Off-piste Skiing in Samoëns – a powder paradise
Samoëns sits within the extensive Grand Massif ski region, the fourth largest ski area in France. This impressive ski domain boasts over 265km of pistes (interestingly, this statistic hasn’t changed in at least seven years despite the creation of new pistes almost annually!)
Despite being a fantastic all round resort, particularly good for families (see more on family-friendliness in our previous post) one of the strengths of the Grand Massif and Samoëns is its off-piste skiing and boarding.
An off-piste adventure
This winter season has started brilliantly with an abundance of snow (250cm on the upper slopes – the best week 2 snow level in over eight years!) and we took to the slopes today to find some of that wonderful powder.
Sometimes the best spots are worth a little walk…
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The legendary Gers Bowl
The Gers drag lift was open today offering great access to the black run and the surrounding off-piste area. To my mind though, some of the best fresh lines in the Gers bowl are worth a little walk along the ridge before a drop in off the cornice.
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Justin (our talented chef at Chalet La Roche) and me, climbed for 15 minutes before scooting around the ridge to our chosen cornice drop in point.
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Views of Mont Blanc beneath the blue skies really add to the excitement of getting some fresh lines.
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After peaking over the cornice and trying to guess the density of the landing, Justin strapped in first before disappearing off into the powder field below…
What you can’t make out from this photo is how the powder reduced a grown man to a whooping, squealing, bundle of grins!
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There were no more photos after this one – neither of us could stop for long enough to take any more pictures. For those of you who’ve ridden fresh tracks before, you’ll understand the excitement…
For those of you who have yet to be reduced to involuntary screams by fresh snow, a ski or snowboarding holiday in Samoëns is a perfect opportunity!
If this season continues like it has started, we are in for another powder-fest to follow that of 2011/12 (Samoens snow history).
January Special Offers
Although we are getting booked up quickly this season, we do have a couple of last minute chances for you to join us in January from only £395 per person (even lower with group discounts!)
Take a look at our prices and availability here.
Our Samoëns photos
Take a closer look at these photos by clicking on the thumbnail images below.
[flickr_gallery]You can also see all these photos and many more on our Flickr page.
Until next time…