Haute Tarentaise Valley, France

Women's Intro to Off-Piste

Mountain Tracks and FREEFLO are pleased to offer a unique week of off-piste adventure for female skiers. The group will be coached, inspired and led by British Female Ski Coach Jocelyn Cockle (Floss), BASI 4 ISTD French Equivalence. The goal of the week is to provide a fun, non-threatening environment that encourages women to step into the back-country, developing new mountain skills and experiences. This journey will take you into the off-piste mecca's of the Espace Killy and the Tarentaise region of France.

Mountain Tracks is very happy to announce that for winter 2018/19 this fantastic week will be hosted with a sensational partner's Sue & Andy at The Auberge Sainte Foy. This is one of Mountain Tracks favourite chalets and a real treat for anyone joining us to ski the Tarentaise. Spots are limited on this week so don't delay.

The price of the course includes 5 full days of instruction, 7 nights half-board accommodation in twin-share rooms and transfers between Geneva airport and Sainte Foy.

Rooms may be available for single occupancy. Please contact us for details.

 

We proudly offer our returning customers a discount.

The promotion is valid for qualifying bookings made before the end of October 2024 (using the discount codes provided) at the checkout.

 

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE

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Ski Club Winter Arrangements limited (trading as Mountain Tracks)
Registered in England No. 2099115. VAT No. GB 461 5692 34

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This is an extensive list of the recommended clothing and equipment you will need if you are coming on one of our Off-Piste Coaching courses.  On these courses, you’ll be staying in comfortable catered apartments or hotels. When skiing you need to carry just a small day pack, which contains your safety equipment and any personal items you may need.

  • This season, we’ve partnered with Ortovox to provide us with the very best safety kit and clothing. Our guides will all be decked out in the latest Ortovox jackets and trousers and will keep warm, dry and comfortable thanks to their technical wool base- and mid-layers. Our guides couldn’t recommend their kit more highly.
     
    • A good quality pair of ski trousers. They must be made from a waterproof and breathable fabric like Gore-Tex or similar. It’s useful to have some venting zips on the legs either inside or outside thigh or full-length side-zips. Integral snow gaiters and some pockets for handy items are good features.
    • An outer shell jacket made of waterproof and breathable material like Gore-Tex or similar with a built-in hood. We advocate the ‘layering principle’ and so a shell is recommended rather than an insulated jacket.
    • Comfortable underwear with good wicking properties. Very popular at the moment are the wool based layers from companies such as Ortovox. They are comfy, breathable, warm when needed and can be worn for days without your friends catching a whiff!
    • Several thin (rather than fewer thick) layers between your skin and the outer shell - an approach that gives better heat retention and good flexibility. These tops are known as ‘mid layers’.
    • Insulation layer like a down or primaloft jacket is a good item to have ready to wear in the event of cold weather, it can live in your rucksack as a spare layer and can come in very handy for sudden changes in the weather.
    • Roll neck rather than a scarf. We use and recommend the ‘Buff¹ ¬ a light, stretchable tube. Excellent despite the name! They do both a fleece/cotton version for warmth or just a cotton one (to keep the sun off).
    • Headwear to include warm hat and sun-cap or wide-brim hat for extra protection from the sun. Mountain Tracks fully supports the wearing of helmets for skiing, although not mandatory for any of our trips we do recommend them.
    • Good quality, ski gloves or mitts if you suffer from cold hands and 1 thinner pair of gloves made from a softshell or fleece material if the weather is warm. These are particularly useful if you do any ski touring or hiking on the trip as thick gloves quickly become too hot.
      Silk inner gloves can be useful if the weather is cold and you suffer from cold hands.
    • Technical Socks - Investing in good quality ski socks will improve fit, warmth and feel when skiing for long periods. Bring along a few pairs.
  • We continue to see big changes in ski, boot and binding design and technology, which make off-piste skiing and ski touring much more accessible.

    For our Off-Piste Coaching courses, good downhill ski and boot are required.

    Skis

    This winter our lead guides are using Elan skis. Praised by magazine testers and professional skiers alike for its unique blend of lightweight performance, the Ripstick 96 is proven to be the ultimate freeride ski in all snow conditions. The Ripstick 106 is the ultimate freeride ski for any terrain. From boundary line to base lodge, peak to parking lot, and trailhead to tailgate this ski excels in all conditions. The new Ripstick Tour 94 is designed on a wider platform, enabling the skier to float better, ski faster, and turn easier in backcountry conditions.

    It is built to blend high performance at a low weight, for the perfect mix of freeride downhill performance and efficient ascending capability. With Ripstick Tour 94, the confidence to conquer long ascents and charge challenging descents is the name of the game.

    There are many ‘all-mountain/freeride’ skis to choose from and we also recommend skis from Salomon, Dynastar, Movement, Black Crows, Trab Skis, Scott and Volkl.  Look for a ski that is the right size for your height, typically the tip of the ski should be somewhere around your nose height.  As for the width of the ski or “side cut” a mid-fat ski – 90-110mm under the foot is a good place to start; this offers plenty of flotation off piste while remaining suitable for day tours and they should also handle reasonably well on piste and mixed terrain.

    Elan Skis: www.elanskis.com

    Dynastar Skis:  www.dynastar.com

    Movement Skis: www.movementskis.com                                       

    Black Crows Skis: www.blackcrows-skis.com/

    Trab Skis: www.skitrab.com/en-us/

    Scott Skis: http://www.scott-sports.com

    Volkl Skis: http://www.voelkl.com

    There are plenty of other great skis to choose from so if you’re planning on buying skis for ski touring or general skiing and have any questions do not hesitate to call us, or Lockwoods, to discuss the options available.


    Boots
    For off-piste performance courses, standard downhill ski boots are ideal, they offer rigidity, responsiveness and flex depending on the snow conditions. If you have ski touring boots or a pair of the hybrid freeride/touring boots with a walk mode, then these are fine too, bring them with you. We do not recommend you come on a trip with brand new boots.

    Boot Liners
    These days many manufacturers offer ‘thermo-fit’ liners as standard equipment. You may also want to consider a custom liner. Heated and moulded to your foot and boot for a perfect fit, they can make all the difference especially if you have trouble finding really comfortable ‘off-the-shelf¹ boots. Zipfit liners are a great option for anyone seeking total customisation in fit and comfort. They will replace the original liner.

    Custom Footbeds
    Essential kit – to provide additional comfort and ski control. If you want to get footbeds made or a pair of new boots fitted then we suggest you visit somewhere like Profeet for a professional fitting. 

    Bindings
    Standard downhill bindings.

  • The “Safety Trilogy” - applicable for all our off-piste courses
    Avalanche Transceiver/Beacon 
    Snow shovel
    Avalanche probe

    We recommend Simple and intuitive ORTOVOX AVALANCHE RESCUE KIT 3+


    Avalanche airbags/rucksacks – if you wish to ski with one of these on our courses you are welcome to do so, they are not mandatory but we always support the use of available safety items.

    You can hire avalanche rucksacks in a lot of resorts, makes are usually Snowpulse/Mammut, ABS or Ortovox Avabag. Prices vary from shop to shop and resort to resort but a guide line price would be from €30 / CHF 35 per day 

    Remember it is not enough just to carry this equipment; you have to know how to use it.
    How about joining one of our specialist avalanche courses – check out http://mountaintracks.co.uk/discipline/winter-mountaincraft

    • Good pair of ski goggles with a lens for low light is essential in the event of snow and poor visibility.
    • Good quality sunglasses with 100% UV protection
    • 25 – 30 litre rucksack with straps for carrying skis. If you wish to use an avalanche airbag/rucksack you are welcome to, you can now hire these in most resorts.
    • 1 – 1.5 litre water bottle – we don’t recommend hydration systems (e.g. camelbak) in winter as they can freeze.
    • Food – bring some of your favourite hill nibbles (chocolate, energy bars)*
    • Suncream and lip salve
Ste Foy.jpg

Haute Tarentaise Valley

View map

The Haute Tarentaise valley runs from Val d'Isere (1850m) all the way to the small village of Aime (680m) and has been blessed with the geographical conditions that has given us some of the world's best-known ski resorts. In winter, the valley ends at Val d'Isère, forming a cul-de-sac. However, in summer, the famous Col de l'Iseran—a gruelling biking climb —emerges from beneath the melting snow, revealing a pathway to the Maurienne Valley.

Sainte Foy-Tarentaise (to give it its full name) is a small village just off the main road up to Val d’Isère. The ski area and small resort is another 5 km away and boasts some of the best off-piste ski terrain in the Alps.

For years it has remained relatively unknown - particularly when compared to its more renowned neighbours of Tignes, Val d'Isère, Les Arcs & La Plagne. Its reputation as an off-piste ski area has grown and grown... what was just a Mountain Tracks secret for a while has started to leak out! That said, it remains unspoiled and still offers amazing skiing! Situated just below the famous Espace Killy (Tignes & Val d'Isère) in the heart of the Savoie region and fast building itself as a haven for off-piste skiers.

Sainte Foy boasts superb snow quality, unparalleled tree skiing and is never crowded. Groups may roam the terrain around Sainte Foy itself, Tignes, Val d'Isère, La Rosière and the twin resorts of Les Arcs & La Plagne - all of which provide extensive off-piste descents.

Our top reasons for visiting Sainte-Foy:
  • Small resort but revered by many for the quality of the off-piste skiing
  • Easy access to other world-class resorts: Val d’Isère, Tignes, La Plagne
  • Very good snow record and skiing until mid-April
  • Some of the best day tours and ski safari itineraries anywhere in the Alps
  • North-facing slopes mean good conditions remain after most other resorts are tracked out

Resort Height: 1,550m

Highest Lift: 2,650m

Nearest Airport: Geneva or Chambery

Transfer Options: Geneva is a 2.5-3hr transfer by road. Our accommodation provider offers return airport transfers at fixed times (included in the price of our week-long trips at the Auberge, only between Geneva airport and the chalet), please contact our office to ask more about these transfers. Otherwise, you can get to the resort by road transfer with one of the many companies that offer seats bookable on a shared basis. There is also a public bus service to Bourg St. Maurice and Sainte Foy with Alti bus. If you are travelling from Chambery Airport you can take a train to Bourg St. Maurice and link to the resort with a taxi or bus.

It is also possible to travel by train to Bourg Saint Maurice (with a Eurostar direct day service from London St. Pancras to Bourg Saint Maurice on Saturdays throughout the ski season. Timetables and bookings are available at Eurostar. Bourg St Maurice is only 10km from the chalet and the train offers a viable alternative to a flight and transfer. The chalet hosts provide a twice-daily pick-up and drop-off service at the station.

  • Insurance

    It is a condition of booking that you are insured for your chosen activity and the cover must include medical expenses, personal accident, personal liability, third party risks and rescue (including helicopter rescue). You are strongly advised also to take out cover against cancellation and curtailment.

    For UK residents Ski Club Travel Insurance may be a suitable option.

    For more details and to purchase a policy online visit http://www.skiclubinsurance.co.uk/
    If you need assistance arranging your personal insurance please let us know.
     

  • About Floss

    The women's specific off-piste course will be run by Jocelyn 'Floss' Cockle.

    Floss is a British BASI Level 4 ISTD Ski Teacher based in the Espace Killy in France.

    She is one of a limited number of British female ski instructor qualified to the highest level in her profession.

  • Accommodation Information

    Accommodation in Sainte Foy is in catered apartments. Please check the holiday description to confirm which accommodation the course will be housed in or contact the office team to find out more. 

     

     

     

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