FREEFLO and POWDER MAD are offering a unique 5 Full Days coaching and 7 nights self-catering package Introduction To Intermediate Ski Touring Skills Week in Tarentaise Valley, France 26th March – April 2023.
This skills week is for strong intermediate skiers with a good level of fitness and off-piste skiing skills with little or no experience in ski touring, who want to take their ski touring and adventure to the next level.
Date: March 26th March-2nd April 2023
Full Package: €1395 (Max group size 6)
Duration: 5x Full Days Coaching and 7x nights self-catered accommodation
Location: Tignes, France
Package includes:
-Ski Touring Kickstarter Digital Online Course Coupon €385 OFF
-Free Membership in the Ski Motivation Hub
-5 Full Days of British backcountry ski coaching with Floss
-Avalanche and transceiver workshop
– Self Catering Accommodation
What the course fee doesn’t include:
– Insurance
– Lift pass
– Lunch and snacks
– Equipment
– Transfers
– Flights/Train
What will you learn?
– Ski touring techniques
– Snow awareness, avalanche training
– Route selection, navigation, how to plan a touring ski day
– How to make better decisions in avalanche terrain
– How to improve your off-piste skiing
– How to use your ski touring equipment and the extra kit you need
What level of fitness do you need?
Level 2 fitness is needed for this course. You need to be able to ski all day with short stops for food and drink. You are able to ski off-piste all day and back-to-back days. You can ski tour uphill for a maximum of 2-4 hours at altitude and still have the energy to put some good ski turns in for the downhill.
What level of ski ability do you need?
You must be able to ski red and black pisted runs with no problem and you can cope with all 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 comfortable to ski down variable conditions narrow paths and more complex terrain with trees and gullies. You have had some experience with exposure.
What level of ski touring do you need?
Each tour will involve 2/4 hours of going uphill every day and between 400-1000m of uphill with a mindset to be coached. You must be able to cover at least 400m of uphill per hour with little or no ski touring experience.
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.
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 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 That You Need:
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 turns 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, google 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. The 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 antenna and multiple search victim mode is recommended, 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 on 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.
All skis and equipment can be rented in resort at: https://mountainstory.fr/en/home/
Overnight stay in a mountain refuge:
Depending on weather and abilities there may be the opportunity to stay in an overnight mountain hut for one night. This allows us to begin much earlier in the day and to have a true mountain experience. From mid-march the huts are manned and provide food (evening meal and snacks). Please budget €75-€85 per night to cover food and drinks and the guides stay.
The huts only accept cash. For an overnight stay we recommend you take more snacks for the next day, spare socks, toothbrush, head torch, wet wipes, bacteria gel, thin thermals to sleep in.
Rough Itinerary:
An average day will be 9am – 3.30/4pm. The itinerary is likely to change due to individual and group goals and the weather.
Day 1: Monday: 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. Guided day on how to plan a tour.
Day 2: Tuesday: Dependant on weather conditions 200-400m ascent ski tour. Options the Col de Palet, col de fours, or the three cols with a technical focus on how to improve your off-piste skiing. Member of group plans and leads with assistance.
Day 3: Wednesday: Member of group plans and leads with assistance. Technical focus on off-piste skiing and variable conditions.
Day 4: Thursday: Member of group plans and leads with assistance. Technical focus ski touring/hiking with a tour and a possible stop at a mountain hut.
Day 5: Friday: Ski touring back to the resort. Coffee and debrief.
Day 6: Saturday: Free Ski Day
Please let us know if you are interested in this course and if you know of anyone else that would by emailing Floss at [email protected]. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have.
All accommodation enquires, bookings and payments are to go through Powder Mad email: [email protected]
I will look forward to skiing and coaching you in the new world of ski touring.
Floss
FREEFLOSKI
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www.skitouringkickstarter.com
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