All things AMountainChalet

Snow, Snow and a bit more Snow.

2011-12-23T10:47:00.001-08:00

What a start. Three weeks ago we where out in the garden in t shirts getting a little stressed at the lack of snow. Things were progressing well and the list of jobs was getting smaller. Then one day it clouded over and started to snow. Well it has hardly stopped since.

Its feels as though all I have done since is shovel snow. I am having to clear the drive and the path to the hot tub twice a day. We have had to clear the hot tub roof twice. Both back bathroom windows are buried and it is looking as though I will soon be on the house roof shovelling the snow of there to.

The drive to the airport could be described as interesting at best. People have been enjoying some of the best skiing conditions for a good few years. The trees down to Seez seeing a lot of action.

Inside a powder day from Skimorgan on Vimeo.

And when it has finally stopped it was a great day.

The Ski Resort Prepares

2011-12-13T03:13:00.001-08:00

The resort is almost ready for the lifts opening on Friday 16th Dec. Roads are being cleared of snow. Staff are turning up. Deliveries are arriving and shop windows are being dressed. There are even a few bars and restaurants opening.

The best news of all though is that with all the snow the pistes are ready.

The pisteurs and lift operators are out practicing emergency procedures.

It’s great to see how they get us down from the lifts if the worst happens. Hope not to see this again this season.

Well - ready, steady, ski.

Snow conditions, 8th December 2011

2011-12-08T13:32:00.001-08:00

It has snowed for the last 3 days but this morning was blue skies so I decided to take a walk up to the top of the Roche Noir lift to take a look at the resort and snow conditions.

A lot of snow has fallen. Well over 1m but getting to the top was not as hard as expected. As the snow was falling it was also accompanied by strong winds that have had the effect of consolidating the snow pack. This was good for the walk up, but meant I didn’t get the knee deep, powder ski down that we are all after.

The sound of avalanche blasting from Les Arcs was a strong reminder of the dangers. There were a lot of signs of the wind and it looks to have been coming from the south west, so be careful on north east slopes.

Remember if in doubt, stick to low angled slopes, below 25 degrees.

The good news is that the piste bashers are out packing the snow down to give the pistes a good base for the start of the season.

A Mountain Chalet bring Henry’s Avalanche Talk to La Rosiere.

2011-12-05T02:39:00.000-08:00

For the winter season 2011/12 A Mountain Chalet has partnered with Henry’s Avalanche Talk (HAT) to bring the introduction talk

“Ride Hard! Ride Safe“

to La Rosiere.

Ever felt you could have had a better day off-piste?

Are you worried about the risks? Do your concerns hold you back?
Would you like to understand which slopes to avoid and which are safe?
Would you like some practical help to be more confident when you go off piste?
Do you want have great fun at the same time? Well....

....Safety is Freedom

Learn how to interpret clues to avoid this
So you can have more fun doing this

Henry's Avalanche Talk (HAT) has been helping off-piste skiers and riders to get more from the mountain for 20 years. You can discover how to de-mystify the ski professional’s expertise so you know how to manage risks.
HAT is a team of ski professionals and free riders who are committed to helping you have more fun off piste. We can help you develop avalanche awareness and provide you with insight on skiing off piste and development of off-piste skiing skills.
HAT offer Henry's live Avalanche Talks, personal on-snow training, practical beeper training, COPE certification and easy to understand online training modules.

Are you coming to La Rosiere this winter to ski? If you would like to find out more about staying safe off piste why not come to one of our talks.

To arrange a private talk for your group in your chalet contact Tim.

email : tim@henrysavalanchetalk.com phone: 00 33 4 79 06 57 38

Special Rate available for A Mountain Chalet guests.

What will you get out of the talk?

Learn how to be a responsible and supportive member of any group going off piste
Insight into how the professionals approach decisions about going off piste.
Find out how much you do know and what you don’t know
Some fun and great video of avalanches and sensational off piste ski sequences
Most importantly learn how to answer the question......

.........Is it safe out there?

Unfortunately there is no straight yes or no answer. In our avalanche talks you will learn that whether it is safe depends on

Where you go and when.
How you go down or up.
How well prepared you are.

Our talks are dynamic with great off-piste photography and sensational avalanche and off-piste video.

Visit http://www.hentysavalanchetalk.com/ to find out more and register for free articles, weekly ezine and tips on staying safe.

Day out in the Mountains

2011-11-13T11:01:00.001-08:00

With the beautiful weather continuing, a lot of the work on the chalet done, it was time to get out into the mountains for a day. It is a great time to be out with the summer crowds gone. You are only sharing the mountains with the wild animals, and because it is quieter they are easier to see.

We headed out to have a closer look at a couloir that we have been watching for a few winters and want to ski. Its a good idea to figure out the lines and any potential dangers before jumping in.

Setting off from the col we headed up to the lac san fond. From here it was a direct, pathless climb up the couloir towards the Ponte de lac san fond and Roc de Belleface.

It was a hard steep climb but well worth it for the views, this was topped of when we spotted Bouquetin on a far of ridge.

The back side was an interesting decent down a shale bowl.

It was a round trip of 6 hrs and 700+ vertical meters. Monty enjoyed every minute.

The col also looks very skiable so watch this space to see if we tick it of this season.

Tim's coke can campimg stove

2011-11-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pic's of a light weight camping stove I have made from a couple of coke cans.

Running on meths it will boil water with out to many problems but is not the quickest. It does however only weigh 8 grams so is incredibly light

I followed the video to make my stove and although it is a bit more involved to make than some, this version does not need pre heating to get it to work.

href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x69z0b_how-to-make-a-soda-can-stove_school"

I am happy with the performance of the stove but I am refining the design of the pot stand. The object of this is to make it as light and compact as possible while still being practical to use. Its also a bit of fun.

Tim's Pakistan Trip 29th May to 28th June 2011, Introduction

2011-10-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

Back in November 2010 while ski touring in Tignes, Rob mentioned that he had booked a return trip to Pakistan having last visited in 2007. As the conversation continued over the next few weeks I decided to buy a ticked and tag along for what was promising to be “A Trip of a Lifetime”

Getting everything sorted was by no means easy. The visa application taking 10 weeks, a lot of emails and requiring a invitation from a local tour company. This all helped build the anticipation.

A busy end to the winter and a couple of weeks in England before leaving made packing a long drawn out process. Although it was hard saying goodbye I was ready to get off by the time departure day came around. Its got to be said that with recent news events fresh in my mind I was a little nervous and probably had not been the best company for the last few days.

Our trip was to break down into roughly 4 parts of about a week.

Part 1 - Arrival and Chitral.

Part 2 - Visiting a family in Washich.

Part 3 - Rakaposhi Base Camp, Ultar Medow, and Passu Suspension bridge.

Part 4 - Golden Peak Base Camp and leaving

An interesting bit of video about the truck art. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8624774.stm

Lac d'Arpi summer camping trip.

2011-08-23T03:22:00.000-07:00

With the weather set fine and Dave, Rachel and Andrew in La Rosiere a camping trip was organised. They wanted somewhere beautiful, where we could have a fire with a bit of a walk but not too far.

We chose Lac d'Arpi just over the border in Italy. A beautiful setting to spend the night and only an 1.5hrs walk. This was the first time out for our new tent (bought after a very wet night last year) and new cosy down sleeping bags. We were hoping that with Annabelle getting bigger and heavier we would still be able to manage.

With bags sorted we set off. Annabelle was great. With a little help from Rachel and a bit of paitence she walked the whole 5 kms.

Once we got to the lake we found a suitable camp spot and set up the tents.

It was then time to get the camp fire going, open the wine and find the crisps. It was a bit of a cross between wild camping and glamping.

It did not take long to get the fire to temperature and get the food on, baked spuds, beans and sausages. Real food! The rest of the evening was spent chatting round the camp fire and watching the stars pass overhead. With the lack of light pollution they were fantastic. We even spotted a satellite pass overhead.

The morning came round all to quickly. Bright but chilly untill the sun got up. In the still morning it was great to have the place to ourselves for a short while. The reflections of the Grand Duras in the lake were stunning.

Great view of the Grand Duras reflected in Lac d'Arpi

With breakfast eaten and tents down it was time to head home.

Unfortunately Annablle was not so willing to walk.

A great trip with good friends and a few more lessons learned. Hope its not too long before we get to go again.

End of season ski tour up Mont Miravidi.

2011-05-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

The chalet is cleaned and closed, staff have gone. The lifts aren't running and the building work has started in the village. Summer is fast approaching.

Perfect then for a ski tour trip.

With the snow line higher than normal it is a perfect opportunity to visit the harder to reach parts of the valley. A trip to the heli ski drop zone on Mont Miravidi via a couple of its cols was soon agreed on. To save the early start and to add an extra bit of adventure we decided to camp as close as we could get to the starting point.

The drive to reach our camping spot was an adventure in its self. Turning off the Bourg St Maurice - Comet de Roseland road at Bonneval-les-Bains we headed towards Versoye. The road became single track with some hairy drops off the side. As you go higher it gets no better, the drops just get bigger. We followed the road as far as possible, the snow patches stopping us just short of where we would idealy like to have got to, Chalet Rullier.

After a scout around we found a spot out of the wind to pitch the tents. Tea on, tents pitched, bags sorted for the morning. Admire the stars and then turn in for the night and try and get some sleep before the 5.15am alarm call.

After a cool night with some sleep the alarm got us up. A good breakfast, more tea then tents down and packed away in the car. Now the hard work starts. It was 6.30am by the time we set off. We followed the road down and over the river then chose a line up the opposite bank so that we ended up in the correct valley heading for the Col des Rousses. We hit snow and got onto our skis at 2300m. From there it was a straight forward plod up to the col. Due to a good freeze overnight we needed ski crampons.

As we crested the Col des Rousses we had a great view.

We then hiked the ridge and had a short ski traverse of the Miravidi glacier on great spring snow before putting our skins back on and climbing to the summit.

From the summit we chose to descend via the Col des Veis.

The ski down was superb. The spring snow was smooth and just softening in the mid day heat. The route was fun to ski with a few interesting route finding problems.

After a while the snow ran out and it was shoes back on. The walk down being the hardest part of the day. With tired bodies and heavy packs the sparodic snow cover and damp grass made it a hard walk.

The car had never looked so good. 7hrs round trip, 1337m of ascent and a great day out.

Ski Test - K2 Pontoon

2011-04-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

Just had my first ride on a pair of 179cm K2 Pontoons. There was 15cm of fresh snow but not much base, and no visability. It was just going to be a short shake down run. This was the first time I have mounted bindings and did not want to be to far from home if it all went wrong.
Stepping into them at the lift they feel wide and oddly short. Getting of at the top you can tell they are not a normal ski. All the rocker makes them a bit skitty on the piste until you get them on an edge.
Ok so we hit the 1st tracked powder run and get caught out by the ice underneath. When I can see and let them loose in the powder, 'it's to easy'. I really need to see now, got to get on to a steeper, untracked slope. I could feel how good they are going to be, but only on a limited number of days a season. The final run back home was down a piste and on an edge with a wider than normal stance they are fine.
Just hoping for more snow.

In the mean time my K2 Coomba's are so good in so many conditions they do make the Pontoons a real extravagance. They just look to odd to ignore. Have a go if you get the chance.

Have made it out for a second session but still not enough snow. The small amount that had fallen had been given an ankle breaking crust by the wind. Normally the type of snow you rn a mile from if given the choice. Let the magic of rocker and width take over. Its hard to tell it is not a proper powder day. It reminds me of my snowboarding days. That surfy feel is back. I need fresh snow.

Well we have spent the season riding some great snow but just not enough of the soft fluffy kind. I have packed up the pontoons for this season and will come back to this review when I have the chance to test them properly. In the mean time here is to one more spring snow session before the lifts close.

TEST

2011-04-18T22:41:00.001-07:00

TEST

A Day Away.

2011-03-11T00:43:00.000-08:00

It's day off and a chance to do something a bit different. Not being able to look after Annabelle and both ski together we decided to go and explore a little further away in the valley on snow shoes. This would also give us a chance to try out Monty with his new backpack ( A Ruffwear palisades pack) ready for the summer camping trips.

So we loaded up the car and set of up to Val d'Isere and Le Joseray. At the car park we had to make sense of all that we had brought with us and get organised. So Annabelle dressed in her snow suit. Baby backpack loaded with lunch. Monty in his backpack and water sorted. Snowshoes adjusted. Great.

The 1st part of the walk is very straight forward along a piste bashed track to a small group of old derelict farm buildings at Le Manchet. This was a great point to stop for a cup of tea. We watch as groups of skier came past having enjoyed some great off piste skiing.

It was here that we had to put our snow shoes on as we headed of into a much more remote and wild feeling valley. It is one of the great and popular itinerary runs from the Val d'Isere ski lifts and a popular ski touring route to the refugee Fond de Four. The walking was now a bit harder as we gained height for a while before leveling out again. After another half hour we made our objective. A small little hut in the middle of no where that was doing a great trade in snacks an drinks. Here we enjoyed a cool drink and the warm sun for a while before retracing our tracks back to the car.

All in all a fun way to spend the day as a family. It's nice to try something different to skiing once in a while. Annabelle was great. She walked a bit and never complained about being in her back pack. Monty also got on well with his pack ( I will try and review it later on but first impressions are fantastic.) so I am hopeful we will be able to get away wild camping a bit this summer. It is just a question of wether I can carry everything now.

A Couple of days ski touring.

2011-02-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

4 Blokes, 3 Huts, 2 Days, 2000+ vertical meters. .

Rob and Ben have been back in La Rosiere for 6 weeks, hoping for fun, adventure and powder skiing. Unfortunately the snow has not been great this season and they have only managed a couple of powder days. Now a distant memory. Still with the end of their holiday fast approaching something had to be done and a small ski tour adventure planned.

Setting out from Val d'Isere on friday afternoon, off they set with Rob D. leading them into the middle of no where. 2.30 hrs of effort in fantastic surroundings saw them approach the Refugee Fond de Four. this was to be home for the night. Skis stored and wet clothes changed, Ben took control of fire duty. This turned into his obsession for the trip. Within minutes the stove was roaring and the hut warming up. Time for tea.

A feast of lentils, noodles and soup was prepared. And never has it tasted so good.

The following morning Rob, Rob and Ben struck out and headed towards the Pointe Norde des Lores. Both Ben and Rob where amazed at the surroundings and confirmed themselves as convert ski tourers (as soon a a ski trip to Japan has been taken to fulfill the powder needs). The ski down the Pente des Lores was not the kindest but vows where made to return when the snow was better.

Back at the car and then a quick pit stop at Rob's house for food and to meet up with Tim everyone headed towards Beaufort for the 2nd tour of the hut of the trip.

A short drive above Bourg St Maurice found us at Les Pars and the end of the road due to ice. So with everything on our backs we set off on foot.

After about 30mins of walking we found enough snow and ice cover to dump the trainers and start on the skis. A steady 2hr climb along the valley was all it took to reach the refuge La Balme

Again the familiar routine, wet clothes off, fire lit, and brew on before another feast ( lentils, noodles and soup for some.)

With only candles for light and Bob Dylan on the ipod it was not long before everyone turned in for the night.

The night was a little disturbed as 'Fire Starter' Ben was up all night making sure it was as hot as a sauna.

After breakfast and a clean up off we headed further up the valley. There were great views of La Pierra Menta. It took another hour of steady skiing to reach Refuge du Presset. From here the number of alternative routes and options was very apparent. That was until the clouds descended and the snow flakes started to fall. This signaled it was time to leave.

The descent was not as bad as we had all feared on the way up. With a bit of careful slope selection it was possible to get some nice turns in on spring snow. Looking at the snow pack the snow underneath the crust was completely unconsolidated and will pose a real danger when it next snows. It was also hard to ski when the crust did not hold your weight.

At the end of the day, a great bit of exploration in a new valley and a head full of new routes to do in the future. A great way to make the most of the weather and snow conditions, to still get out there and enjoy the mountains. The boys have definately earned a couple of rest days before heading home.

Here's to the next trip.

2011

2011-01-01T04:14:00.000-08:00

Well 2011 has arrived.

At Chalet Jeode we had a wonderful evening to usher in the New Year. After a great days skiing under blue skies the guests came back to the chalet and the evening got underway. We started off with canapes and champagne. It was great to be joined by Sam and Matt for a glass or two.

Rob and Sandra provided a feast of a meal for everyone, finishing off with the crowd pleasing lemon creams and home made limoncello.

After the effort of a full days skiing, the ESF giant slalom race and the childrens assesment ( they all got their badges ) it was never going to be a boisterous night. We had great fun letting off several fire lanterns in to the clear night ski. We then moved indoors and spent some time discusing the unusual french cabaret show that was on. French New Year came in with a bang. Quiet literally as a load of fireworks lit up the ski.

As the final hour of the English year passed so did most of the guests, ending with just a couple of us making it to watch Big Ben and the London fireworks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL AND BEST WISHES FOR 2011.

Let me introduce us.

2010-11-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hi.

After working in the Alps for several winter seasons Tim and Beckie set up "A Mountain Chalet".

We offerer a fully catered chalet in the winter and bed and breakfast in the summer. All our rooms are fully ensuite, we have a large lounge and dinning room with south facing balcony. An equipment room with boot dryer and outside a large 9 person hot tub for you to relax in.

We are based in La Rosiere 1850, a wonderful and charming ski station on the French Italian boarder.
In the winter above average snowfall and sun shine combine to provide a unique ski experience. Smaller and not as well know as our bigger neighbours ( Val d'Isere, Tignes, Les Arcs, La Plagne ) we also do not suffer the crowding and so you can enjoy your skiing in a more relaxed atmosphere.
In the summer the pass to Italy clears of snow and the options of how to spend the days increase, along with the temperatures.

Having lived here since 2001 we know the village and surrounding area well and have a good knowledge of the area. We hope to share some of the beauty and secrets with you.

http://www.amountainchalet.co.uk/
info@amountainchalet.co.uk

Hello and welcome

2010-11-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

Hi

Welcome to the blog for all things related to A Mountain Chalet.
We hope to keep you up to date with all the news and happenings from here in La Rosiere.
We are redeveloping our website at the moment to help integrate our blog, facebook and twitter.
Please keep an eye on our blog as it may be a bit slow to start but should improve through the winter.

http://www.amountainchalet.co.uk/

Learn how to interpret clues to avoid this	So you can have more fun doing this