Trailer

From the jury:

“This documentary is a tribute to classical European alpinism. It does not,
however, focus on history; instead it follows the author’s trilogy of ascents in
the Alps. From his home valley of Aosta, Hervé Barmasse climbed three
famous Alpine peaks – Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and Monte Cervinia
(Matterhorn). The three climbs were made in the style of his famous ancestors
who broke new ground in these mountains – with first ascents and a healthy
dose of adventure.”

Book your summer experience in Courmayeur Mont Blanc before the 15th of May and you will receive a 5% discount on the following package:

- Perfect staying at Hotel Maison Saint Jean  http://www.msj.it/ ;

- One entrance in Pre Saint Didier thermal and wellness center  http://termedipre.it/en/ ;

-  Panoramic helicopter flight around the Mont Blanc massif ;

For any further detail and booking: info@heliski-courmayeur.com

Get yourself an unforgettable experience, fly up to the summit of  Mont Blanc!

A spectacular panoramic flight over the suggestive glaciers of  Val Veny, theater of famous mountaineering adventures where the history of Alpinism was written. We will rise above the Brenva Glacier and among the pinnacles of Aiguille Noire de Peterey, flying over the Freney Glacier, the Pilone Centrale of Freney, the Brouillard Glacier and the Miage Glacier, to finally go up till the top of the Mont Blanc.  The flight continues towards the Tour Ronde and the Giant Glacier till the Ridge of Rochefort where you will get closer to the Grandes Jorasses above the enchanting Val Ferret .

So, what are you waiting for? Book a voucher for a panoramic flight before May 15ht at this address: info@heliski-courmayeur.com and you will receive a 5% discounted voucher.

Or for those who wants to keep on skiing, we still have heliskiing options for the entire months of April and May. At the moment conditions are great with an alternance of powder and spring snow…   Don’t hesitate, write us for prices and the the last snow updates:        info@heliski-courmayeur.com

Fantastic Snow!

Snow conditions at Easter can be hit or miss, but with my BBC work, it’s often the only time I get to ski with my family.  This season the snow was a definite hit and we had some excellent skiing for what was the last week of the season in most resorts.  Although our final destination of Champoluc is only just over an hour from Turin airport, we decided to drive the Land Rover out through France.  Apart from being able to load as many pairs of skis and snowboards as possible, we had planned a detour to Meribel for a couple of nights to watch my niece Reece Bell race in the British Championships.  Reece has grown up on skis in Big Sky, Montana with my brother Martin coaching her from a young age.  It was no surprise to him that she won her under 12 age category.

Meribel is one of the most popular resorts for British skiers, our journey through the Mont Blanc tunnel after the race would give us a chance to directly compare it with the ‘hidden gems’ of the Aosta valley.  First stop was Pila for one days skiing.  Okay, with only 10 lifts it will never challenge the Trois Valleys for size, but the altitude of 1814m meant for better snow conditions on the lower slopes than Meribel at 1450m.  Even though it was a Saturday the slopes were less busy than over in France and the pistes stayed in excellent shape all day.  The biggest difference however over France was the impact to my wallet.  Lunch on the mountain in the Aosta valley can be easily achieved for less than €10 per person, for some excellent food.  A coffee stop, that cost a whopping €24 in Courchevel, cost €9.50 in Pila.

2 Chocs a Coffee and a cup of Tea for €9.50

After skiing we loaded the car and I drove down the windy road to the valley floor and the town of Aosta, my daughter Lottie, with Sarah my wife for company, chose to ride the long gondola down.  Lottie said my driving had made her car sick on the way up, but I suspect she just wanted to see who could get down quicker.  They did, by at least 5 minutes…

Onwards to Champoluc and a chance to meet up again with a friend Herman Buchan the proprietor of the Hotel Castor.  Lottie and I heli-skied with Herman and his family last season, but this year Herman had another little surprise in mind.  Snow conditions off-piste were a little firm, but on-piste the skiing was excellent, so Herman decided to enter us into the Champoluc Ski Club race.  Sarah and my son Louis opted out but Lottie was keen to see if she could do a Reece.  One look at the opposition soon put paid to that idea, and although Lottie skied very aggressively she could not match the local kids for skill and speed.  After the kids had all raced, the parents then had a go on the same course, slightly embarrassingly my time was slower than some of the local coaches and a couple of the kids.  But even more embarrassingly I was presented with the trophy for quickest dad.

In a fit of peek I ditched the skis and spent the rest for the week snowboarding.  Luckily we had another dump of snow so my crash landings were not too painful.

Snowboarding!

Spring… beautiful sunny days… the relax of ski touring…  easy snow on the glaciers… and the wonderful surroundings of Monte Rosa area…

All that is waiting for you!! From now  until mid of May you could take advantage of our ski-touring packages. The usual starting point will be Staffal (just above the village of Gressoney) where we will use the new lift  heading to the Indren Glacier 3300 meters. From there possibilities are countless: making a perfect base at  the Mantova hut there are several tours which can satisfy every kind of skier, from the beginners to the experts. Our guides are at your disposal with their professionalism, ready to give you the great opportunity of ski in total relax.

For more info or for booking  a tour:    Monte Rosa Travel     info@guidemonterosa.com

Ski Solutions

Ski in the Sky is the strap line for the resort of Pila, it’s not an invitation to huck yourself off a massive kicker James (Woodsy) Woods style, but a reference to the incredible vista of mountains laid out to the north.  On every run you find yourself looking out towards the Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and all the peaks in between. Situated at 1800m above Aosta, Pila is linked to the town either by a long gondola or a windy mountain road.  At only 1.5hrs transfer from Turin airport, Pila is the ideal resort for a short weekend break.

I was invited by Ski Solutions to check out the resort and sample a new hotel called La Chance, they are looking at for next season’s brochure.  I made the short drive through the Grand St Bernard tunnel from Verbier, then detoured down to Turin airport to pick up my wife Sarah.  Ski Solutions have an association with the Make a Wish charity and joining us on the trip were two guys Stewart and Adam who were aiming to complete the Ski the World Challenge, the equivalent of the height of the largest peak in each continent across the weekend, a total of 43,314 vertical metres!  We also had a couple of auction prize winners from the Make a Wish ball, although being complete novices their challenge was to stay on their feet.

Although it is a relatively small resort with about ten lifts, Pila has a great range of slopes: the red under the Chamolé chair has lots of rollers and is great for blasting, the race piste under the Leissé chair is always very popular with local ski teams and the two top chairs the Couis 1&2 service some great powder when it has snowed, or a range of steep black runs that are always well groomed, but scarily steep.  From the top of Couis 1 you can see over the back side of the mountain to the tiny resort of Cogne with the Grand Paradiso rising behind, further away you can see into France and the Grand Motte in Tignes.  From the top you can either take the black run straight off the top, or ride a strange covered travelator to a new run cut on the other side of the cliff band.  At well over 35º it is unrelentingly steep, once was enough for Sarah who went to grab a table at La Society the swish restaurant tucked in the trees at the bottom.  I went for another blast down the black with Craig Burton from Ski Solutions and James Gambrill from Expedient Marketing and some of the other guys.

Travelator Rest Stop

After a very long and satisfying lunch, Phil Brown from Impulse Racing had organized for us to race a timed GS run.  The snow was ideal, hard enough not to rut up yet grippy enough for everyone to find an edge.  There were no crashes thankfully, although a couple of racers who shall remain nameless, to spare their embarrassment, managed to swerve left at the finish and miss the line so recorded no time…  My time was naturally removed from the competition, 16 years as a professional ski racer was deem to be a form of cheating, so the winner of the Ski Solutions weekender was James Gambrill.

A long session in the La Chance hotel spa relaxing the muscles, was followed by a session in the bar to watch England get trounced by Wales in the rugby.  Rubbing it in somewhat, Craig stood to sing Land of our Fathers in his Wales shirt, but no one held it against him as he had organized a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.

The Cervino Cycling Marathon already holds a record – it is the highest cycling race in Europe with its start and finish both at 2050m in Breuil-Cervinia at the foot of one of the most iconic mountains in the world, the Matterhorn (4478m).

“After hosting three stages of the Giro d’Italia with pro-riders,” says Massimo Chatrian, the Councillor of Tourism, Sport and Trade for the area. “We needed a mass race dedicated to amateur cyclists”.

There are two routes for different levels – the longest route is 145km long and 3500m uphill, travelling over three alpine cols and with a final climb from Chatillon to Breuil, 28km long and 1433m uphill. This is a real alpine marathon – tough, challenging and stunning but not extreme.

Less-confident cyclists can take a shorter route which is 95km long with a 2000m uphill climb.

If you would like to participate in the Marathon, download the entry form from the link below: www.granfondocervinia.it/iscrizione

Now in their 14th winter season in Champoluc, Ski 2 offer an extensive range of ski weeks and short breaks to over 30 different hotels in the resort. They also operate their own British ski school, a British-staffed nursery and their own race training programme for youngsters. For more information about Ski 2 holidays, call 01962 713330.

Choose between the 4 star superior Hotel le Miramonti and the top rated Hotel Boton d’Or in La Thuile.

A 4 night break from Sunday 7th April costs just £485 per person and includes:

• Accommodation based on 2 sharing a room. Breakfast and dinner are included at the Hotel le Miramonti, and breakfast is included at the Boton d’Or.
• Private return airport transfers from Turin or Geneva (based on 4 sharing the taxi)
• 4 day la Thuile/La Rosiere area lift pass

Please get in touch for more details!