+44 (0) 1635 37774INSTRUCTION LATEST
Booking now for late season performance ski course in La Grave
- all the info
Exciting
new changes coaching programme this season including development of the skivo2
Kids Academy - read more
What about
fitness levels needed for skiing? We have the info and training advice needed
to get you into the best shape for the piste, now with warm up routines on video
- read more
Look out for a special
event this year, a combined coaching and equipment test week in conjunction
with our sponsors Salomon - all
the info
Our selection of the latest
skiing & boarding books and DVDs from Amazon - more
here
Meet the skivo2 Instruction
Team for this season -
here
La Grave performance course
Wk comm 10th April - Half board in Hotel Edelweiss with all
day ski instruction - £580 per person
Sole occupancy supplement - £110 per week -
Transfer - £55 from Geneva or Chambery / £65 from Lyon
or Grenoble.
Pick up times from late morning to mid afternoon – please check
with UK office before booking flights to ensure we can provide a transfer.
Minimum ski ability level: Comfortable on all piste gradings with
the desire to explore their potential in off piste and all mountain
terrain.
View more photographs of the La Grave ski area
For years, the sheer beauty of La Grave, the quality of the snow and the off-piste skiing have attracted connoisseurs from all over the world. This world-renowned site has made the best of it's high mountain environment away from the cable pylons and bannered runs to offer great skiing on glacial slopes with steep gullies and deep coombes which swoop down to larch forests.
La Grave was the last great peak to be conquered. There are no ski patrols, ski schools, grooming, marked trails or avalanche control. Imagine Courchevel unpisted and untracked, but with steeper couloirs and surrounded by rugged mountains - then you get an idea of the scope of this ski domain.
At 3986 meters, La Meije may not be the highest peak, but at 2150 meters, it does have one of the longest vertical drops in the world. Two lifts take you to an altitude of 3650 meters. From there, the number of possible descents makes La Grave probably largest untamed, off-piste site in Europe.
Download a pistemap of the La Grave ski area
Of course safety is at all times paramount, however, we will ensure that you enjoy your “La Grave Experience”, also skiing in the resort of Les Deux Alpes which, is twenty minutes away by car or an easy ski over the back of La Grave summit. This also provides us with a foul weather option.
The coaching will take place all day everyday during your stay. The on hill technical instruction will maintain the high quality we strive for and will include Avalanche Transceiver training.
Robin Kinnaird will run this trip for the fourth successive year with the focus firmly on your off-piste and steep terrain skiing.
The Accommodation
Based at the lovely Hotel Edelweiss, is a privately owned centuries old coaching inn. Situated in the heart of this twelth century village of La Grave, it is less than five minutes walk from the Telepherique de la Meije. The owners, Marlon and Robin, as well as almost all the staff are active in one or more mountain sports.
From the terrace (photo right), the peak with it's glaciers give you one of the most stunning panoramas in the alps. The village has a variety of shops and restaurants and has a refreshingly laid back and unpretentious feel.
The Resort
La Grave - La Meije is a unique resort offering wilderness skiing and breath taking slopes. La Meije was one of the last major peaks to be scaled in Europe and at 3986 metres it is an imposing sight. It has 2150 vertical metres drop of off piste skiing and the size of the domain is similar to an unpisted, untracked Courchevel. The La Meije Glaciers Aerial Tramway (Téléphérique) provides the sole access to this high altitude glacial terrain, and carries passengers to the Ruillans Pass at 3200 meters in 30 minutes. The Trifides and Dome de la Lauze drag lifts then goes up to 3550 meters. From here you discover that there are only two marked trails, along with an access to the Deux Alpes ski resort.
Bordering the superb Parc National des Ecrins, and at the foot of the magnificent 'La Meije' (3986m), the village of La Grave has a variety of shops and restaurants with a very laid back, rustic and unpretentious feel. You won't find any wooden chalets here! The rarity of wood as well as some spectacular fires in the past centuries have discouraged the local population from building with wood. Traditional architecture in the La Meije area is exclusively stone. Blocks of tuff (a volcanic rock) or shale are sealed together with an earth-based mortar. Rooftops are two-sided and covered with slate or flagstones for fire protection. Houses are built on the natural rock foundation and set into the hillside in a cascading terrace formation.
The La Meije community does not experience the huge tourist invasions common to conventional resorts, and the population varies only slightly throughout the year. There are just over 600 inhabitants, made up of both locals and former French and foreign vacationers who fell in love with the site and settled there permanently. Although the La Meije area draws its resources today mainly from tourism, it has never sold its soul, and proudly preserves its authenticity.
Tourism website: www.lagrave-lameije.com