Well, this is the stuff ski dreams are made of. We awoke to find 15 cm of fresh powder decorating the mountain and a brilliant blue sky which smiled on us all day.
We got our avalanche kits again and headed out to find fresh tracks at Savoleyres, just down the road from Verbier.
Emma had us jump right in - no on-piste drills or reminders today, just powder in all its glory. There was so much snow! It's a big change for us Ontario skiers - no feeling of the edge of the ski on the hard packed snow (or ice) - just snow pushing back on our skis. It takes some getting used to, but it sure feels good.
After a couple of smaller bowls, we hiked up from the Croix de Coeur and revelled in the untracked powder. It takes a lot for me to agree to hike uphill in ski boots. But this I did with a smile on my face and a song in my heart! The views, and the prospect of the pristine snow in the upcoming bowl made the hike a pleasure.
It was so much fun, we did it again. We did the long run, went up the chair lift, had an excellent lunch, climbed up again and ours were still the only tracks down the face! Bliss.
The adventure continued. We then went over the Col de Mine and skied along a deep tunnel of snow that the resort had to dig to allow access to a beautiful valley called the Vallon d'Arbi. Pure magic!
They've had more snow here than they've had since 1997. Here's a video Emma shot on our entrance to the valley today:
https://instagram.com/p/
A long, long run down to Tzoumaz before heading home.
We agreed that this was the best ski day either of us has ever had.
This was the goal of the ski sabbatical - a day just like this one.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring!
So, now it's tomorrow, and it brought more great things.
We had a little on-piste refresher course, reminding us of the usual ski-instructor advice: stay centred on your skis, get the weight on the outside ski at the top of the turn, all the things we've heard and still need practice applying once the terrain gets more variable.
But it's off-piste we had come for, so off-piste we went. First up was Tortin, a long, steep run of nice, soft moguls. That got the heart pounding and the core temperature up!
We then picked a few runs through some shallow bowls and trees and then headed up to Mont Fort, the highest point at Verbier.
But first, a stop for lunch, bien sur. Emma took us to her favourite restaurant on the mountain, and it certainly lived up to it's advanced billing.
We got up to the peak as the sun broke through the clouds and felt like we were on top of the world.
The run down from Mont Fort was longer, steeper and packed with moguls. It took a while.
But it was fun!
What I've discovered this week is that it isn't the runs that are scary, it's the traverses getting to the runs off piste. Today we headed to the Highway, which included a long traverse along the edge of a significant cliff. There's a tricky bit around a corner, above a large rock face. That, of course, is where I had a bit of a fall. There I sat, literally between a rock and a hard place (or at least a scary place). I contemplated just waiting until a helicopter could be found, or maybe until the spring thaw, but eventually I summoned the nerve to stand on that outside ski and carry on.
The reward was the fluffiest, most beautiful bowl, all to ourselves. Definitely worth it.
It has been a remarkable week. We were extraordinarily lucky to have fantastic snow, sunshine and an outstanding instructor/guide. We toasted our Verbier experience with some excellent local wine and vowed to return.
Off to Chamonix tomorrow where we hope to find a sports bar to watch the big 6 Nations rugby match between France and England and then the Norwegians are saying that some snow is coming...
We got our avalanche kits again and headed out to find fresh tracks at Savoleyres, just down the road from Verbier.
Emma had us jump right in - no on-piste drills or reminders today, just powder in all its glory. There was so much snow! It's a big change for us Ontario skiers - no feeling of the edge of the ski on the hard packed snow (or ice) - just snow pushing back on our skis. It takes some getting used to, but it sure feels good.
After a couple of smaller bowls, we hiked up from the Croix de Coeur and revelled in the untracked powder. It takes a lot for me to agree to hike uphill in ski boots. But this I did with a smile on my face and a song in my heart! The views, and the prospect of the pristine snow in the upcoming bowl made the hike a pleasure.
The adventure continued. We then went over the Col de Mine and skied along a deep tunnel of snow that the resort had to dig to allow access to a beautiful valley called the Vallon d'Arbi. Pure magic!
They've had more snow here than they've had since 1997. Here's a video Emma shot on our entrance to the valley today:
https://instagram.com/p/
A long, long run down to Tzoumaz before heading home.
We agreed that this was the best ski day either of us has ever had.
This was the goal of the ski sabbatical - a day just like this one.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring!
So, now it's tomorrow, and it brought more great things.
We had a little on-piste refresher course, reminding us of the usual ski-instructor advice: stay centred on your skis, get the weight on the outside ski at the top of the turn, all the things we've heard and still need practice applying once the terrain gets more variable.
But it's off-piste we had come for, so off-piste we went. First up was Tortin, a long, steep run of nice, soft moguls. That got the heart pounding and the core temperature up!
We got up to the peak as the sun broke through the clouds and felt like we were on top of the world.
The run down from Mont Fort was longer, steeper and packed with moguls. It took a while.
But it was fun!
 |
| Looking back at Mont Forte mogul run coming off the top of the tram station in the background |
What I've discovered this week is that it isn't the runs that are scary, it's the traverses getting to the runs off piste. Today we headed to the Highway, which included a long traverse along the edge of a significant cliff. There's a tricky bit around a corner, above a large rock face. That, of course, is where I had a bit of a fall. There I sat, literally between a rock and a hard place (or at least a scary place). I contemplated just waiting until a helicopter could be found, or maybe until the spring thaw, but eventually I summoned the nerve to stand on that outside ski and carry on.
The reward was the fluffiest, most beautiful bowl, all to ourselves. Definitely worth it.
Janet shredding Highway after recovering from the "terrifying traverse"
It has been a remarkable week. We were extraordinarily lucky to have fantastic snow, sunshine and an outstanding instructor/guide. We toasted our Verbier experience with some excellent local wine and vowed to return.
Off to Chamonix tomorrow where we hope to find a sports bar to watch the big 6 Nations rugby match between France and England and then the Norwegians are saying that some snow is coming...
Comments
Post a Comment