telemark skiing and yoga discovery course - 5 days

The guide welcomes you and checks you equipment. Then head for Monêtier-les-Bains, the last village in the Serre-Chevalier resort at the foot of the Col du Lautaret. In a high mountain setting, we’ll take advantage of the immense snow front and its easy runs, ideal for a first taste of free heel skiing. We’ll then make our way to the top of the ski area, where the slopes are not too steep and there’s plenty of room... nothing better for building your news skills in confidence.

Night in a gîte.

For this second day, we’re heading for the resort of Montgenèvre, near the Italian border where you can enhance your new skills while enjoying beautiful views over the whole of the Briançonnais and the Ecrins massif.
In the afternoon, back to the gîte for our first yoga session. We’ll be learning mainly gentle postures and recovery techniques to help us feel good and recover as well as possible from our skiing sessions.

Dinner and overnight at the gite.

We’ll wake up gently on the yoga carpet and warm up for afternoon.
In the afternoon, a telemark session in the nearby resort of Puy-Saint-Vincent. Varied slopes in a magnificent larch forest with the Écrins massif as a backdrop.

Dinner and overnight at the gîte.

We’ll be taking advantage of our proximity to Italy to discover the Italian atmosphere in the resort of Clavière/Monts de la Lune. The scenery is stunning and the mountain profile, with its undulating terrain, makes it a luxury choice for telemark skiing.

Diner and overnight at the gîte.

On the programme for this final day, a beautiful telemark hike that will give you the opportunity to put into practice what you’ve learnt during the week. We’ll be exploring the wild Cervières valley, first on the snow-covered road leading to the famous Col d’Izoard, then in the large valley leading to the Col des Ourdeis. On the border between the Briançonnais and Queyras regions, our terrain is open and not too steep. A great way to familiarise yourself with off-piste telemark skiing.

End of our trip mid-afternoon.

NB : The programme is intended as a guide only. It could be modified at any time by the mountain guide for safety reasons, weather conditions or regarding the physical and technical level of the skiers.

This course has been designed to help you learn telemark skiing in the best possible conditions. Telemark skiing is physically demanding and yoga sessions will help you to recover from skiing sessions. The telemark activity will mainly take place in resorts, on a half-day basis.

8 participants maximum. Departure is guaranteed from 4 participants. You will be notified at least 7 days before departure in the event of cancellation. Where possible, an alternative solution will be offered.

NB : For cancellation conditions for privatised trips (made up groups) please refer to our conditions of sale.

Please note that we offer some of this equipment for rental, they are indicated by a * in the list below, you will find rental prices in the "Gear rental and extras prices" section.

Equipment rental and changes are only possible before payment of the balance of your booking (45 days before departure). We advise you to take the time, as soon as you register, to list the equipment you already have or which can be lent to you. Any equipment initially rented from ROC ECRINS even not taken on the day of departure must be paid for.

The head

• Sunglasses class 4*protective lenses
• Ski goggles
• A helmet*
• A warm hat
• Sunscreen high protection (30 and 50)

The body

• A mountain rucksack * suitable to carry skis if necessary, approx. 25 litres
• A long-sleeved top, prefer merino wool to synthetic fabrics as the are more breathable
• A fleece or soft shell jacket
• A warm down jacket
• A Gore-tex waterproof jacket*to protect against rain, snow and wind
• An avalanche transceiver + shovel* and probe*.
• A harness

Hands

• A pair of thin leather ou fleece gloves and a warmer pair with a waterproof membrane

Legs

• Ideally a Gore-tex type ski trousers *with with long side zips. For cold days, a long warm underwear may be worn underneath

The feet

• Telemarking skis *
• Ski skins* in good condition
• Ski boots*. We strongly recommend that you have recent telemark equipment (skis, bindings, boots) (latest generation 75 standard or NTN)
• Telescopic ski poles*
• A spare pair of socks

Miscellaneous

• Bring containers for around 2 litres of water, ideally a one-litre bottle plus smaller ones to keep warm and close to your body in your jacket.
• Small knife
• Small thermos flask
• Camera
• Small first-aid kit adapted to your personal needs, also containing elastoplast and double-skin dressings for any blisters.

This list is not exhaustive and should be completed with all what you may specifically need.

Telemark skiing is dependent on different factors that we can sometimes neither anticipate nor control; we may therefore have to modify the programme of our high mountain holidays before or during the stay for various reasons:

• if the weather and/or snow conditions make it impossible to carry out the planned programme and/or
• if there is a delay in the opening or early closure of a ski lift or refuge

In these cases, we will offer you an alternative programme, sometimes on the day of departure, which you may not refuse.

Telemark skiing, as all mountain activities have some level of risk particularly of injury in the event of a fall.
To reduce the hazards that they are exposed to skiers must follow the safety instructions given by the instructor.

You must be aware of these risks and accept them when booking.

By a state-certified mountain guide specialized in telemark skiing from Roc Écrins team. He will have a VHF radio connected to the emergency services, a satellite phone or a mobile phone. He will also have a collective first-aid kit.

To take part in one of our stays, you must be properly insured for the chosen activity (rescue and repatriation costs) in the event of an incident or accident occurring during the stay. (We strongly recommend that this also includes cancellation cover). It is your responsibility to check the cover provided by your personal insurance policy. If you do not have such an insurance, you can take out the EUROP ASSISTANCE contract when you sign up. The amount of the "ASSISTANCE" insurance covering repatriation, rescue and search costs represents 2.4% of the price of the stay. MULTIRISK" insurance covering assistance, cancellation, loss of luggage and interruption of holiday, represents 5.6% of the price of the holiday.

In the gîte, in the village of L’Argentière-La Bessée. Overnight stays in shared rooms (4 pers max)
Dishes are prepared using local or regional produce, and breakfasts are generous. WiFi access and free parking.

Transport during the stay provided by Roc Écrins. If none of our vehicles are available, we may ask you to organise car pooling with other participants. In this case, travel expenses would be refunded to the person using their vehicle.

To come to the Hautes-Alpes area: make sure to bring suitable equipment for your vehicle (snow tyres or snow chains), MANDATORY on some of the roads used during your stay.

The Pays des Ecrins region has excellent transport links.

If you’re coming by train,

The SNCF provides direct daily services from Paris, Marseille and Grenoble to L’Argentière-la-Bessée station.
PLEASE NOTE: the Pays des Ecrins station is called "L’Argentière les Ecrins". You must specify the full name of the station when booking, otherwise you may receive a ticket for "l’Argentière" station in Savoie.

• TGV connection, Paris-Turin. Get off at Oulx then take the shuttle to Briançon and l’Argentière.
• TGV connection, Paris-Valence or Paris-Grenoble with bus connections
• Night trains from Paris and the East of France. Information www.sncf.connect.fr
• from Nice, Marseille or Gap, regular bus services (www.autocars-scal.fr - 04 92 51 06 05)

If you are coming by car,

• From the north, take the A48 motorway to Grenoble, then the Col du Lautaret (RN91). Drive through Briançon towards Gap up to L’Argentière-la-Bessée..

• From Italy, take the A43 Maurienne motorway through the Fréjus tunnel, then the Col de Montgenèvre. Drive through Briançon towards Gap up to L’Argentière-la-Bessée..

• From the south, take the A51 motorway to La Saulce, then head for Briançon (RN 94).

• Mountain guiding service , including their meals and lift passes
• Full board accommodation in a gite from the first evening to the lunch on the last day
• Lift passes
• Organisation and reservations (accommodation, guide, equipment) of your stay

To book your trip :

• complete the pre-registration form online
• You will receive a booking contract by email. It sets out the details of your booking as well as the schedule and payment terms.
• On receipt of this contract, the deposit of 30% must be payed within 4 days in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the contract. Your registration can only be confirmed when the deposit has been payed.
• The balance must be paid 45 days before the departure. Please note that any balance not paid within 45 days of departure will be considered as a cancellation of your booking. Financial withholding would therfore be applied in accordance with our terms and conditions of sale.
• For a of a booking made less than 45 days before departure, the total amount of the booking must be paid on receipt of the booking contract in accordance with the terms and conditions set out therein.