Trip Selection Help
Decide what you want to do:
| 1 | Telemark, Nordic or Alpine – what's meant by these terms? |
| 2 | Course or tour – what's the difference? |
| 3 | 'All Terrain', 'Off-piste Intro', 'Off-piste Performance' and 'Off-piste Adventure' – what do these mean? |
| 4 |
Weeks for friends skiing at different levels and/or on different ski equipment. |
Decide on your ability level:
| 5 | Course or tour levels – skiing ability expected for each trip. |
Decide on a date:
| 6 | 2011–2012 Season Planner – the calendar for the season. |
TELEMARK, NORDIC or ALPINE?
For a full explanation of the three different forms of skiing, please visit our Skiing Information pages.
Telemark skiing:
On- and off-piste freeheel downhill skiing (i.e. not only Telemark turns) and touring on Alpine terrain (day tours or hut-to-hut). Uplift is used on all courses. Shaped, wide or 'fat' Telemark skis and plastic boots are the norm. Skins and other specialist equipment are needed on touring options.
Nordic skiing:
Day tours, coaching sessions or multi-day tours using cambered, metal-edged skis and leather or soft plastic touring boots. Waxes are usually used and skins only for bigger climbs. Terrain is gentle to moderate, depending on the week. Skiing is usually on way-marked routes but sometimes through untracked snow. Only the easiest tours have machine-prepared trails.
For a full explanation of 'Telemark skiing; terrain and equipment' and 'Nordic skiing: terrain and equipment' click these links to read our articles.
Alpine (Downhill) skiing:
For those on downhill or Alpine ski equipment we offer courses for off-piste skiing, coaching in touring techniques and tours in Alpine terrain (day tours or hut-to-hut). Uplift is used on all courses. Shaped, wide or 'fat' skis are the norm, fixed heel bindings and non-flexing boots. Skins and other specialist equipment are needed on touring options.
See navigation at the top left side of the screen to access the full range of courses and tours available for Telemark, Alpine and Nordic skiing.
COURSE or TOUR?
Courses:
Instruction in Telemark, Alpine or Nordic techniques and skills. Usually held within ski areas, using on- and off-piste slopes or Nordic trails, as relevant to the course. 5 x half days instruction (and 5 x half days 'free'!) with a 6th 'free' day – or as detailed for some specialist courses. Video analysis will be available on most of the courses in the Alps.
Whatever your level, you will be coached only with others of a similar ability. Choosing the correct level means you can maximize enjoyment and progress. Courses of more than one level may run during a week. This allows couples/friends of different ability to come on the same week.
Tours:
Led by appropriately qualified instructors, leaders or mountain guides depending on venue or terrain, for the full period of day tours or multi-day, hut-to-hut tours, with coaching tips included ‘en route’.
COURSE OR TOUR GRADINGS
We show Telemark/Alpine levels first – you can scroll down or click the link for Nordic levels.
FITNESS: In addition to the ability levels for both Telemark/Alpine and Nordic tours, each trip description gives an idea of fitness required, distances to be travelled and/or height gains expected.
| Remember – 'Telemark' is freeheel downhill skiing (i.e. not only Telemark turns), so skiers on freeheel equipment might be on two different levels e.g. Level 3 for parallels and Level 2 for Telemarks. |
| Level 0 – No previous experience. Ask us which courses are suitable. |
| Level 1 – You can ski the easiest blue runs but find steeper, icy or awkward sections tricky. |
| Level 2 – You can ski all blue runs at a good pace and with confidence. |
| Level 3 – You can ski most reds but find steeper, icy or awkward sections tricky. |
| Level 4 – You can ski reds at a good pace whatever the conditions and are working on blacks, bumps and off-piste. |
| Level 5 – You can ski reds and blacks whatever the conditions and at a good pace. Want to further improve on steeps, bumps and off-piste so you can ski anything. |
INTERPRETING YOUR ABILITY LEVEL
When deciding your ability level please note that we assume you are linking turns on the level of slope specified.
Linking turns: means joining the arc of one turn directly into the arc of the next turn and so on, forming a series of S-shapes. If one turn is followed by a traverse, whether short or long, before the next turn then these turns are not linked.
'Getting down a slope': we've found that if you use this term, or the following one, with reference to a slope, it usually means you are not able to link turns on it nor ski in control. For example, if you can 'get down' a 'red' piste (as of ability level 4) then you are actually ability level 3!
'Survival skiing': As above, if, for example, you are 'survival skiing' on a 'red' piste (as of ability level 4) then you are actually level 2!
ADJUSTMENTS FOR SPEED AND FITNESS
The levels described assume average speed and fitness. If you are below or above average fitness deduct or add ½ to 1 level as necessary. If you ski below or above average speed deduct or add ½ to 1 level as necessary.
UNSURE OF YOUR LEVEL?
You may find you are between levels, e.g. 3/4. A rough guess is fine to ensure that you are at or above the minimum standard. On the first day's skiing, we will place you in the best group. If you are unsure of your level give us a call.
If you have not been with us before and/or have not had instruction for a few seasons we would recommend that you are conservative with estimating your ability level. Telemark and Alpine ski equipment moved on a lot in the last few years, allowing better and more accurate skiing, and the general standard of skiing has improved from season to season. A 'red slope skier' to-day tends to be a better skier than a 'red slope skier' was 4 or 5 years ago. It is far easier for all concerned if you have to move up an ability group rather than the reverse!
MOVING LEVELS
As people may progress at different rates during instruction, we can re-organise the groups during a week, to maximise learning and enjoyment.
| Introductory: Never done any Nordic skiing before or only a day or so i.e. you will have some skiing experience whether Nordic or Alpine. If you are interested in a skiing course and have never done Alpine/downhill or Nordic skiing before, please contact us to check the suitability of particular courses. |
| Intermediate: Skiers with previous Nordic skiing experience, able to travel over undulating terrain and to ski down moderate slopes at the most, in a variety of snow conditions. A confident snowplough and the ability to traverse are the minimum downhill technique requirements. You will be comfortable completing day tours and are now embarking on multi-day hut-to-hut tours. |
| Intermediate Plus: Skiers who have successfully completed at least one, week-long hut-to-hut tour. Tours will involve skiing in more remote areas, usually on un-tracked snow and with some 'long days’. The ability to travel over undulating terrain whilst maintaining a reasonable pace and able to ski down moderate slopes at the most, in any snow conditions is essential. A confident and effective ‘stem’ turn and the ability to traverse are the minimum downhill technique requirements. |
| Advanced: Skiers who have successfully completed at least two, week-long hut-to-hut tours. Confident downhill using Nordic touring skis on steeper slopes (i.e. equivalent to ‘red’ pistes in a ski resort) in variable, un-pisted snow, i.e. turning down the slope without need for long traverses and able to control speed and direction. Experienced in Nordic travelling techniques and using waxes, i.e. not just using skins, and able to maintain a good pace within the group. An appropriate degree of self-sufficiency and stamina will be expected. |
'ALL TERRAIN' & 'OFF-PISTE' COURSE OPTIONS
'ALL TERRAIN' COURSES
Our standard Telemark instruction weeks based in a ski area but with the emphasis on developing your skiing performance for all snow conditions, slopes and speeds – the all-rounder week for skiing the whole mountain. Our most popular course now has a sharper focus on your skiing versatility and adaptability, whatever the technique and your level.
TELEMARK & ALPINE SKIERS: We include skiers on Alpine/Downhill equipment on these 'All Terrain' courses as well. Over recent seasons we have found this works well and we ensure that both Alpine and Telemark skiers receive equal and appropriate instruction. Typically early in the week Alpine and Telemark skiers will be in the same group focusing on the same techniques e.g. snowplough and parallel turns. Later in the week the group will be split so Telemark skiers can focus on learning/developing Telemark techniques whilst Alpine skiers will maintain the focus on improving their parallel skiing skills. No one is compromised and everyone improves.
'OFF-PISTE' COURSES
The focus of these courses is on being able to ski any snow that is not groomed or made from snow cannons, i.e. that snow beyond the piste markers. To quote Sir Arnold Lunn, the inventor of slalom skiing and promoter of lift-served skiing in the Alps in the 1920s and 30s: 'for excitement the piste is perhaps the best, but the beauty and variety and subtlety of skiing is only known to the expert on natural snow'. We’ll show you how to adapt and enjoy 'the beauty and variety and subtlety of skiing' in this challenging but supremely rewarding environment.
TELEMARK & ALPINE SKIERS: We have found that these off-piste specific courses work extremely well whether ski equipment is Telemark or Alpine/Downhill. As we are focusing on skills, strategies and tactics for off-piste skiing, it is not significant what the technique (or equipment) is; more important is developing the adaptations that are needed for that technique to achieve confidence and success off-piste. A mixed group of Telemark and Alpine/Downhill skiers then works perfectly well. It is also very interesting to compare and contrast performance of those on different equipment.
We run two types of off-piste instructional course: 'Off-piste Intro' and 'Off-piste Performance'. These are suitable for different levels of off-piste ability (see Planner). These courses focus on technique, skills and tactics for off-piste skiing. We may spend some time on-piste, e.g., to work on a particular skill which is easier to 'take on board' in a less challenging environment.
We also offer 'Off-piste Adventure' weeks. As well as coaching in off-piste skills, these weeks will also include substantial amounts of time skiing relatively remote off-piste itineraries (with short sections of skinning to reach them) and half- or full-day tours. Each of these weeks is slightly different and full details are given in the trip Dossiers.
TWO WEEK COMBINATIONS
Some of our weeks are programmed to make a two week holiday feasible without any great logistical problems and that will make a natural progression from one to the next. There are many trips listed in the website which, when put together with a second week, will attract special 'combo' prices, for example:
| • | Gressoney Off-piste Performance followed by Gressoney Off-piste Adventure |
| • | Les Contamines All Terrain followed by Les Contamines Off-piste Performance |
In Norway, we have two ‘combos’ in particular that give superb two week expeditions on ski – that are always light-weight and always with warm, dry and very comfortable accommodation:
| • | Skarvheimen Traverse followed by the Hardanger-Telemark Traverse – a North to South traverse across the hills and plateaux of the Hardangervidda |
| • | Jotunheim: Pines to Peaks followed by Jotunheim: The North-West Passage – an East to West journey right through the drama of Norway’s highest range of mountains. |
Contact us for any other combination you would like to consider and benefit from a saving of at least £100 over the 2 weeks!
WEEKS FOR FRIENDS SKIING AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND/OR ON
DIFFERENT SKI EQUIPMENT
These weeks are for couples, partners and groups of friends, who have differing aspirations and abilities but want to enjoy being on holiday together at the same venue. Any week in our programme with a wide-ranging ability level stipulation and with alternative courses will be suitable for those couples and groups of varying levels and skiing interest, such as on-piste and off-piste (and in separate groups for coaching appropriate to ability level).
A trend over the last 3 or 4 seasons has been more couples and groups coming on the same week but on different equipment i.e. some on Telemark and others on Alpine ski equipment. Since The Telemark Ski Company is so unique in being able to offer top quality instruction and leadership across 3 skiing disciplines (Telemark, Alpine and Nordic) we are unusually (or even, uniquely!) well-placed to provide this facility – many couples have commented on how refreshing this has been and how it has really added so much to their winter holidays.
We are flexible and accommodating with our instruction to ensure both Telemark and Alpine skiers receive appropriate and complete attention and time. Follow this link for more information about how this works.
