Today I have a rendez-vous with Henrik and Claudia for a day of off-piste skiing from Méribel.
We meet at the foot of the Saulire Express gondola. This young couple wants to get off the ski runs on slopes that are not too steep and at a leisurely pace. I provide them with the safety equipment for the day: DVA, shovel and probe. We take the Légende chairlift and move away from the slopes a little. I teach them how the safety equipment works and how to behave off piste.
From the Tougnette ridge, I take them on some easy and not very steep off-piste runs to see their level of skiing. Everything goes well and we head towards the Roc de Fer. We leave the slopes at the top of the Olympique to ski the beautiful gentle slopes of the Rafforts. A crossing on the wide ridge above Béranger takes us to the pass which leads back to the Rafforts slopes.
The snow is good, there is about thirty cm of powder snow and very few tracks. Henrik and Claudia like the place. Claudia does very well despite her little off-piste practice. Henrik is very comfortable and plays with the terrain relief and the trees. We join the Rafforts piste at the bottom of the slopes.
Back at Méribel la Chaudane we go back up to La Saulire and head towards Courchevel and the Vallée des Avals. From Chanrossa, we leave the slopes to go to the Avals canyon. Only 3 tracks in the canyon, so there is plenty of room to draw beautiful curves. The descent is magnificent, everyone appreciates it, we take our time. The exit is a little more physical because you have to push a little on the poles and join the cross-country trail.
It is 2:30 p.m. a well-deserved break in a good restaurant is necessary because we are feeling tired. The return to Méribel is done quietly by the slopes. A beautiful day, my nice couple is happy and we should see each other again next year.
Interested in this kind of guided outing? You can check out this page.