-touring. Add the two and you can head over the edge into virgin snow to a new destination with confidence.
In January, for the inaugural course, I joined a small, select group of three English skiers Paul, Richard and Stephen who had a fair edge on me in terms of age, but were great guys to ski with. I stayed in the Eden Hotel in Le Praz, which had a good family mix, mainly English, a fine restaurant and pleasant, if quiet, bar (complete with the ubiquitous Jameson and, would you believe it, Murphy’s). Le Praz is a few kilometres from Chamonix and so is removed from the downtown night scene. But, by after dinner I was generally happy enough to enjoy a quiet jar and retire before midnight. I’ll stick with burning the candle at one end only.
The first three days we skied with Shona and Derek, honing our technique in the off-piste bowls and ridges in the Grand Montets and La Tour areas of Chamonix. As happens to me too much of late, I rapidly regretted not having worked more on leg strength and stamina before I came out to the Alps. Ah well, next year, perhaps! I’ve known the Tates for years and both are powerful practitioners with an impressive record of ski teaching behind them. In fact Derek is Director of Training to the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors. (For a country which experiences about three snowflakes a year Ireland has a useful record of participation and achievement in Alpine ski racing, both World Cup and Olympic, ski teaching in Europe and America, teaching disadvantaged skiers and participation in Special Olympics Alpine races).
While skiing with Derek we used our own skis and boots, as we were using uphill transport to reach the heights, but we quickly departed the piste to carve new tracks down through the snow. For the first two days the snow cover was scratchy enough, as there had not been any snow for well nigh two weeks, but Derek kept finding decent descents where he challenged us not only to get down in one piece, but always to be on top of our skis, using the carving skis to maximum effect. The third day the snow came in squally blizzards, and we had snow from then on. We skied bumps, gullies, hard-pack (which had turned to ice where the sun had previously thawed the snow), shin deep powder. We skied in sunshine, white-out, blizzard ….. and throughout Shona and Derek showed frustratingly flawless consistency you’d feel like tripping them up! We picked our way through the trees, battled with shrubbery in midday heat (which fought back but didn’t win!), cursed the rocks and revelled in the silent soft snow. There certainly was enough variety in terrain and conditions to keep us always working. I found my confidence in handling different types of snow improved markedly. The extremely poor visibility which occurred with low cloud and falling snow was something with which I’ve always had trouble coping , but Shona and Derek were very supportive good tips abounded.
Day four saw a change of pace and gear. We were met by Robbie Fenlon, who is now based in Chamonix, having been involved in Tiglin Adventure Centre, Co. Wicklow. Robbie takes ski tours through the Alps and, for diversion, treks and climbs in the Himalayas in the off season, when he is not doing ditto in Chamonix. We kitted out with touring skis and loaded our rucksacks with snow shovels and probes. In Chamonix you can’t be cool without a rucksack, even if all it’s got is a couple of chocolate bars. Strapped to our bodies we had avalanche transceivers (specialised two-way radios which emit and receive signals so that one transceiver can be used to find the location of another, should someone get buried in an avalanche). The first routine of the morning was to check that all transceivers were fully operational and switched on a clear warning that backcountry snow, like the sea, is a wild environment to be respected at all times. On our first run we had the chance to view an avalanche not moving and not very big, but when you’re there among the snow boulders you appreciate the power and weight of the snow and realise that the last thing you want is to be buried under it. It was logical, therefore, that our first exercise was to locate and retrieve buried transceivers. This was not as easy as it might appear, and the length of time it took us to find the buried bleepers further reinforced our disinclination to be on the receiving end of a search.
Over the three days of this module we learned a lot of the lore of the mountains, the emphasis being on safe arrival. Ski touring is a trip into the unknown; your guide, especially, must be always vigilant and ready for hidden dangers. Even though a route may be familiar, the snow conditions may change from day to day. By digging snow profiles we learned how to check for planes of weakness which could lead to an avalanche breaking away. In fact in one profile the bottom layer consisted of almost 50mm of cup crystals, which came away so easily that we knew that this slope was one to be treated with respect. We didn’t travel very far from the pisted areas, and the vagaries of the weather, with more snow coming in, ruled out an overnight trip to a mountain hut. But we had plenty to do. Trekking the ridges, and descending through recently covered boulder country added interest.
Then there was the uphill bit. To travel uphill on skis requires that your skis develop a grip on the snow not what you normally need. To do this you apply ‘skins’ to the bottoms of the skis. Originally made of seal skin, they are now synthetic, but like seal skin the hairs all point one way back down the length of the ski. When you push forward the skis slide but, on a slope, when they try to slip backwards the hairs are lifted and grip the snow. To help walking the skis are equipped with special bindings in which the heel can be released so that you can lift your foot. Fine as long as you are pushing forward uphill, but if you come to a shallow descent and the skis stop, you’re likely to end , as I did, with your butt in the air and face buried in the snow. The course ended with a try at leadership skills and a bit of abseiling to sort out a tricky situation.
The six days went too fast. There was a lot to learn with a dedicated team of trainers who kept us going. The concept is good, to combine ski skills and mountain skills. It is very easy in acquiring off-piste techniques to forget that snow must be treated with respect or you may pay a high piece for your carelessness. On the other hand, to be trained to master off-piste skiing adds great joy to the backcountry adventure; and riding the boards with confidence takes the stress out of skiing to add further to the joy. I just wish I had a go at this umpteen years ago!
Shona is Scottish and Derek hails from Dublin. Both are Grade 1, ISTD BASI (British Association of Ski Instructors). They run the British Alpine Ski School in Chamonix, and have their recruitment company, Parallel Dreams, based in Scotland. Derek is on the Board of BASI and is Director of Training to IASI (the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors).
Robbie Fenlon, an Irishman, is a qualified Mountain Guide (UIAGM) with years of climbing and ski touring experience. He is with Wilderplaces, which organises a wide range of ski touring and climbing expeditions, the latter not only in the Alps, but in the Himalayas and north Africa. He has joined forces with Derek Tate to develop and run this Back Country Skiing Course.
There is a new snow experience out there The Back Country Skiing Course. Introduced in the winter of 2005 by Derek and Shona Tate and Robbie Fenlon in Chamonix it is a very interesting amalgamation of off-piste and ski-touring techniques; interesting because the two derive from quite different philosophies.
Off-piste training teaches the proper techniques to handle all sorts of snow conditions which you will not meet on a prepared piste, building up to the excitement of a linked turn descent through deep powder, tackling everything from heavy rutted stuff to screeching ice pack on the way. Edge control, balance, floating the skis through powder, are all part of the armoury of the off-piste skier not to mention the adaptability required to move through the varying terrain and conditions. The name of the game is pointing your skis downhill and feeling the buzz.
Ski touring is less about style and rhythm and more about getting safely from A to B, when you are miles from a piste, . There are significant pauses en route to check safety gear, to look at snow profiles for avalanche risk, to assess the proposed route. The pause to put on skins and release your bindings is followed by the uphill march, without which you won’t get too far off the beaten track.
The concept is to develop and hone off-piste skills and introduce participants to the joys, mysteries and techniques of ski-touring. Add the two and you can head over the edge into virgin snow to a new destination with confidence.
In January, for the inaugural course, I joined a small, select group of three English skiers Paul, Richard and Stephen who had a fair edge on me in terms of age, but were great guys to ski with. I stayed in the Eden Hotel in Le Praz, which had a good family mix, mainly English, a fine restaurant and pleasant, if quiet, bar (complete with the ubiquitous Jameson and, would you believe it, Murphy’s). Le Praz is a few kilometres from Chamonix and so is removed from the downtown night scene. But, by after dinner I was generally happy enough to enjoy a quiet jar and retire before midnight. I’ll stick with burning the candle at one end only.
The first three days we skied with Shona and Derek, honing our technique in the off-piste bowls and ridges in the Grand Montets and La Tour areas of Chamonix. As happens to me too much of late, I rapidly regretted not having worked more on leg strength and stamina before I came out to the Alps. Ah well, next year, perhaps! I’ve known the Tates for years and both are powerful practitioners with an impressive record of ski teaching behind them. In fact Derek is Director of Training to the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors. (For a country which experiences about three snowflakes a year Ireland has a useful record of participation and achievement in Alpine ski racing, both World Cup and Olympic, ski teaching in Europe and America, teaching disadvantaged skiers and participation in Special Olympics Alpine races).
While skiing with Derek we used our own skis and boots, as we were using uphill transport to reach the heights, but we quickly departed the piste to carve new tracks down through the snow. For the first two days the snow cover was scratchy enough, as there had not been any snow for well nigh two weeks, but Derek kept finding decent descents where he challenged us not only to get down in one piece, but always to be on top of our skis, using the carving skis to maximum effect. The third day the snow came in squally blizzards, and we had snow from then on. We skied bumps, gullies, hard-pack (which had turned to ice where the sun had previously thawed the snow), shin deep powder. We skied in sunshine, white-out, blizzard ….. and throughout Shona and Derek showed frustratingly flawless consistency you’d feel like tripping them up! We picked our way through the trees, battled with shrubbery in midday heat (which fought back but didn’t win!), cursed the rocks and revelled in the silent soft snow. There certainly was enough variety in terrain and conditions to keep us always working. I found my confidence in handling different types of snow improved markedly. The extremely poor visibility which occurred with low cloud and falling snow was something with which I’ve always had trouble coping , but Shona and Derek were very supportive good tips abounded.
Day four saw a change of pace and gear. We were met by Robbie Fenlon, who is now based in Chamonix, having been involved in Tiglin Adventure Centre, Co. Wicklow. Robbie takes ski tours through the Alps and, for diversion, treks and climbs in the Himalayas in the off season, when he is not doing ditto in Chamonix. We kitted out with touring skis and loaded our rucksacks with snow shovels and probes. In Chamonix you can’t be cool without a rucksack, even if all it’s got is a couple of chocolate bars. Strapped to our bodies we had avalanche transceivers (specialised two-way radios which emit and receive signals so that one transceiver can be used to find the location of another, should someone get buried in an avalanche). The first routine of the morning was to check that all transceivers were fully operational and switched on a clear warning that backcountry snow, like the sea, is a wild environment to be respected at all times. On our first run we had the chance to view an avalanche not moving and not very big, but when you’re there among the snow boulders you appreciate the power and weight of the snow and realise that the last thing you want is to be buried under it. It was logical, therefore, that our first exercise was to locate and retrieve buried transceivers. This was not as easy as it might appear, and the length of time it took us to find the buried bleepers further reinforced our disinclination to be on the receiving end of a search.
Over the three days of this module we learned a lot of the lore of the mountains, the emphasis being on safe arrival. Ski touring is a trip into the unknown; your guide, especially, must be always vigilant and ready for hidden dangers. Even though a route may be familiar, the snow conditions may change from day to day. By digging snow profiles we learned how to check for planes of weakness which could lead to an avalanche breaking away. In fact in one profile the bottom layer consisted of almost 50mm of cup crystals, which came away so easily that we knew that this slope was one to be treated with respect. We didn’t travel very far from the pisted areas, and the vagaries of the weather, with more snow coming in, ruled out an overnight trip to a mountain hut. But we had plenty to do. Trekking the ridges, and descending through recently covered boulder country added interest.
Then there was the uphill bit. To travel uphill on skis requires that your skis develop a grip on the snow not what you normally need. To do this you apply ‘skins’ to the bottoms of the skis. Originally made of seal skin, they are now synthetic, but like seal skin the hairs all point one way back down the length of the ski. When you push forward the skis slide but, on a slope, when they try to slip backwards the hairs are lifted and grip the snow. To help walking the skis are equipped with special bindings in which the heel can be released so that you can lift your foot. Fine as long as you are pushing forward uphill, but if you come to a shallow descent and the skis stop, you’re likely to end , as I did, with your butt in the air and face buried in the snow. The course ended with a try at leadership skills and a bit of abseiling to sort out a tricky situation.
The six days went too fast. There was a lot to learn with a dedicated team of trainers who kept us going. The concept is good, to combine ski skills and mountain skills. It is very easy in acquiring off-piste techniques to forget that snow must be treated with respect or you may pay a high piece for your carelessness. On the other hand, to be trained to master off-piste skiing adds great joy to the backcountry adventure; and riding the boards with confidence takes the stress out of skiing to add further to the joy. I just wish I had a go at this umpteen years ago!
Shona is Scottish and Derek hails from Dublin. Both are Grade 1, ISTD BASI (British Association of Ski Instructors). They run the British Alpine Ski School in Chamonix, and have their recruitment company, Parallel Dreams, based in Scotland. Derek is on the Board of BASI and is Director of Training to IASI (the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors).
Robbie Fenlon, an Irishman, is a qualified Mountain Guide (UIAGM) with years of climbing and ski touring experience. He is with Wilderplaces, which organises a wide range of ski touring and climbing expeditions, the latter not only in the Alps, but in the Himalayas and north Africa. He has joined forces with Derek Tate to develop and run this Back Country Skiing Course.