Missed powder days and domestic crap.

Is missing a powder day a crime?  Some would say yes but I guess on some days, it’s a question of priorities. 

The Dents du Midi from the top of Super Chatel

When your estate agent from the UK rings you up while you’re riding a chairlift and tells you that he’s sold your house, I guess it’s inevitable that you spend the next day doing paperwork concerned with getting rid of the millstone around your neck that is your remaining link to the UK.

So I’m sitting here looking at all the pretty pictures on Facebook of people ‘shredding’ the pow in the Portes du Soleil, with comments like ‘kerpow’, ‘faceshots’, ‘epic’ and various other words that are code for people falling on their face in the deep stuff.  I console myself that I’m getting something productive done while I filling in boring forms and questionnaires concerning where the water meter is on a house 700 miles away.  Grrr.

It’s a funny time of the season at the moment, with not much teaching work around and the village seems to be taking a breather before next week when the true winter madness of half term in Europe gets under way.  I’m personally taking this time to rest up and fix my aching back and knees which are taking a bit of a hammering this year, through better ski levels of clients and endless powder days.

I had probably one of my best ever days as an instructor yesterday when I was looking after one of the race groups for St George’s International School who had come to Morgins to participate in an International Schools race.  The group I had were the Category C girls and I knew many of them from coaching football at the school in the summer. 

We did all of the racing in the morning and our inspection runs of the GS course were mainly exercises in clearing a foot of fresh powder off of the course.  My group came third in the team event but the real fun started in the afternoon when we had time to free ski in powder so deep it was over my knees.  We skied everywhere and did a bit of everything from open powder fields to trees and bumps and I can genuinely say it was one of the best days I’ve had on the mountain ever.

Right, I’m off to soak myself in a hot bath and try not to feel guilty at wasting yet another powder day in the Portes du Soleil. 

Online here - http://maddogski.com/news-and-blogs/when-real-life-gets-way

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La neige arrives

After a lot of people getting very nervous and some dire predictions by local farmers that the snow wouldn’t arrive until February, the snow is here and winter has started at last.

I was wondering who the arrival to the village would be that would ‘bring the snow with them’ and it turned out to be my mates from home Cheeko and Hughsey, who flew out to surprise me for my birthday at the start of December.  My wife had organised a surprise party for me at The Avalanche and I couldn’t believe it when my boys from home showed up.  (actually I cried – sad I know)

Of course, you know by now the usual carnage that follows and I was pretty glad to get rid of them a few days later, as my liver had taken a real pounding.

oh dear

This weekend was the formation weekend at the ski school where we all get together for a ski and work on things like technique and the progression of skiing from a complete beginner all the way through to parallel skiing.  Last year, this had to be done in two groups of French and English but this year was done entirely in French as there are only 3 British instructors at the ski school (which should mean more work for all of us!!!).  After a year abroad, I understood most of what was said.  This is what progress looks like.

my office

The seasonaires have started arriving in Chatel and the girl’s night out kicks off the winter season tomorrow night with 44 of Chatel’s finest ladies tearing the village up.  This also means that there will be plenty of local single chaps out checking out this season’s talent and trying out their best moves.  Judging by last weekend’s efforts, it’s pretty obvious who’s got game and who hasn’t.  Let’s just say that inviting the new chalet girls to an X-Factor final party doesn’t count as good ‘game’..

It’s snowing big outside and a few of the locals have been out riding the powder and one guy going to the effort to skin up the local highest peak, the Mont de Grange (2400m+)  Not really my style to be honest but we were all pleased for him.  I’ve just dragged my big fat skis out from the cave in anticipation of a powder day tomorrow morning :DDD

online here

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Interview with Nico Cruz

Earlier this month I was out on a rare non-teaching powder day with a few mates in Chatel and caught up with local freerider, Nico Cruz who was off to the US in search of powder to shred and cliffs to drop.

Nico has starred in a few videos and has a few magazine covers to his name so I grabbed an interview with him for Mad Dog Ski before he left.

So you’re off to the US in February. What are you up to out there?

Skiing some resorts around Salt Lake. Alta, Snowbird, Park City and also Jackson Hole.

I'm looking to be skiing some powder since Europe is so dry at the moment. I'm realizing a dream to be skiing in some of the mecca of powder skiing.

I’ve looked at your videos online and seen the magazine covers that you’ve done. It looks like you’re all about hitting the powder and jumping off cliffs. What’s your favourite thing to do when you ski for yourself?

Well it's definitely skiing powder, nothing beats skiing powder. When you feel the snow hitting your chest and you get face-shots every turn is the sole purpose of skiing for me. Also hucking stuff is quite a good feeling. Knowing that you chuck yourself off high cliff and just land in powder.

So Chatel is your winter hometown, what do you like about it so much?

First it's where my family is from and even though I wasn't raised here I still feel a strong bond with this place. Secondly, I've travelled quite a bit and to be honest it's difficult to find a resort that's got has much variety in terrain than Chatel.

Chatel is a place that a lot of UK skiers and boarders come to. Why do you think they like it here so much?

First, it's the closest resort from the airport, Geneva and then it's a real village before being a ski resort so you got the real feel of being in France. It's quite authentic. And it's part of the Portes du Soleil.

Where are your favourite spots to ski in the Portes du Soleil?

Well besides Chatel obviously, i quite enjoy the park in Avoriaz and cruising around all the resorts actually.

The kickers in Les Crosets were bigger last year...

Well they actually had snow last year (laughs)

Any secret spots that you want to share?

Not too sure I would like them to be completely canned tomorrow and also not sure I want the responsibility of pushing out of bounds but if I have to pick one of them it would be through the forest down to Les Lindarets.

And what about if you aren’t skiing the Portes du Soleil. What other places do you like to ride?

Well I absolutely loved Japan, it really lived up to my expectations regarding snow.

The Portes du Soleil is well known for having lots of lazy blue and red runs and generally easy skiing. How did you come to be known for jumping off cliffs and getting buried in powder turns?

Well when you're there on the days that it dumps you can easily get covered. Also the off-piste in the Portes du Soleil is massive, so not much link to the colours of the slopes I have to say.

Freeride skis have moved on a lot in the last few years. When we were out the other day the pair you were on had a bit of rocker and a fairly unique shape. Does this really help in the deep stuff or is it a gimmick?

Yes it helps a lot. The fatter the ski the more float you get, so you can concentrate on riding more than lifting your tips of the pow, then the rocker camber helps the ski rise form the snow even more so it's pretty amazing.

How much time do you spend in the snowpark? The standard of riding in the videos has gone up massively in the last few years so I guess you’ve got to be pretty good at everything?

Well, people kind of specialise and in my case I use the park to train then bring it to the backcountry but where I really want to get better is at skiing very steep and gnarly lines.

Where do you hope that skiing can take you? What’s next for you?

I'm not really sure. If i can keep on skiing and getting taken around resorts around the globe it'd be amazing. The travel is great and really part of my experience in skiing. The places you see, the people you meet. It just makes you want to do more and see more. It's definitely an addiction.

Ok, finally, four other mini questions;


1. Black or white?

Black, even though snow's white.

2. Person you’d most like to share a T Bar with?

Michael Jordan if he skied.

3. Plane, Train or Automobile?

Automobile

4. Top Gun or Days of Thunder?

What? I'm French remember.

Top Gun never made it to France?

Yes but what's the other one?

Same movie but with cars - exactly the same.

Top Gun then. Love the F16.



Nico is sponsored by Amplid, Orage, Hestra, Electric, Discrete, Bern, Châtel, Skullcandy, Lange and Look

Photography credits to : Jahl Marshall and Niseko Photography.


Published here

Drive to the Alps for a long weekend?

I'm a self confessed fan of driving to the Alps for ski trips and I was singing the praises of it way before Clarkson made it famous in his race to Verbier when he beat Hammond and May who took the plane.

To me, it's always made a lot of sense because the is an endless amount of general pricking about that goes on with air travel. The way I see it, you have an hour journey to whatever airport you go to, two hours check in, two hours in the air, another hour in the airport and then a two to three hour transfer to the resort. In total then, with no delays it is at best a nine hour trip and you still won't be able to get there early enough to ski in the afternoon.

Now I'm not saying that the car is quicker but consider the benefits. You are in the comfort of your own space for the entire journey, it can be significantly cheaper, you don't have to brave Gatwick Airport in ski season (there or on the way back) and it can be very useful having a car in resort.

Consider a trip I took recently with my soon to be emigrating (and as such, dead to me) friend, Fonzy. We left my house in Hertfordshire at 5am sharp, dodged the dartford crossing toll by 10 minutes and got to the Eurotunnel in time for a coffee, ham and cheese panini and a 7.20am crossing.

Once arrived on the other side, at 8.55am we gunned it through bleak flat northern France until the fuel started to run out somewhere midway through the country. A quick stop for a tank of fuel, an away football supporter's lunch, a browse of the pornography and a change of driver then we were soon on our way again.

This tank of fuel lasted all the way through mid-France with it's numerous village churches, birds of prey and herds of deer and you then head left towards Geneva and the mountains. We happened to be going to Chatel in the Portes du Soleil, so we were on the autoroute all the way until the final hour when we wound our way up the valley to the resort. You know you are getting close when you start seeing the snow chains signs.

Door to door, this took 12 hours in total. We had the Ipod on random most of the way and contrived a game that involved guessing the songs based on the introduction. This had a fine of two fingers for the loser of each round and by the time we arrived I owed four pints, showing up my lack of knowledge of all things U2 and unknown Australian rock bands.

After such an epic road trip, a massive drinking session ensued followed by Fonzy's equally epic hangover, four days of skiing and much local Savoyard food and wine. When it was time to leave, the reverse trip was more or less exactly the same as the trip out, except it seemed faster - as all journeys home seem to do.

On this occasion, we didn't use the car in resort, but we could have done and it certainly would have saved a few dubious moments on the hot, stinking ski bus which didn't mix too nicely with Fonzy's hangovers. He really isn't very good in the morning after a big night out.

Four days is a nice length for a break. The wannabe Aussie was certainly hanging by the end of the fourth day, but this was mainly due to him concussing himself on the first AND second days and yours truly making sure he had a final epic day's skiing on the last day that he would never forget. In my view, any time spent in the mountains is good time and even if it takes two days of travel to be in such a beautiful environment, it's worth every mile.



Total costs of driving for 4 day ski break (and 2 days of travel);

Bed & Breakfast - twin room for 5 nights - £350
Eurotunnel - £120
Tolls - £70
Fuel - £200

Total - £740/2 - £370 each.

(ski passes extra as they would be for any normal package hol)

p.s. I'll post details of the actual skiing and apres element of the trip in another blog entry.