More snow than you can shake a stick at..

It just keeps snowing here in Les Gets! By my calculations, we have now had around 1.5 metres of accumulated snowfall this winter, to date. It is certainly one of the snowiest early starts in recent years and with temperatures staying well below freezing, they are also running snow cannon....just to make sure!

I have now been ski touring quite a few times this winter (as the lifts aren't opening until tomorrow) and have skied fresh virgin powder every time. Yesterday, with a couple of mates, I skinned up to the top of Mt Chéry (1850m), skied the black down Chéry Nord and then decided to do it again because it was so good the first time.

Imagine - no lifts running so nobody else around, half a metre of fresh snow from the previous 36hrs....and blue skies. Why wouldn't you add another 30 minute slog up to get another 1.5 minute run down?

Getting my early season fix!

Skiing is like a drug and by this time of year I really can't wait any longer to make a few turns. So last Wednesday I got up at 5.30am to drive across to Saas-Fee in Switzerland. For many people a two and a half hour drive would be too far just for a few ski runs.....but when you're hooked, you'll go to almost any lengths to get your fix!

Huge snowfalls early in the week meant we had the added bonus of skiing on 50cm of fresh snow, but despite having only taken a small pair of piste skis, it was still brilliant fun to rack up a few runs and make sure the summer fitness-training paid off.

Fantastic early winter snow conditions have been reported around the globe with many of the bigger resorts planning to open sooner than normal. But closer to home, a few lifts at Cairngorm opened for business last weekend - checkout the video clip on YouTube. I was back in Scotland visting my family but it never occurred to me that I could have gone skiing as well.

In Les Gets and Morzine we have a 10cm base of snow at 1500 metres and around 30cm at 2000 metres. We shouldn't have to wait too long for some local skiing, but I've had my fix for now, so should be able to wait a week or two for the next few thousand turns......bring it on!

Keep your eyes on our local snow conditions via the webcams.

Learning a new sport...

I have now had three lessons learning how to sail on Lake Geneva and I'm really enjoying trying to get to grips with a new sport. The wind has been very gentle for a lot of the time, but when it does pick up.....wow, what a buzz!

With my 'ski teacher hat' on, learning to sail has given me a valuable insight into the world of a 'beginner'. Brain overload, clumsy maneuvering and poor coordination - these are just some of things I experience with my ski and board clients. But there I was, showing all the classic signs!

How many times would I push or pull the tiller (the bit that connects to the rudder) the wrong way - a relatively simple choice to change course to port or starboard, but how long does it take the body to perform a skill semi-automatically, or completely autonomously?

Trying to perfect a 'tack' (changing direction by about 90 degrees whilst sailing upwind) was amazingly tricky even in gentle winds. Whilst the initial idea was straightforward, trying to make it all happen without letting go of either the tiller or the mainsheet (rope) - or heaven forbid both - was like threading the eye of a needle with a telegraph post.

I'm looking forward to getting loads more practise and I can't wait to try hanging off the side of a catamaran in a harness. You never know, I might even be able to navigate across to the Swiss side of the lake and back.

I have really enjoyed 'learning how to learn' again and I will make sure I give all my clients this winter plenty of time to PRACTICE before trying to teach them something else........you can hold me to that, or your money back!

Updated website..

The SkiSchool.co.uk website has now been updated and features our Les Gets and Morzine operations in a far more user-friendly style.

A host of new photo layouts have been incorporated into the site, and the pictures are genuinely representative of what we are all about.

I really feel that we now have a perfectly balanced website, which:

• looks dynamic, fresh and colourful
• contains plenty of useful information
• is easy to navigate
• allows easy booking and enquiries

I'm sure that many of you are far better qualified to judge the merits of the SkiSchool.co.uk website and we always welcome your comments and feedback.

The Blizzard of Aahhh's

A night at the pictures....

The ultimate extreme ski movie "The Blizzard of Aahhh's" played in Chamonix last night as part of a series of mountain films. Filmed in 1988, this "cult classic" starred the legendary bad boy of skiing Glen Plake, who still sports a massive Mohawk hairstyle despite surely being around 50 years old by now.

When a friend of mine called to say that she was helping to organise the event, and that Mr Glen Plake would be a guest, I quickly realised this was an evening not to miss. Despite not having watched The Blizzard of Aahhh's for a few years now, it was surprising how most of the old corny voice over came flooding back....stirring up fond memories of my early years in the Alps!

The movie described as a "rockumentary", features loads of cliff jumps and powder skiing and the ski suits are classic 80's style. The difficulty of some of the narrow couloirs (some as steep as 5o degrees) on old school, long and skinny skis, makes the skiing even more impressive than it already is. The film also has a great soundtrack including Frankie goes to Hollywood, Act and Propoganda.

The Blizzard of Aahhh's and Glen Plake were an inspiration to me and many of my colleagues - it was brilliant to see the film again and have the privilege of meeting the man himself! If you haven't seen the film before try and borrow it from someone.....if you have seen the film before, watch it again!

London-Paris bike ride

I have just returned from my latest cycling challenge which was an organised London to Paris ride with 31 other people. Admittedly not quite in the same league as my previous Pyreneen and Alpine traverses, but a challenge nonetheless - 500km in 4 days, temperatures up to 40 degrees, torrential rain and thunderstorms.

We set off from that well known London landmark 'Bexley Heath Holiday Inn' early on Wednesday morning, avoiding the worst of the traffic, but not all the potholes in the road! The Kent countryside was a picture of classic ye oldé England and the skies were blue all the way down to Dover. Cream tea and Wimbledon (on a big screen) in the centre were the highlight of our stop in Dover before the ferry to Calais and the first nights stop.

The 2nd day from Calais to Arras took us through some beautiful scenery...whoever said northern France was flat was lying! A tail wind for much of the day helped us clock up the 125km in under 5hrs of riding time. The 'Place des Heros' - the main square in Arras - provided the ideal location for aprés-biking refreshments. The impressive cathedral has almost entirely been re-built since WW1.

Day 3 and increasing head wind as we rode from Arras (Pas-de-Calais) to Compiegne (Sommes) - the many cemeteries a sad reminder to the vast numbers killed in WW1. As the day went on the heat picked up and became almost unbearable towards the end of the ride as we entered Compiegne. The heat of the day culminated in an impressive thunderstorm which some of the riders got caught up in.

Soon after setting off on the last day (Sat) the torrential rain started, and it didn't take long to get completely soaked through. We did 65km in thunder, lightening and downpours (taking one brief shelter in a patisserie) before hitting the lunch stop. The final 40km into Paris was a scary affair - roadworks and nutter drivers kept the pressure on all the way to the Louvre. A wait for the back markers before setting off in a convoy down the Champs Elysee and and then across to the Eiffel Tower (more memorable than the Holiday Inn start!) for a glass of celebration champers.

I've now had a day in Paris to recover. Well, if you count climbing the 320 steps up the dome of the Sacre Coeur recovery time!

Summer hols in the Med

I have just come back from a week in the Med having been invited by some friends to join them on their 43 foot catamaran. We set sail from Palma, Mallorca and spent five fantastic days travelling clockwise around the island.

Conditions were superb in the sense that the water was flat and the sun was shining. It did mean however that we resorted to engine power for the whole voyage, with the light Mediterranean breeze providing just a little back-up.

One of the highlights of the trip has to be my 'Dr Dolittle moment' - I was engrossed in my Jeffrey Archer novel whilst catching some rays on the front deck. As there was no wind at the time the boat was slicing smoothly through the sky blue sea. A voice in my head suddenly told me I should be looking out for dolphins, so I looked up from my book, and there in front of me were a couple of fins arcing out of the water on our port side. We turned the boat towards them and had the pleasure of seeing two adults and a baby dolphin swimming in between the hulls of the catamaran......that was one of life's special moments!

We weren't lucky enough to see any turtles but we did see a Sunfish from a distance, 'sunbathing' on the surface of the water and splashing its fin whilst being pestered from seagulls.

The north west coast of Mallorca is stunning and comprises mainly of sheer cliffs with just the occasional small bay to moor up. We called into Port Soller for a night where we stocked up on provisions and witnessed a bizarre Spanish soiree on the water front, but resisted the temptation to try and beat the locals on the mechanical bucking bronco! The most northerly point of the island is the spectacular rocky outcrop of Cap Formentor. The eastern side of Mallorca is a complete contrast to the rugged north western coast - lots of sandy beaches and far flatter countryside.

I have now just about recovered from my land sickness and look forward to visiting Mallorca again.... in fact next week, but this time for some much needed bike fitness training and perhaps not quite so many bottles of wine!

Winter 2009/10....reflection

As I sit aboard my easyJet flight, heading back to Scotland for a short break, I reflect on the winter season. The plane engines sound fine as we cruise at 36000 feet, despite the volcanic ash! This time yesterday I was skiing in sunny Avoriaz, where the snow was still in superb condition up to lunchtime. A week before I was running my last ski lessons, at the end of a very busy season....hence the distinct lack of recent blogs!

In terms of snowfall it was an average winter, however the long periods of cold weather (without much sun during many weeks) preserved the superb snow conditions from January onwards. If you took the risk and booked a pre Christmas week holiday, you would also have been rewarded with some excellent snow. The Christmas and New Year weeks however, were not so spectacular, due to a short warm, wet spell across the entire Alps. Ironically, the cold weather in the UK over the festive period made it difficult for many people to travel.

Apparently the cold winter in the UK was partly due to Arctic winds streaming down from the polar region. These winds normally circulate around the very top of the world creating a kind of layer of insulation between us and the cold northerly area, but occasionally this cycle breaks resulting in extreme winters for people who live in normally milder climates. According to scientists, the polar ice caps have actually grown recently.

In Les Gets, the cold conditions continued through January, February and early March. Spring suddenly sprung into action in mid-March for a week or so before returning to winter again - good end of season snowfalls assured cracking skiing right up to lift closure last weekend. Nearby Avoriaz sees its last day of skiing tomorrow.

Over the course of the winter season, I've skied and boarded with many people - returning customers and new faces; adults and children, beginners and experts. It has been thoroughly enjoyable coaching and guiding you all and I would like to personally thank you for booking with me. I look forward to hopefully seeing you again next winter!

Common skiing problems

Do any of the following quotes sound familiar?

A: "I have problems controlling my speed especially on steeps".

B: "I can turn one way better than the other".

C: "My inside ski sometimes gets in the way or catches".

D: "I struggle in bumps and off-piste"

If I now list some of the more common ski faults I come across whilst teaching, perhaps it will help to find some solutions to the problem/s:

Fore/aft balance - how 'centered' you are on your skis. The ski centre, or 'sweet spot' as I like to call it, usually corresponds to the middle of the arch of the foot. If we balance over this point (so that we are neither too far back or forward on the skis) the skis can perform efficiently. Your skiing posture, movements (or lack of!), core stability and natural balance can all affect your fore/aft balance, not to mention the variations in terrain and snow condtions. All the above quotes can be related to fore/aft balance faults.

Lateral balance - how you distribute your weight between the two skis. We usually need to maintain more pressure against the 'outside' ski in a curve (ie. the ski on the downhill side towards the end of a turn) than the 'inside' ski. As we also need to tilt the ski onto its inside edge, we need to be able to lean the legs towards the inside of the turn. If we lean too much, or lean the whole body (motorbike style) the majority of pressure will end up on the inside ski, making the outside ski light and therefore prohibiting it from steering around the curve. All the above quotes can be related to lateral balance faults.

Over-rotation of skis - pivoting too much. Think of smooth 'steered' arcs in the snow which use a blend of pressure, edge and rotation to make the skis grip. If we are unable to tilt (edge) the skis sufficiently, or our legs don't bend and stretch effectively, we may be forced to 'pivot' the skis around the corner - probably resulting in a skiddy turn which lacks shape and control of line. Try to 'press and tilt' instead of rotating the feet at the start of the turn to help increase the grip. Quotes B, C & D can be related to over-rotation faults.

Over-edging the skis - carving too much. With modern ski technology it's a lot easier to 'carve' our turns and leave clean 'sliced' tracks in the snow. However, to be a versatile all-mountain skier you need to be able to 'slide' and 'scrape' your skis as well as 'slice'. This may mean that you need to trade in some of the edging movement for some foot/leg turning. Learning to skid the skis again will help to make you more manoeuvrable on steeps and in bumps. Quotes A, B & D can be related to over-edging faults.

Tree skiing in Italy

Early last week I decided to take what you might regard as a 'busman's holiday'. Yes, I went on a two day ski holiday - to the small Italian resort of Bardonecchia!

Purely by chance we experienced (what the locals considered) some of the best ski conditions in 10 years. Half a metre of snow had fallen the previous week, and the skies cleared for us as we arrived into town on Sunday evening.

On Monday morning we awoke to minus double-figure temperatures, crystal clear skies and empty pistes..... but it was more the off-piste skiing we had come for.

Bardonecchia town lies at about 1300m with the top lift at 2800m, providing some 1.5km of vertical drop in any full run! Many of the pistes are lined with larch trees, making the off-piste skiing really exciting. Due to larch trees distinct lack of winter foliage, you can ski narrower gaps than between the normal fir trees common in Les Gets. Just imagine a giant natural slalom courses, placed randomly in endless powder fields, and you're starting to get the picture! After a morning of 'tree slalom' we headed for the more open powder fields of Jafferau. And it didn't disappoint!

During the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, Bardonecchia hosted some of the snowboard events including the half-pipe. They are proud to own one of the finest half-pipes in the world. The foundations of the half-pipe have been created by earth but at the start of each winter season the 'mould' is completely filled and over-filled with man-made snow. Once the depth is right, the cutters go in to create the half-pipe shape - one is shown in the photo here. Spot the special adaption made to the Fiat Panda - yes, four caterpillar tracks instead of wheels!

Pasta fueled from the night before, on Tuesday morning we decided to ski some of the beautifully prepared pistes. A handful of snowboarders being coached to race alpine kit were about the only others using 'our' slopes.........awesome! Needless to say though, we couldn't leave the fresh snow for too long and in the afternoon we put the fat skis back on and hit the powder of Jafferau.

It's a long time since I've been on a ski holiday.......but I think I'm addicted!