Late season deal! 1500 Euro, eight day all incl introduction to ski touring, Chamonix

If you really want to explore the wilderness terrain and ski fresh tracks days after the last snow, then ski touring is the best way to flee the crowds and get away from it all.

Relying on the ability to climb on skis and sometimes on foot (with crampons) to reach your destination, with the right equipment and skills, no peak, hidden valley or remote mountain pass is out of reach.

Our eight day course will provide a thorough grounding in the skills needed for ski touring in a high mountain environment, and is ideal preparation for multi-day ski tours such as the Haute Route and the Bernese Oberland Tour. Whilst developing your skills you will discover four different areas of the Chamonix valley and to finish off the week you get to ski down the 4,061m high summit of Gran Paradiso in Italy. What a week!

You will learn how to fix and use skins and couteaux (crampons for skis), how to travel uphill and how to perform kick turns for steeper terrain. We will stay one night in a mountain hut – no ski touring experience is complete without a pre-dawn start high in the mountains, watching the sunrise.

The agenda will also cover the complimentary mountain craft skills you will need when touring, such as avalanche awareness and crevasse rescue.

You do not need any previous ski touring experience to join this programme but you should be a fairly competent off-piste skier. You should also have a reasonable level of fitness and be prepared to undertake climbs of 2-4 hours on skis.

Chamonix Experience Ski Touring course is all-inclusive. There are no hidden costs such as lifts, transport or huts added on to your expenses during the week. Everything is taken care of by your guide so you can just relax and enjoy yourself.

Back in the village you will be staying in high comfort with fully catered chalet accommodation!

We will use Yeti Lodge for our all-inclusive winter courses. Yeti Lodge is a high standard, fully catered chalet located in the charming village of Argentière, close to our office and sport shop for your convenience. The chalet has a sauna, hot tub and superb views of Mont Blanc. The luxurious and spacious bedrooms are twin, triple or quad bedded, so you should be prepared to share your room with other course participants. The comfortable lounge area has a real fireplace, satellite TV & DVD and free WIFI. There is a secure indoor car park, ski lockers and overnight ski boot warmers in the basement. All meals (breakfast, afternoon tea and three-course dinner) are included and prepared by our hosts, so you can relax and fully enjoy the course.

Please note: Friday night is Yeti staff night off so you have a chance to go out and explore the restaurants in Argentière or Chamonix.

Course Details:

Duration: 8 days (Sunday to Sunday)

2010 late season offer dates:

April 11 - 18

April 18 - 25

Group Size: 4-6 (Ratio: 1:6)

Included: 6 days ski touring with IFMGA guide, 6 nights chalet accommodation (twin, triple or quad share) with breakfasts, packed lunches, afternoon tea and 3 course dinners , 1 hut night with dinner and breakfast, lifts, in-resort transport, group equipment, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe.

Not included: Personal ski equipment, harness, mountain rescue insurance, lunches.

Price: 1,500€ per person

For whom: Skiers with off-piste skiing experience and a good level of fitness. No touring experience necessary. This course is a perfect preparation for the Haute Route or the Bernese Oberland Tour.

Founded in 2001 by Russell Brice, the Chamonix Experience team has expanded to include Martina, Elizabeth and Anne in the office and 20-25 fully qualified IFMGA mountain guides working for us on a regular basis. All mountain lovers, we have skied, climbed and hiked many of the routes around the area and spend our lunch hours and days off exploring more in the Mont Blanc range and the rest of the world!

You find our office at the Alpcenter in Argentiere. During the winter and summer seasons we are open seven days a week to assist you with any last minute bookings or changes. In between seasons we are more or less open Monday to Friday during normal office hours.