BASI British International Ski Teacher L4 ISTD // Mountain Leader MTA
TEL: +33 (0)630 111109   //   SIRET NO: 803 597 210 00035

ESSENTIAL INTRODUCTION TO SKI TOURING SKILLS COURSE

FREEFLO is joining up together with ALL AT SKI to offer a unique 5 full-day Essential Ski Touring Skills Course based in Sainte Foy in France, 19th-26th March 2023. The package included 7x nights Half Board Accommodation.

Created and designed for intermediate skiers who have off-piste experience with little or no ski touring experience.
Discover hidden gems skiing in different locations in the Tarentaise Valley and get away from the hustle and bustle of a ski resort. You will be coached whilst learning essential skills needed in the backcountry, building on your existing skills and confidence.  Every day you will be driven to different resorts to ski on the best snow.

Join us ski touring

Date: March 19th-26th March 2023
Full Package: €1697 (per person)
Duration: €1697 (per person) based on two sharing. Single supplement may be possible on request
Location: Based in the Auberge St Foy

Package includes
-€485 Ski Touring Kickstarter Digital Online Course 
-Free Membership in the Ski Motivation Hub 
-5 Full Days of British backcountry ski coaching with British ISTD Teacher and Mountain Leader Floss.
-Avalanche and transceiver workshop
-7x Nights Accommodation and Breakfast, 6x Three Course Evening Meals
-6 days of bus transfers between resorts
-Transfers from Geneve at selected times only.

What the package doesn’t include:
– Insurance
– Lift pass
– Lunch and snacks
– Equipment
– Flights

What will you learn?
– Essential ski touring techniques
– Snow awareness, avalanche training
– Route selection
– Making better decisions in avalanche terrain
– How to improve your off-piste skiing
– How to use your ski touring equipment

What level of fitness do you need?
Level 1 fitness is needed for this course. You need to be able to ski all day with short stops for food and drink. You can ski off-piste all day and back-to-back days. You can ski tour uphill for a maximum of 2/3hours hours at altitude. 

What level of ski ability do you need? 
Level 4/5-You must be able to ski red and black pisted runs with no problem and you can deal with some different snow conditions. You have confidence ability in skiing off-piste terrain and are able to link turns and control your speed using different radius turns up to 35 degrees. You are happy to ski in an open simple off-piste terrain.

What level of ski touring do you need?
This course is perfect if you have no or little ski touring experience. The pace is relaxed and a great introduction to touring. The maximum you will tour per day will be up to 900M which will be around 3 hours in duration.
 

The backcountry of the Tarentaise


Meet the Coach: FREEFLO
Floss Cockle is a BASI British International Ski Teacher L4 ISTD which is the highest teaching qualification available to a British coach anywhere in the world. She has the French Carte de Professional which allows her to work in France. With her great passion for teaching and being in the mountains, she has a wealth of experience and has coached skiing for twenty-five years. One of her biggest achievements is climbing and skiing the highest mountain in the Alps Mont Blanc 4810M as well as skiing the volcanoes of Patagonia.
 
Floss is a videographer and has her own youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/FreeFloFloss. Due to these digital times, she is also the creator of ski touring kickstarter which is an online ski touring course that teaches you how to get prepare successfully to get into ski touring.

Floss is also a Summer Mountain Leader and guides people in the UK Mountains. In the summer she is an adventure coach who helps people to reach their goals and dreams whether it is running a 10k to climbing famous peaks. If you are interested in online coaching book a free discovery call.

Visit Floss’s website: www.freefloski.com 

Insurance:
Getting specialist travel insurance that covers cancellation, medical and mountain rescue is highly recommended. FREEFLO will not be liable for injuries or accidents on the mountain. Ensure that your insurance covers your skiing off-piste beyond the ski boundary with a guide or an instructor. Buying a Carte de Neige with your lift pass in the resort or online is recommended as it will cover any mountain rescue without payment. 

You can purchase the carte de Neige in the resort with your lift pass for around €3 euros a day or you can purchase it online to beat the queues for a year at http://www2.ffs.fr/carteneige.

Kit list:
Skis:
Ideally an all-mountain ski with a ski touring binding that is 85-95cm underfoot. The length of the ski shouldn’t be too long (as it makes kick turns harder) and the ski tips of the skis should be between your chin and your eyes when standing.

Touring Bindings:
There are three types of bindings on the market:
1) Diamir Fritschi:
2) Marker Tour
3) Pin Bindings
Pin bindings and boots are lighter and easier to use for kick turn and going uphill but they do compromise ski performance going downhill. We do recommend that you rent or have the lightest equipment possible for the backcountry course. Diamir and Marker bindings (where you use a regular downhill ski boot with walk mode) are heavier and don’t have the ankle flex for touring uphill, however, the ski performance downhill is better. 

Skins:
Ideally, skins should be a mixture of mohair and nylon and must have a nose and tail clip. The skins should cover the whole ski and be only 2mm free from the edges.  Skins should be hung to dry after use but not over extreme heat after use.

Boots:
If you haven’t got your own ski touring boots you can rent them or use your downhill boots if they have a walk mode. Ski touring boots are highly recommended as they are light and have a ski touring mode.

Poles:
Telescopic ski poles with a powder basket are essential.

Clothing:
Spring Touring:
Wear thin light breathable layers with a Gore-tex shell
Ski Trousers should have a zip on the outside of the leg for ventilation
Light synthetic mid-layer for the summit or a lightweight down-layer.
A neck buff is always essential for ski touring in Spring and in Winter.

Winter Touring:
In addition to the above add warm breathable layers and a down mid-layer jacket.

Gloves:
Inner liners and light but warm and waterproof gloves.
Accessories:
Suncream 50+, buff, googles with good and bad weather lenses, sunglasses, light beanie, headband (optional), cap to protect you from the sun, camera, go pro, cash, insurance cards, credit card, charged telephone, spare batteries for transceiver, battery charging pack, duck tape, penknife.  Helmet is optional.
First Aid Kit:
Ensure that you have a small first aid kit which includes; paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, bandages, compeed etc, so you can deal with first aid if you have to. Purchasing a blizzard blanket is recommended www.blizzardblanket.com
Avalanche Equipment:
A transceiver with three antennae and multiple search victim modes is recommended, a 2m probe or longer and a steel shovel.
Water bottle, flask and snacks, packed lunch: For day tours please make sure you have a minimum of 1 litre of water and a packed lunch. Nuts, dried fruit, energy bars and energy drinks for slow release energy instead just chocolate (but chocolate is always nice too!) Jelly babies for the coaches.
Backpack:
35-45 litre backpack ideally a top loader which sits comfortably on your back.
Map, Compass, GPS: (optional but good to have)
A silva expedition compass and maps are optional but very good to have, especially if you want to improve your navigation skills. (Maps: Carte de Randonnee 3633T and 3532T for Val D’Isere, Tignes and St Foy. You can purchase the maps at the Tabac in Tignes.

Lift Pass:
The aim of the week is to ski in different locations every day. You can purchase a lift pass daily in the resort we are skiing in or we highly recommend everyone to get A La Carte ski pass which will save you time and money.

Rough Itinerary:
This is an example of a 5 half-day backcountry adventure itinerary. An average day will be 9 am – 4 pm. The itinerary is likely to change depending on the group, energy levels and the weather.
Sunday: Arrive
Monday: Introduction meeting. Introduction to the use of avalanche equipment, ski touring equipment and techniques on lower slopes. Warm up to find our ski legs on the piste with a technical focus on balance and other fundamental elements. The ski area will be local in St Foy.
Tuesday: Dependant on weather conditions 200-400m ascent ski tour. Practice ski touring techniques, packing your ski touring bag and technical focus on off-piste skiing. The choice of resorts will be Les Arcs, Tignes or Val D`Isere.
Wednesday: Technical focus on route selection, weather and decision-making in avalanche terrain. Touring up to 600m. Depending on where the best conditions are skiing in Les Arcs, Val or Tignes.
Thursday: Technical focus on ski touring a longer route and leadership skills with a ski tour in a different resort. Depending on where the best conditions are skiing in Les Arcs, Val or Tignes.
Friday: Revision on techniques and skills. Tour and debrief.
Saturday: Free Ski Day – Ste Foy

Please let us know if you are interested in this course and if you know of anyone else that would be please email Floss at [email protected]. Save money and refer a friend to ask for more details.

I am happy to answer any questions that you may have with regard to skiing and levels.

For all accommodation enquires, bookings and payments please email: [email protected]

Website please visit: allatski.com

I will look forward to skiing with you and coaching you into the wonderful world of ski touring.

Floss 

Please connect with me on:  

FREEFLOSKI

[email protected] 
www.freefloski.com

Ski Touring Kickstarter Online Course: Save Money and Time
Tips and Hacks To Improve Your Skiing
Adventure Coaching: Book Free Call 

Connect us on: 
Instagram
Facebook

ESSENTIAL SKI TOURING SKILLS COURSE

FREEFLO is offering a unique 5 half-day Essential Ski Touring Skills Course in Tignes and Val D’Isere, France. Created and designed for intermediate skiers who have skied off-piste with little or no ski touring experience, and who would like to explore the mountains one step beyond the pistes. Be led and guided whilst learning essential skills needed in the backcountry, building on your existing skills and confidence.  

Escape from the crowds and enjoy the peace, tranquillity and beauty of the backcountry whilst having fun and learning how to be safe when skiing in the mountains.

Date: March 20th-24th March 2023
Course Fee: €537.00 (Max group size 6)
Duration: 5x Half Days
Location: Tignes, Espace Killy, France 

Package includes

• €485 Ski Touring Kickstarter Digital Online Course 

• Free Membership in the Ski Motivation Hub 

• 5 half days of British backcountry ski coaching with Floss 

• Avalanche and transceiver workshop

• Photos & film of your week

What the course fee doesn’t include:
– Insurance
– Lift pass
– Lunch and snacks
– Equipment
– Guides lunch and expenses

What will you learn?
– Essential ski touring techniques
– Snow awareness, avalanche training
– Route selection
– Making better decisions in avalanche terrain
– How to improve your off-piste skiing
– How to use your ski touring equipment

What level of fitness do you need?
Level 1 fitness is needed for this course. You need to be able to ski all day with short stops for food and drink. You can ski off-piste all day and back-to-back days. You can ski tour uphill for a maximum of 2 hours at altitude. 

What level of ski ability do you need? 
Level 4/5-You must be able to ski red and black pisted runs with no problem and you can deal with some different snow conditions. You have confidence ability in skiing off-piste terrain and are able to link turns and control your speed using different radius turns up to 35 degrees. You are happy to ski in an open simple off-piste terrain.

What level of ski touring do you need?
This course is perfect if you have no or little ski touring experience. The pace is relaxed and a great introduction to touring. The maximum you will tour per day will be up to 500M.

Meet the Coach: 

FREEFLO
Floss Cockle is a BASI British International Ski Teacher L4 ISTD which is the highest teaching qualification available to a British coach anywhere in the world and she has the French Carte de Professional which allows her to work in France. With her great passion for teaching and being in the mountains, she has a wealth of experience and has coached skiing for twenty-five years plus. One of her biggest achievements is climbing and skiing the highest mountain in the Alps Mont Blanc 4810M. 

Floss is a videographer and has her own youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/FreeFloFloss. She is also the creator of ski touring kickstarter which is an online ski touring course that teaches you how to get prepare successfully to save money and time to get into ski touring.

Floss is also a Summer Mountain Leader and guides people in the UK Mountains. In the mountains is where you will find her skiing, climbing, running, biking, leading people, hiking etc:  

Visit Floss’s website: www.freefloski.com 


Insurance:
Getting specialist travel insurance that covers cancellation, medical and mountain rescue is highly recommended. FREEFLO will not be liable for injuries or accidents on the mountain. Ensure that your insurance covers your skiing off piste beyond the ski boundary with a guide or an instructor. Buying a Carte de Neige with your lift pass in the resort or online is recommended as it will cover any mountain rescue without payment. 

You can purchase the carte de neige in the resort with your lift pass for around €3 euros a day or you can purchase it online to beat the queues for a year at http://www2.ffs.fr/carteneige.

Kit list:

Skis:
Ideally an all-mountain ski with a ski touring binding that is 85-95cm underfoot. The length of the ski shouldn’t be too long (as it makes kick turns harder) and the ski tips of the skis should be between your chin and your eyes when standing.

Touring Bindings:
There are three types of bindings on the market:
1) Diamir Fritschi:
2) Marker Tour
3) Pin Bindings
Pin bindings and boots are lighter and easier to use for kick turn and going uphill but they do compromise ski performance going downhill. We do recommend that you rent or have the lightest equipment possible for the backcountry course. Diamir and Marker bindings (where you use a regular downhill ski boot with walk mode) are heavier and don’t have the ankle flex for touring uphill, however, the ski performance downhill is better. 

Skins:
Ideally, skins should be a mixture of mohair and nylon and must have a nose and tail clip. The skins should cover the whole ski and be only 2mm free from the edges.  Skins should be hung to dry after use but not over extreme heat after use.

Boots:
If you haven’t got your own ski touring boots you can rent them or use your downhill boots if they have a walk mode. Ski touring boots are highly recommended as they are light and have a ski touring mode.

Poles:
Telescopic ski poles with a powder basket is essential.

Clothing:
Spring Touring:
Wear thin light breathable layers with a Gore-tex shell
Ski Trousers should have a zip on the outside of the leg for ventilation
Light synthetic mid-layer for the summit or a lightweight down-layer.
A neck buff is always essential for ski touring in Spring and in Winter.

Winter Touring:
In addition to the above add warm breathable layers and a down mid-layer jacket.

Gloves:
Inner liners and light but warm and waterproof gloves.
Accessories:
Suncream 50+, buff, googles with good and bad weather lenses, sunglasses, light beanie, headband (optional), cap to protect you from the sun, camera, go pro, cash, insurance cards, credit card, charged telephone, spare batteries for transceiver, battery charging pack, duck tape, penknife.  Helmet is optional.
First Aid Kit:
Ensure that you have a small first aid kit which includes; paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, bandages, compeed etc, so you can deal with first aid if you have to. Purchasing a blizzard blanket is recommended www.blizzardblanket.com
Avalanche Equipment:
A transceiver with three antennae and multiple search victim modes is recommended, a 2m probe or longer and a steel shovel.
Water bottle, flask and snacks, packed lunch: For day tours please make sure you have a minimum of 1litre of water and a packed lunch. Nuts, dried fruit, energy bars and energy drinks for slow release energy instead just chocolate (but chocolate is always nice too!) Jelly babies for the coaches.
Backpack:
35-45 litre backpack ideally a top loader which sits comfortably on your back.
Map, Compass, GPS: (optional but good to have)
A silva expedition compass and maps are optional but very good to have, especially if you want to improve your navigation skills. (Maps: Carte de Randonnee 3633T and 3532T for Val D’Isere, Tignes and St Foy. You can purchase the maps at the Tabac in Tignes.Lift Pass: Please purchase an Espace Killy lift pass or a Forfait Rando pass at the STGM lift office in Le Lac or Val Claret on or before the first day of the course ahead of the introduction meeting. The lift pass office opens at 8.30am.

Rough Itinerary:
This is an example of a 5 half-day backcountry adventure itinerary. An average day will be 9am – 12 pm. The itinerary is likely to change due to individual and group goals and the weather.

Day 1: Introduction meeting. Introduction to the use of avalanche equipment, ski touring equipment and techniques on lower pisted slopes. Warm up to find our ski legs on the piste with a technical focus on balance and other fundamental elements.
Day 2: Dependant on weather conditions 200-300m ascent ski tour. Practice on ski touring techniques, packing your ski touring bag and technical focus on off-piste skiing.
Day 3: Technical focus on route selection, weather and decision-making in avalanche terrain.
Day 4: Technical focus on ski touring a longer route and leadership skills. 
Day 5: Ski touring and back to the resort for coffee and debriefing. 

Please let us know if you are interested in this course and if you know of anyone else that would be please email Floss at [email protected]. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have. 

I will look forward to skiing with you and coaching you on the skills.

Floss 

Please connect with me on:  

FREEFLOSKI

[email protected] 
www.freefloski.com

Ski Touring Kickstarter Online Course: Save Money and Time
Tips and Hacks To Improve Your Skiing
Adventure Coaching: Book Free Call 

Connect us on: 
Instagram
Facebook

*STORYTIME* The Ski Touring Kickstarter Online Course

MY STORY BEHIND THE SKI TOURING KICKSTARTER COURSE:

Three years ago in 2018, I had the idea of creating an online course to share my passion for ski touring and my 22 years of experience of skiing coaching and adventures in the backcountry. The following winter was disastrous as in January 2019 a skier skied into me whilst teaching on the mountain. My leg was broken into many parts. Whilst rehabbing my body and mind for ten months the seed of creating an online course was still growing strong inside.

My mission was to help and support skiers to get them prepared successfully for the new world of ski touring. When the pandemic and mayhem arrived in winter 2020/21 the ski lifts in France never opened due to COVID19. My only income died overnight as people all over the world were in lockdowns and didn’t have the freedom to travel. It was in January 2021 that the Ski Touring Kickstarter was born.

I invested time and money in courses to learn the skills on how to create and launch a successful course. After investing in lots of other courses I knew the difference between a good course and a bad course. Then I started my journey of creation.

Most of my days in winter 2021 I spent alone outside in all weathers punching fear in the face and pressing record. I had to face the imposter syndrome and the fears of what other people would think. Perfectionism would sometimes go into procrastination. Finally, after the winter I filmed and edited over 32 videos for the course and nearly 50 different youtube videos for my channel Freeflofloss.

With more setbacks and another bereavement in the family, I found myself struggling and my mindset broken and disorientated. I wanted to finish something that I had started. It was important to me to not get distracted in the modern world and to follow through. So in September, I carved out a couple of weeks to put the content of the course together. This included resources, discount codes, blogs, written content, website links, pictures etc:

For the four weeks leading up to the ski show, I placed myself in a working environment and returned back to the UK in front of a computer in my brother’s house. Totally out of my normal life routine I would spend 10-14 hours per day learning and problem-solving.

I had the course completed but what I needed to learn was the tech side. So I carved out the time to learn how to put all the moving parts together. How to build a sales page, how to build out a sales page, how to create an opt-in page, how to link up the course to an email sequence, how to create a thank you video etc: Small tasks like enrolling API payment keys would take hours compared to a developer that would take only minutes. The day before the ski show the course was finally finished. At the National Snow Show on the 23rd October 2021 in Birmingham, UK the Ski Touring Kickstarter course was then launched.

For more information about the ski touring Kickstarter and to join the community visit www.skitouringkickstarter.com or visit my website page: Freefloski.

If you have any questions just send me an email: [email protected] or [email protected]

I will look forward to coaching you inside of the Ski Touring Kickstarter programme and introducing you to the wonderful world of ski touring.

Avalanche Safety: 3 Terrain Selection Mistakes To Avoid

On the 12th of December 2020, 40cm of fresh snow fell over two days in the northern French Alps in the Tarentaise Valley. The snowfall fell on top of a weak fragile layer and nine avalanches were reported the next day. These avalanches caused many injuries and luckily no casualties.

In this blog I am going to share with you three terrain selection mistakes that riders made after a 40cm snowfall and how to avoid them. 

MISTAKE 1: SLOPE ANGLE 

The riders choose a slope after a heavy snowfall above 30 degrees. Avalanche danger significantly increases with slope angle as you rise above 30-degrees, but beyond 50-degrees (Tremper) or 60-degrees, (Fredston and Fesler) the likelihood of dangerous slab avalanches decreases.  

HOW TO AVOID: After a heavy snowfall consider a slope less than degrees angle.

MISTAKE 2: ASPECT OF SLOPE 

The majority avalanches on that day happened on northerly aspects. Depending on what direction the slope faces at what time of the year is vital information to how the snowpack bonds. It’s so important to check the forecast, the avalanche bulletin and get local information before making your route decisions. To understand which aspects are more dangerous than others. 

HOW TO AVOID: Find out which aspects of the slope in the area that you would like to ride in are more dangerous and avoid them.

MISTAKE 3: SHAPE OF THE SLOPE

The riders choose a slope with a convexity. Convex slopes statistically produce more avalanches and more avalanche accidents than other kinds of slopes, because they are inherently less stable.

HOW TO AVOID: Avoid slopes with a convexity all together. 

It’s so important to get the right training and education so you can make better and safer decisions when riding off-piste. If you hire an experienced guide and instructor its such an investment as they can teach you to make the right decisions in avalanche terrain and pass their experience. For more details or if you have any questions please drop me an email to: [email protected] or visit my website www.freefloski.com

TOP TIP: LET IT SETTLE

Don’t hike right after a heavy snowfall storm. Most avalanches occur during or just after a heavy snowfall when added weight and weak bonds between fresh and existing snow make slides more likely. Experts recommend waiting at least 48 hours but local variables can extend that time. Always check the avalanche forecast (go to avalanche.org to find a report for your area).

Check out the video on the Freefloski You Tube channel.

On this tutorial channel I share my passion for skiing and the love for the mountains. With 24years of teaching and leading experience I will share with you my secrets, tips and advice to make skiing easier and the mountains safer. Follow and subscribe 👍 .

Stay safe and enjoy the mountains.

Floss