Women's
Backcountry Breakthrough
The Women's K2 Backcountry Breakthrough is a ski mountaineering and alpine awareness week designed to unite like-minded women. If you are keen to develop skills related to big-mountain skiing, clock up plenty of turns and have fun in the process this programme may well be suited to you! The week is geared towards women interested in developing greater independence and decision making skills for venturing safely into the back country while retaining the joy of the freeride spirit.
The Freeride Spirit
Freeride is not about just 'doing as you please'. As you'll discover; it's about discipline in your skiing, 'tuning in' to the mountains, appreciating their beauty, acknowledging the hazards and always travelling accordingly. It is important to have the right tools for the job so throughout the course you will have the chance to test out a range of the latest K2 freeride and their new line of backside equipment.
Why just women?
The mountaineering world is seriously male dominated which some women find intimidating. CMG provides female guides for the course. We hope to encourage more women to 'give it a whirl'. The idea is that women, who enjoy skiing and being in the mountains; develop their skills in a friendly, supportive environment that encourages them to relax and focus on their goals and make independent decisions. Seeing other women getting out there and performing in the mountains can be helpful. I think all of us can relate at some point to the self-persuasive thought process - "if she can do it, then I can do it too"!
For enthusiasts out there interested in a similar co-ed programme; look at our SMC - Ski Mountaineering Course.
Women's K2 Backcountry Breakthrough Diary:
Saturday 6th March
Venue - to be advised!
Arrive in the afternoon / evening. Discussion about the coming week.
Sunday 7th March
Off piste skiing Le Tour / Trient
Organise necessary rental equipment. Short theory session on transceivers and avalanche search techniques including video presentation. Head to the Le Tour ski resort. Basic transceiver use and search practice at the base of the lifts. Off piste skiing at Le Tour and Vallorcine. We focus on techniques for tackling current conditions receiving tips and tricks from K2 team freeskiers. In the afternoon we do a short stint skinning or hiking to test out the randonnée set up and gain some fresh tracks including a run down to Trient, Switzerland in the afternoon.
Monday 8th March
Ski tour : Aiguilles Rouges, Col de Belvédère
We gain a head start using the Flégère lift system then skin up to the Col de Belvédère at 2780 metres. We take a short break on the Col switching to ski mode. If conditions dictate it, we descend the first 30 metres of the northern side of the col with rope assistance.
Then we have wonderful skiing on shady powder slopes that broaden into the Berard valley. We find a suitable spot to stop for lunch, continue our discussion on avalanche hazard (from last night) and we 'take a detective's look' at the snow.
Tuesday 9th March
Off-piste skiing: Grands Montets and 'Ski like a pro free-rider for a day'.
They say that a picture tells a thousand words, does that mean moving pictures tell 10 000 words? So today we will ski off piste at the Grands Montets ski resort in front of the video camera to help hone our technique. We have a K2 pro-freerider as role model to provide coaching for attacking powder and challenging off piste conditions. We run the sessions as workshops rather than a regimented ski lesson.
In the afternoon an introductory demo of crevasse rescue and associated skills.
Evening session: Friendly analysis of video with a glass of champagne to facilitate a relaxed session. Discussion of ski mountaineering equipment (general) and what we need for a two day ski tour.
Wednesday 10th March
Ski tour: Col du Passon to the Trient refuge, Switzerland.
We start early catching the first lift to the top of the Grands Montets. A warm up powder run takes us to the Argentière Glacier. An ascent to the Col de Passon involves some skinning, often with ski crampons to begin and a final steep climb with boot crampons and ice axe to the top of the Col. This is a great spot for lunch with a spectacular view of the procession of peaks that form a corridor along the Argentière Glacier. Our day's journey doesn't end here. We switch several times back and forth from skiing to skinning mode to traverse gentle slopes and finally the Plateau du Trient and a short uphill skin to the hut. Now we can relax with a well earned beer or cup of tea!
Evening session: map reading, basic navigation.
Thursday 11th March
Ski tour: Trient refuge to the village of Trient via the Col du Pissoir and the Glacier Grand.
We begin the day with a crevasse rescue session in the wind scoop below the hut. Now everyone will have the opportunity to set up a hoist system and pull someone out. Today we have several skiing options each of which have the potential for an exceptional powder run. There's the Glacier Grand which is accessed by skinning for one hour, involves steep rolling terrain and invariably holds cold snow. This option takes us to village of Trient from where we will catch a taxi back around to Le Tour. Other options include skiing the Le Tour Glacier, the Glacier de Trient or the Val d'Arpette.
Evening group dinner in Chamonix to celebrate a fantastic week of skills acquired and new experiences.
Friday 12th March
Off piste ski tour : Aiguille du Midi, Glacier de Toule, Glacier de Géant.
Today we take advantage of the lift access of the Aiguille du Midi into the heart of big mountain, glaciated terrain. A mellow but spectacular ascent on skins of just over an hour takes us to the frontier ridge and access to the Italian Glacier de Toule. In spring this sunny face often provides an endless carpet of perfect 'ego snow' (corn). We return to Chamonix via the Italian Vallée Blanche - a descent that usually offers wintery snow late in the season. This round trip is fondly known as the 'Spaghetti Tour', since a stop at the Pavillion restaurant at the mid-station of the Helbronner cable car; for delicious salads, coffee and pasta is unavoidable.
Afternoon wrap up, debrief of the week's activities and good byes.
Experience:
To get the most out of this course you need to be an advanced skier, confident on black diamond runs. Some experience off piste is expected but previous ski touring experience is not necessary though helpful. A moderate fitness level is needed (our ski touring days may involve up to 8 hours on the go) and, a good dose of enthusiasm.
Skills and Topics:
- Glacier travel and route finding
- Ski touring: skinning techniques, kick turns and use of ski crampons, laying a skinning track
- Off piste skiing techniques - powder, crud, steep skiing and 'survival skiing' techniques
- Use of ice axe and crampons
- Transceiver use and search techniques and field practice
- Safe travel techniques
- Avalanche hazard evaluation: terrain and snowpack analysis
- Search and rescue: avalanche dynamics and survival strategies
- Snow anchors
- Crevasse rescue: snow anchors, hoisting systems, improvised harnesses, abseiling, prussiking
Price:
K2 Women's Special: €1295
(Standard price per week: €1395)
The package includes:
- 6 days guiding and instruction by experienced female backcountry guides
- 6 nights twin-share B&B accommodation
- One mountain hut night with half-board (Dinner, B&B)
- Free testing of the latest K2 Women's Ski Collection
- Safety equipment for the week (transceiver, shovel and probe)
- Coaching from experienced guides and pro K2 female freerider
The package doesn't include:
- Lift tickets
- Lunches, alcoholic beverages
- Travel costs to and from Chamonix and, within the valley
- Accident insurance
- Additional equipment rental costs
- 6 dinners
Note: the number of participants is limited to 12 women.