The SkiBike Shop

Due to popular demand from the readership, here is a summary of the last few days when yours truly turned to the dark side and played at being a ski instructor. My victim was to be my niece Sofia Kinnon, who had flown from her home in Guimaraes, Portugal, to join Tio Marco for a few days as a ski debutante.

The first priority was to get Sofia kitted out with the necessary clothes. She had brought sporty clothes, but they looked to be a bit on the lightweight side for ski duties, especially for the inevitable day one crashes. We went through my wardrobe and supplemented her clothes with a chunky lumberjack style fleece and some sheepskin mittens, it was somewhat of a bizarre combination, but sort of cute in a "Tank Girl" way. Next we were off to the Ski Clinic in Cluses to hire boots and skis, it is a little bit like Snow and Rock in the UK, i.e. quite a posh place, so not cheap, but filled with top quality kit. She was quickly measured up and provided with some very new looking ski boots, poles and excellent Head carving skis.

Sofia Kinnon - sort of cute in a "Tank Girl" way

So as not to waste any more time we headed to our nearest slope, Mont Saxonnex, just 20 minutes away, high up on Mount Bargy overlooking the town of Cluses. We sorted out a day ticket and began our lesson. The first task was just to practise walking in ski boots on the level, something I remember coming as quite a shock when you can't flex your ankles. Then it was time to clip on the skis and practise walking on the level, this was then evolved into using the herringbone "duck walk" step to climb uphill. Once some altitude was gained it was time to practise shuffling around and sliding back down in the snow plough position, familiar to anyone who has learnt to ski.

The Ski Instructor - would you trust your teenage daughter with him?

I felt sorry for Sofia, I forgot how tiring the combination of falling over, getting up and climbing can be when you first start, as she glumly commented, "I wish I had done those exercises you told me to do, Uncle Mark".
We had a little sit down and I pointed out how easy it is to focus on the skiing and forget about the view, the sun in a clear blue sky, the birds in the trees, the snow snakes..."The snow snakes?" she queried, "Yes" I explained, "They live under the snow and trip up unsuspecting beginners. Come on, let's try the easy way to get uphill".
So next we worked on using the Poma lift, something, to my great surprise, that caused no issues at all, I wish I had found it so easy myself back in the day.

I wish I had found it so easy myself back in the day

We drove up to a higher level to watch people use the chairlift, Sofia had the choice to give it a try, but stated, "I don't think these electrical items like me very much, can we come back tomorrow?".

The following morning Sofia got a few upgrades; the local Carrefour supermarket yielded a pair of salopettes and some ski gloves for under €50. I also made a decision to try substituting the heavy, wood cored, Head carving skis for some shorter and lighter Salomon Crossmax T skis that I had picked up off eBay, just a couple of days prior to leaving for this trip. I was reluctant to use these skis at first as they appear to be designed very much as children's' skis. But as Sofia is under 1.6m high and weighs less than 50kg we gave them a go and both her technique and confidence were instantly improved. It remains a mystery why "Ski Evolotive" or the "Progression Method" is no longer used in France. But I suspect it has more to do with Marketing departments and brand promotion than sound teaching methodology.

Sadly the weather couldn't be upgraded, I made the short drive to Praz de Lys, which was a bit tricky for the last 5km on steep snowy roads. In the poor visibility we practised using the much longer drag lifts there that lead onto some excellent, confidence boosting green runs. I made Sofia do a little training drill, by using the ski poles like handlebars, it limits excess upper body movement and forces you to ski with the legs only.
This worked well, so we moved onto the first blue run, it was a bit deep and choppy in places and she missed a turn and skied off the edge into quite deep snow, collapsing in a yard sale of ski equipment. I dutifully headed over to dig her out, "Uncle Mark!, quick Help Me", came a feeble voice. Fearing the worst, I asked "What's wrong, are you hurt?". "No, it's more important than that", came the reply, "How does my hair look? Is my make-up running?"

"How does my hair look? Is my makeup running?"

We did a little more practise, but the light was failing and when Sofia told me her knee was hurting, I decided it was time to call it quits for the day.

On the final day we made the trip to a "proper" Alpine ski resort, at the stunning cliff top town of Avoriaz. This also gave Sofia's mum a chance to travel with us, take a stroll around town and see the world her precious daughter had been initiated into.

I wanted to demonstrate how to use a chairlift and as luck would have it, Avoriaz has a gentle 3 seater chairlift serving one side of the village. The lift operator dutifully slowed it down further, after I explained I was teaching a debutante. Paul helped me by lining up so that we were on either side of Sofia, at the time to get off we both stood up and lifted her into the same stance. Then we made a quick loop through town, back to the start for another go and then another still. My intention was to make it all feel run of the mill and not in the least intimidating.

We then moved on to the pleasant Proclou, blue graded run served by a friendly detachable chairlift with a slow entry. After a few more runs it was becoming really crowded so we had a
quick pit stop to liaise with Paul. He warned me that the wooded runs down to Les Lindarets were a minefield of deep, heavy snow and moguls.
This left us with just one beginner friendly option remaining, the long "Blue du lac" piste from the top of Lac Intrets, back to Avoriaz for the last run of the day.
Unfortunately, the visibility was poor and getting worse by the minute. I hoped to get above the clouds for some late afternoon sun but this was not to be.
Sofia and I made the slow descent in appalling foggy conditions all the way back down, literally picking our way from one piste marker to the next.
Sofia did herself great credit not to grumble at "Loco Tio Marco" and just slowly follow behind me in foul weather which would have deterred some experienced skiers.
We made it down safely for final quick scoot around Avoriaz town to get back to the giant cable car for our descent to our starting point at the Les Prodains car park.

Picking our way from one piste marker to the next

Apart from being a tremendous family bonding session, I really enjoyed introducing one of the youngest members of the Kinnon clan to the World above the snow line and especially returning her safely to her mother in one piece too.

Sofia asked me how many people I had taught to ski, "One" I replied. "You mean one before me?" she queried, "No, just the one" was my reply.

My sister in law and neice arrive later today, my niece, Sofia, will be learning to ski over the next few days with yours truly as instructor. I imagine the SkiBiker SkiBike Blog readership are none too interested in the fine nuances of the snowplough turn, hockey stop or side slipping. So you will excuse me if I take a brief hiatus from my reportage and rejoin you later in the week.

Paul and I were so impressed with the ambiance at Notre Dame de Bellecombe that we decided to re-visit the area this morning to make a loop of the interlinked resorts of the Val d'Arly.
Our plan was to begin at Praz sur Arly, then make our way via; Cret du Midi, Ban Rouge, Mont Vores, Mont Rond to the 3 different Notre Dame de Bellecombe areas. Then we would return via Mont Reguet, Flumet and the roc des Evettes all the way back to our starting point at Praz sur Arly.
We only got going at 11am so it was a full on day to get round the loop, with no time for lunch, but we did manage a couple of Vin Chauds to keep us fired up.




Skibikers please note, according to the information the lift operators gave me, skibikes and SnowScoots can use the lift systems, but anything that looks like a skibike will require the use of footskis (if only for uplift). I opted once again to make my exploration by ski, as there were a lot of awkward drag lifts and chairlifts to negotiate and no free time to mess about.

The domain is much larger than the size of the villages would have you think; there are 120km of pistes in the Val d'Arly alone and 185km if you add the adjacent runs of the Espace Diamant. There are some reasonable vertical ranges of around 1000m or 300ft available, but some of the base stations are quite low, so the snow may not be the best at resort level.

The hills have a pleasantly rounded "TeleTubbies land" quality, ideal for cruising blue and red runs. Advanced riders might find the area unchallenging in comparison with other areas nearby. A large amount of the runs are through pleasantly wooded areas that open up from time to time onto stunning panoramic views. Anyone who wants to cover large amounts of intermediate terrain without any nasty surprises will not be disappointed. Tourist development has been very sympathetically carried out, with no concrete bunker developments, most accommodation is in small chalet hotels and individual chalets. I would go so far as to say that Praz sur Arly has all the attractions of Morzine, but without the overcrowding and disproportionate amount of loudmouthed Brits.

We arrived back at the car with aching leg muscles, with happy memories of our day going around the Val d'Arly. On the return journey to Cluses we stopped at an enormous hypermarket in Sallanches to stock up on provisions for the impending arrival of my sister in law Isolette and her daughter Sofia. Leaving the bright fluorescent lighting of the shops, we emerged to a stunning moonlit view of the mountains and the Mont Blanc in particular, you don't see that down Tescos in Purley!

A stunning moonlit view of the the Mont Blanc

Tonight was the first ever SnowBike race night to be held at Notre Dame de Bellecombe. I was invited along and was glad to attend, thinking that attendance would be low and I could add my support, although nothing could be further from the truth as I was to find out later. I was told it was to be a single marque Brenter only race, something that didn't bother me, I learnt on Brenter and have been back on them a couple of times since.

Arriving at around 3 in the afternoon, I registered for the race at James Sport, owned by skibike enthusiast James Mollier Camus. I got myself a lift pass and located Ric Platt from SkiBike Ltd. who had arranged for me to get a Brenter. I was assigned my skibike and footskis and went up the hill to refresh my skibob technique. I put in a few runs and slowly the technique began to come back to me although to be honest I think I was doing a lot more skiing with my feet than skibike riding.




Ric tracked me down after an hour and explained that there weren't enough hire skibikes to go round and could I do the race on my own. I didn't need any encouragement, but I retained the foot skis and hard boots for the drag uplift, the plan being to ditch the footskis for the race, I collected my race vest and headed up the hill.
We were allowed to view the slalom course 30 minutes prior to the start of the race, I was pleased to see that it was in soft snow and not the usual boiler plate much loved by racing types. That bit done we had to wait above the start gate in our running order for the race to begin.
It was a magical moment, sat high up on a floodlit hill in the soft snow waiting for the start of the race, the pa announcements from the village below drifting up whilst snowflakes softly descended all around us like a veil.

So how did I do?

So how did I do? If you want a quick summary - pretty dismal.

I made my first run in 1 minute 13 seconds, the only person slower was ESF instructor James Mollier Camus who had crashed out, recovered and still made it down only 5 seconds slower. On my second run I crashed monumentally after the first gate when I could no longer hold the pedals in my slippery hard boots.

I have only had the opportunity to bench mark myself in this way against other riders twice. Once again it has served a valuable purpose, as I have have learnt two things:

1. I am an irredeemably uncompetitive rider, perhaps it's time to quit racing?
2. Riding a freestyle/pegger skibike with hard ski boots is bad news.

Riding a freestyle/pegger skibike with hard ski boots is bad news

My thanks go to the sponsors and organisers of the SnowBike Race Night at Notre Dame de Bellecombe, it was brilliantly well organised. There was some seriously good kit being given to all riders, no-one went home empty handed. I hope that this will be a regular event, although I might duck out of future engagements and stick to falling down ice waterfalls, which I seem to be better skilled at.

Skilled lady skibikers

Plus ca change with the weather today, there were a good couple of fresh inches of snow on the car overnight and the sky looked tempestuous. It looked like it was time for another local trip and nowhere too high or exposed. It was also to be another ski only day, as I am still waiting for my body to heal from my trip down the SnowCross Crozats run at Avoriaz. Skibikers please note that I should be making up for it tomorrow, when I head off to a Brenter SnowBike race night..

My choice was to visit Hirmentaz and les Haberes, almost adjacent to the Massif des Brasses visited yesterday. On the drive up the landscape looked like Narnia, with trees frosted with snow in a world of whiteness everywhere. I just made it to the Telesiege des Souffles chairlift without fitting snow chains, but Paul made a prudent decision to make me fit them in anticipation of the journey home.
Hirmentaz were running a school holidays special price for two of just €12.50 each, but don't get the impression that this is a two drag lifts and three runs type place. It has 43 pistes and 50km of runs, stretched across neighbouring les Haberes and even above la Glappaz.
By lucky chance whilst I was buying the lift passes, 3 lift operators were shooting the breeze and I was able to confirm that there are no issues with skibikes or SnowScoots, the later can even use the drag lifts should they so choose.

Once again very stormy, with extremely low visibility and driving snow

Hirmentaz is very well laid out in its valley location. A large chairlift acts as the core of the infrastructure, whilst beneath it and served by drag lifts are the nursery slopes. Further up the valley are areas better suited to more advanced skiers and riders. Off to one side are the expert runs, snow park and boardercross areas, whilst to the other side is the liaison with the wooded slopes of neighbouring les Haberes.

The conditions were once again very stormy, with extremely low visibility and driving snow. We just made it over the ridge towards Les Haberes, but the weather was fearsome. The snow in places had been stripped away to reveal bare ice patches, whilst elsewhere it had formed knee high drifts. This would have made challenging skiing, but in driving winds and almost zero visibility it took me beyond the limits of my ability. I got ample opportunity to perfect my ski a bit, do a head over heels, ski a bit more, do another head over heels, ski method.

The runs down to les Haberes were much more pleasant once you had found some shelter amongst the trees. We did a whistle stop tour of the runs on this pleasant wooded side of the station before braving the high winds to return to our starting point and a snowy drive home.

The runs down to les Haberes - much more pleasant once you had found some shelter amongst the trees

This morning the weather outlook hadn't changed much from previous days i.e. stormy and changeable, we decided to remain low and find pistes sheltered from the wind. My choice was to revisit the Massif des Brasses in the Valley Vert, an area that appears to be known only to the savvy locals. You rarely see a car with a UK registration and definitely not a Range Rover.

Our closest access point was just a stones throw from the oddly named town of Onnion, close to St. Jeoire and under 30 minutes from our base in Cluses door to door. Arriving around 10 in the morning at the Chenevieres chairlift I was surprised to see the ticket office closed. But at times of low demand you pay the lift operator for a self-adhesive ticket, designed to be worn on a metal paper clip thingy attached to a convenient zipper, a system I have only seen used in Scotland before.

Indeed the topology of the area is very reminiscent of Scotland too, with rounded and rolling hills, interspersed with both coniferous and deciduous trees. The weather was most definitely Scottish flavoured too; my cousin Paul, somewhat of a fair weather skier, was put off by the level of extra sensory perception needed to ski in whiteout. We were also treated to the full menu of meteorological options; snow, wet snow, hail, rain and even a dust devil or should that be a snow devil?.

Treated to the full menu of meteorological options

There were brief spells of clement weather on and off, even a brief glimpse of blue sky at one point. This was when we both opened up the throttle and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

There are a good selection of intermediate runs available, but both beginners and experts might find themselves limited for disparate reasons. Even the red runs here might be only graded as blues elsewhere. There is only the one black run and the drag lift serving it appeared to be unmanned during our visit.

The area is very reminiscent of Scotland too

Like so many of the other smaller ski stations in this area the Massif des Brasses is such good value at just €18 a day. The price for refreshments are reasonable (for France) too, €2.50 for a very fine Vin Chaud (mulled wine) at the restaurant Chaine d'Or.

For this visit I was on skis, but when I last visited in the 2011-12 season and was able to ride my skibike without restriction. There are 3 chairlifts, one of which is a detachable, with slow loading and unloading speeds, perfect for the skibiker. The others are of the older style and one is just a two seater, not an impossible prospect, but you would benefit greatly by having a chat with the liftie first. They seem to be accustomed to slowing the chairlifts for utilitarian purposes; I saw rubbish bags, pedestrians and a school party heading down on the lift. The soft conditions and extensive off piste would have suited the skibike and I may yet return to give it a spin.

If you happen to be in the area and want some simple skiing, snow boarding or even ski biking then when the conditions are right the Massif des Brasses is a winner.

When the conditions are right the Massif des Brasses is a winner

Last night was yet another stormy one, I was awoken around 4am by the sound of the wind rattling and banging the metal shutters on the apartment block windows. At first light it became apparent that there were a couple of inches of fresh snow even right down here in the shelter of the valley.
My morning shower revealed an interesting selection of bruises including one within an inch of my "meat and two veg". After yesterday's rough and tumble I needed a break from skibiking and a chance to give my legs a workout, in short, it was going to be a ski only day.

Praz de Lys - today was going to be a ski only day

With the wind, snow and poor visibility it looked like we needed South facing slopes with sheltered runs below the tree line. This is quite a rare combination, most of the slopes in this part of the Alps are North facing to reduce the detrimental effects of the sun on the snow. The database sitting in my head suggested that Praz de Lys may be the ideal place.
So whilst the winds calmed and the snowfall reduced, Paul and I made a morning visit to McDonalds for a coffee and a chance to leech some of their wonderful free wi-fi service.

Internet chores accomplished, we geared up and headed for Praz de Lys, just 30 minutes from Cluses. On arrival we found it to be virtually deserted, no doubt due to the extremely poor visibility. We headed high up to the peak of Haute Fleury into total whiteout, coming back down at a snails pace trying to head from one piste marker to the next. Back at our starting point we consulted the piste map and identified what looked to be some interesting tree lined runs further down the hill served by the Veran and Praz l'Eveque chair lifts. Within the trees it was much easier to sense your speed and direction, there was also a good depth of unpisted snow in places. I really enjoyed the sensation on tiny SnowBlades, but it came as a bit of a shock to my cousin Paul on his vintage 2m long straight and skinny skis.

Praz de Lys - a good depth of unpisted snow in places

Late in the day the visibility improved enough for a rapid descent from top to the base station, ducking in and out of the clouds on the last run before it was time to head for home.

As of last season (2011-12) it was possible to use skibikes at Praz de Lys and the general attitude seems pretty relaxed. There is plenty of variety and in such good conditions, a good amount of off piste too. The infrastructure is biased towards chairlifts, which is good news for skibikers. But some of them are the older type that tend to sweep you off your feet and spit you out at the other end. But Praz de Lys is very good value at around €20 a day for a lift pass, with discounts for skiing after 11am or finishing before 1pm.
Once you have exhausted the runs at Praz de Lys you can head over the hill to neighbouring Sommand and explore further.

It should however be noted that a lot of the runs are South facing and the station is at quite low altitude. Pick a good day to visit and enjoy some great value, unpretentious winter sports, whether it is on skis, snowboards or skibikes.

Praz de Lys - ducking in and out of the clouds on the last run

This morning was one of the rare sunny and clear mornings that I have seen so far this season. Paul and I headed off early to meet with Thierry Avrillon, engineer and skibike builder and his friend and riding buddy Laurent.
I had suggested riding in Avoriaz, as I couldn't face any more runs on the Grand Massif at; Les Carroz, Samoens, Morillon or Flaine, having been there so extensively in recent weeks. Thierry accepted my suggestion for a trip to Avoriaz even though, for him, it would mean a longer drive of nearly two hours.

Avoriaz

We met in the car park at Les Prodains and used the large cable car to ascend to Avoriaz village. We made a tour of the pistes and a fair bit of the excellent soft deep snow off-piste too. Great though all this was, my outstanding memory of the day will be our "last run".

I had foolishly suggested we try out the SnowCross Crozats run from Les Haut Forts all the way back to the parking area at Les Prodains. A wild "back mountain" style off piste descent of nearly 1500m or 4500ft by my reckoning.

SkiBikers at the top of Snowcross Crozats - feeling bullish

Both Thierry and Laurent seemed up for it and I was feeling bullish. At the start there was a huge bowl area, it looks extreme, until you  realise that you can put as many gentle traverses back and forth as you wish. This section rated as the most exhilarating skibike riding I have ever experienced and it made me realise just how restrictive piste riding is by comparison.
Further down Laurent took a route to our right, disappearing over a ridge, whilst Thierry and I followed another skier towards a clearing in the woods. This rapidly became; narrower, steeper and with moguls the size of cars. Whilst there was still soft snow it was manageable, but when the hard snow and ice appeared the trouble started. I knew things were getting grim when I saw Thierry get off his skibike and start sliding/walking down a section.
To one side there was a frozen waterfall hanging off a sheer cliff face with the sound of a fast flowing stream somewhere below it. To the other side was a dense thicket of trees.
I struggled on, but then suddenly I was slipping, sliding and tumbling down a steep icy slope. With limbs flailing, I was engaged in a risky dance with the skibike. I hit something very hard with my head and stopped to find myself with a leg through the frame.
Miraculously, I didn't end up in a gorge, nor hit any trees, but that had been a close call. The Avoriaz piste plan lists this area for "experts only" and they aren't hyping it up.

Snowcross Crozats - ideal for "experts only"

Slowly picking my way farther, I resorted to sliding face down some sections with my skibike, digging the end of the handlebars into the snow, like a pick axe, to brake my descent. I don't expect this technique will make it into a teaching manual, but, there were few options left for me to get home. Just when the situation was looking endless, the blue run down to the car park became visible, we had made it back to safety and Laurent patiently waiting for us.

He had encountered similar challenges, including a painful tumble after hitting a tree. The result was the handlebar ends smacking his knees. His humiliation was compounded by the need to climb back up 30m or so to recover his skibike.

Both Thierry and Laurent deserve a medal for bravery in adversity and thanks for not blaming me for taking you on such a challenging route. They bade me farewell in French using the words for "till next time", rather than "good bye".

Today was time to bid farewell to Carl and Andy and leave Flaine to head down the hill to Cluses nestled in the shelter of the Vallee de l'Arve. But first, I had to collect my cousin Paul from the airport, I had it planned out so beautifully but mother nature dealt me a wild card. The persistent rain that had washed away so much snow the preceding day had abruptly changed to a blizzard overnight. When I went to pack my car I was shocked to find it buried under a foot of fresh powder. This was most definitely not what I was expecting and I cursed myself for not getting out while the going was good.

I then spent the best part of an hour lying in the snow trying to fit snow chains, something I had not had to do since 2011. I live in the hope that the next time it will be somewhat quicker. By the time I left Flaine, Paul had already arrived in Geneva and was sipping coffee, something he continued to do for a further 3 hours whilst waiting for me to collect him. We then shot back to Cluses to collect the keys to our flat for the next couple of weeks.

The flat turned out to be a lot better than the either the drab exterior or the pictures on the Internet suggested. It has been redecorated in a boutique hotel style and will certainly be worthy of a detailed review later.

My cousin Paul

The view from the balcony this morning revealed another mercurial change in the weather, last night's cold and calm weather had been replaced by high winds and driving wet snow. The wind had shut a great deal of the lift infrastructure, including our favourite uplift, the DMC Grandes Platiers gondola, this left only the Aup de Veran gondola for us skibikers to use.

Carl and Andy put in a couple of runs before calling it a day! Young people, no stamina. To be fair they had both busted themselves up a fair bit in recent days, whilst I ambled along whistling a merry tune surfing in their rapidly receding wake.

I was determined to make the most of the deteriorating conditions, stubbornly determined to continue till the lifts closed regardless. I enjoy a freakish thrill to be out in wild weather, after all this was like a fine summers day in Scotland, or as Carl would say "Bring it on".

From the top of the Aup de Veran, there are quite a few options for descent, but given the poor visibility and ensuing tempest, I took a safe option and stuck to a well known blue run. Running over the same run time and time again may seem tedious to some, but there was an element of "method in my madness". If you learn the nuances of a familiar run, to the point where you remember all the bumps, dips, icy patches and soft spots then should whiteout occur you stand a better chance of making it to the bottom unscathed.

Visibility was poor and the wind was increasing in force and becoming noticeably more gusty. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse the snow gave way to rain, then sleet and even went into a brief spell of hail during which the only sound I could hear was the pellets of ice pinging off my helmet and glasses. Things got really interesting when a startlingly strong blast knocked some skiers over. I headed for the safety of the edge of the piste, laid my skibike over and hunkered down, waiting for it to blow over (a technique learnt many year's ago whilst hiking in the Lake District)

Hunkered down waiting for it to blow over

I chose to capture the moment on camera, removed a glove and took three quick shots, two were nothing but a sea of whiteness, the snow was covering up the lens in less time than it took to read this sentence. I put the camera quickly back in the safety of my ruck sack but struggled to refit the glove. The wind chill had reduced it to a lump of inert frozen meat, I smacked it roughly to stimulate some blood flow and somehow got in encapsulated, I then rode quickly down to the shelter of the valley.

I managed one final run before the lifts were closed prematurely.