Powder, Peaks & Picnics: A Week of Ski Touring around Chamonix. Part 1.

23rd March 2025 | Tashie Cove, Chamonix & Surrounding Areas.

Last modified on March 26th, 2025

I am back in London, sitting on my sofa, sipping tea, legs still aching but heart full after an unforgettable week ski touring in France, Switzerland and Italy.

Six days of pushing limits, sharing laughs, navigating steep icy traverses, and enjoying more cake than I probably should have.

“Venture off the beaten track to discover breathtaking remote locations and carve fresh tracks under the guidance of expert mountain guides, before returning to our centrally located chalet,” promised the Ski Club GB brochure.

It delivered, and more.

Here’s how it all unfolded as I took The Chamonix Backcountry Exploration trip  with with guides, Jim Kerr and Simon Abrahams.

Yours Truly ski touring around Chamonix. Image © PlanetSKI.

As someone who loves skiing but is relatively new to touring, I approached this trip with a mix of excitement and nerves.

Leaving behind the pistes for untouched backcountry felt like stepping into a new world – and Chamonix, with its towering peaks and storied alpine history, was the perfect place to begin.

We were staying at a warm and welcoming chalet run by Elle and Josie, who quickly became legendary for their daily homemade cakes and excellent suppers.

In our touring group were Clive, the dependable Ski Club rep, and fellow skiers Abbi, George, and David.

We were guided by the brilliant Simon and Jim, who not only kept us safe but made sure we had fun too.

Dave, Abbi’s partner, wasn’t touring with us but was always ready with stories and laughter when we returned in the evenings.

Arrival at Chalet Cachet. Image © PlanetSKI.

My lovely room at Chalet Cachet. Image © PlanetSKI.

Dining room and relaxing area. Chalet Cachet. Image © PlanetSKI.

Saturday – Arrival & Briefing

I arrived in Chamonix in the early evening, with the others waiting for me at the chalet.

Simon greeted us with a comprehensive briefing of the week ahead.

He covered everything – from itinerary and weather to avalanche safety and what to pack in our rucksacks.

The Ski Club had transceivers for those who needed them.

We kicked things off with a hearty three-course meal: warming soup, beef bourguignon, and a homemade tiramisu.

The bar was set high.

We had some more wine to aid the introductions and then slipped off to bed, excited and nervous for what the week had in store.

SUNDAY:

Sunday – Le Tour & First Lessons

A full English breakfast prepared us for our first day at Le Tour.

The Ski Club had rented a van for the trip, sparing us the hassle of the local buses.

We started with transceiver checks led by Jim, followed by a few relaxed warm-up runs to ease us in.

Simon and Jim soon guided us to a hidden powder stash for a 15 minute stretch of glorious fresh snow.

The snow was brilliant because few people came here, the only way back was skinning.

And so the skins came out for the first time – Simon and Jim reminded us how to attach them properly, how to manage our layers to avoid overheating, and the crucial tip of not keeping our skis vertically standing in the snow to prevent the glue from melting.

We started our short, enjoyable 45-minute skin uphill – a refresher to touring I could definitely handle.

We quickly found our rhythm and I found myself imagining my Bernese Mountain Dog happily bounding alongside us, thinking how much she’d love this trip.

First skin of the trip – gentle. Image © PlanetSKI.

First skin of the trip – gentle. Image © PlanetSKI.

Afterwards, we practised avalanche rescue drills: using probes, shovels, and transceivers to locate and dig out a buried device.

Simon demonstrated in detail exactly how to find Jim’s hidden transceiver, which included getting low to the mountain when you’re close and scanning the floor.

When his transceiver was about 0.3 metres away, he showed us how to use the probe going in circles around the point to find the “body”.

We all had a little go probing each other to see what’s it feels like to probe a person/rucksack rather than a rock/grass.

Simon and Jim then showed us the newest techniques for shovelling- going slightly downhill to the body and digging into the mountain to reach them.

The logic being that once you get to them you aren’t shovelling into their body, but can roll them out and get to their airways quickly.

We each took it in turns to find the hidden transceiver.

Not only was this great training but it was reassuring to know the people I would be spending the week with had some practice.

Simon and Jim taking us through all our avalanche gear. Image © PlanetSKI.

Back at the chalet, we relaxed with tea and homemade cake, followed by a soak in the hot tub before another excellent supper.

Spirits were high, even if muscles were starting to feel the first hints of fatigue.

Relaxing our muscles in the hot tub after Day 1. Image © PlanetSKI.

MONDAY:

Monday – Contamines: Blisters, Mont Blanc Views & a Slushy Surprise

We woke to another feast of a breakfast – eggs, fresh bread, and enough coffee to kick-start even the most tired legs.

Spirits were high as we packed up for our first big day outside of Chamonix, heading for the quieter area of Les Contamines.

En route, we swung by a local sandwich shop to grab picnic supplies – the kind of thick, crusty baguettes that only France seems to get just right.

We also scooped up our guides, Simon and Jim, who were on equally good form.

Jim kindly lent me a pair of crampons to try for later in the week, though the excitement faded slightly when we realised they didn’t fit my bindings.

The crampon saga had officially begun…

The Skin Begins

After one warm-up run to get our legs going and our avalanche transceivers checked, we were soon standing at the top of the off-piste area staring at the traverse ahead.

The vast mountains stretched before us, broken only by a faint track leading around the shoulder of the mountain.

The blue sky above us made for the most beautiful of days.

We started the long traverse and then hopped out of our skis to sort the skins, apply a lot of suncream, and take some layers off.

Traverse into our tour. Image © PlanetSKI.

Off came the skis, on went the skins. Image © PlanetSKI.

We began what would be a steady 2.5-hour skin.

Most of the route followed a gentle gradient, perfect for settling into a rhythm and getting a proper feel for the uphill grind.

Jim’s sharp eye caught me fidgeting in my boots, and sure enough, I was brewing blisters.

He stopped me right away, knelt down on the slope, and expertly patched them up.

“Always deal with them early,” he reminded me, reinforcing the golden rule of touring comfort.

Grateful and re-taped, I carried on with fresh determination.

Blue skies and gentle touring. Image © PlanetSKI.

Following Simon into the mountains. Image © PlanetSKI.

Onwards and upwards. Image © PlanetSKI.

As the skin wore on, the incline steepened slightly, and Simon led us through a few trickier sections, coaching us on efficient kick turns.

We tackled a fun little challenge: skiing slightly downhill with skins still on.

Wobbly doesn’t quite cover it.

With heels unlocked and skins gripping underfoot, leaning forward was a no-go – I felt like Bambi on ice but managed to stay upright, laughing all the way.

A Picnic With a View

We reached the top with brilliant views of Mont Blanc.

Off came the skins and out came the sandwiches and thermoses as we perched on our rucksacks, gazing out over a jaw-dropping panorama.

Mont Blanc itself stood proudly on the horizon, surrounded by jagged peaks cloaked in swirling cloud.

The group sat quietly for a moment, soaking up the scale and drama of it all.

Lunch with a view. Image © PlanetSKI.

Lunch with a view. Image © PlanetSKI.

After lunch, we jumped back into our skis, excited to begin the descent.

Although we stopped in our tracks when we realised our skis were very sticky and felt like our skins were still on.

Jim noticed our skis had picked up a thick layer of sticky snow.

He handed us scrapers – another touring essential – and we took turns shaving off the clumps before clipping back in.

The Descent – From Powder to Slush

The descent began with windblown and slightly crusty snow, making for a few cautious, wobbly turns at first.

But as we dropped lower, we found the sweet spot – a stretch of soft, forgiving powder where every turn felt fluid and satisfying.

About halfway down, we skied past a colossal dam, an unexpected man-made feature amidst the wilderness.

Below it, the snow began to change.

Crisp powder gave way to heavy slush as we descended further.

We found a short pitch through some trees offering a few final lovely turns before – slap – back into sticky spring snow.

Eventually, the snow thinned out entirely.

Off came the skis, and we hiked across a grassy patch, boots crunching on bare ground, to reach a connecting piste.

A few chairlifts later and we were cruising back towards Les Contamines.

Skis back on after a walk across a field. Image © PlanetSKI.

A quick drink at the base was just what we needed to toast a challenging, but rewarding day.

Then it was a 40-minute drive back to Chamonix, feeling slightly tired but buzzing.

There was still one final mission to complete: sorting my crampons.

Trying out almost all of the ski shops in town, I couldn’t find any shops that had any crampons that fitted my bindings.

Jim had told me I didn’t need them for tomorrow, but I would for the rest of the week.

After wandering around endless shops and my frustrations building, I decided to call it a night on the crampons search.

At the chalet, Elle and Josie had outdone themselves again – a fresh cake awaited on the table, still slightly warm.

After a hot shower and a soak in the hot tub, we felt ready to tackle dinner duty ourselves, as it was Elle & Josie’s well-earned evening off.

They’d left us a huge pot of homemade chilli con carne with all the trimmings – sour cream, nachos, rice, and a guacamole so fresh and zesty it disappeared almost instantly.

And just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, we spotted the cheese board – a generous spread of local alpine cheeses that topped off the meal perfectly.

TUESDAY:

Tuesday – Courmayeur Powder, Tree Skiing & Après Vibes

We woke to another hearty chalet breakfast – pastries, eggs, the works – as Clive gathered us round and shared the plan for the day ahead.

Courmayeur was on the cards, excitement buzzed around the table.

It’s one of the joys of staying in Chamonix – in less than an hour you can be over the border and skiing in Italy.

Sure enough, we loaded up the van and collected our guides en route, chatting away as we cruised through the Mont Blanc tunnel.

Emerging onto the Italian side, we were greeted by trees heavy with fresh snow and that unmistakable buzz of new powder.

A quick drive to the bottom of the lift and we were soon making our way up.

Despite a few clouds hanging around, the sight of all that untouched snow had us itching for those first turns.

First sight of fresh snow in Courmayeur. Image © PlanetSKI.

First sight of fresh snow in Courmayeur. Image © PlanetSKI.

Tree Skiing & Japow Flashbacks

The morning was a flurry of off-piste exploration.

Our guides led us through quiet gullies and beautifully spaced trees, bouncing through powder that had me reminiscing about my recent PlanetSKI trip to Japan this season and those unbeatable ‘JaPow’ days.

Yours truly and the PlanetSKI team in Japan last month. Image © PlanetSKI.

One of the beauties of ski touring and heading uphill for hours on end is to free your mind and see what pops in.

I am a relative novice, but I love it.

• Ski touring for the first time

Ski touring for the first time. Image © PlanetSKI

In the present the snow was soft, fresh, and forgiving – perfect for ducking in and out of the trees.

Every now and then, we’d catch glimpses of Courmayeur’s jagged peaks through breaks in the cloud.

Heading into the trees. Image © PlanetSKI.

Late morning merged into lunchtime, and we found ourselves tucked into a rustic mountain restaurant.

A plate of handmade ravioli, drizzled in sage butter, and a glass of something local hit the spot perfectly.

There’s just something about skiing in Italy – the food always delivers.

The post-lunch runs saw us back into the powder, linking top-to-bottom descents with huge grins all round.

But no day is complete without a bit of drama – second-to-last run, one of our group found a rock lurking beneath the snowpack, tearing a sizable hole in the base of his rental ski.

Lucky it happened near the end of the day, less lucky when he was hit with a €400 bill to replace it.

With legs well and truly cooked, we wrapped up and made the short hop back through the tunnel to Chamonix.

Back in town, while the others peeled off, I dashed to the ski hire shop on a mission – crampons were now top priority.

Tomorrow’s plan involved glacier travel, and the guides had already briefed us in the van on what we’d need: harnesses, crampons, sleeping bag sheets, avalanche kit, snacks, and the usual hut essentials.

After visiting a string of shops and slowly feeling the pressure mount, Snell Sports came to the rescue – the last pair of crampons in stock that would fit my bindings.

Result.

With kit finally sorted, I joined the crew at Chambre Neuf.

The après scene was in full swing – live band blasting out classics, people dancing on tables, and jugs of beer being passed around like confetti.

Courmayeur to Chamonix and straight into party mode – classic Alps.

We wandered back to the chalet where Elle and Josie had whipped up another cracking supper.

Bellies full, it was time to pack for the next day’s adventure.

Sleeping bag sheets, head torches, crampons (phew), harness, snacks – check, check, check.

The guides’ warnings to “pack light but smart” echoed in my mind as I tried to cram everything into my rucksack.

As I crawled into bed, kit packed and ready, the nerves kicked in.

Tomorrow we’d be heading out into the high mountains, staying overnight in a remote hut.

I couldn’t resist a late-night Google of the refuge, Lämmerenhütte – perched up amongst glaciers and peaks, it looked spectacular.

A mix of nerves and excitement made sleep feel like a long way off.

This is now officially the most exciting ski adventure I have had and the best is yet to come.

Do check back for Part Two as we overnight in a Swiss mountain hut, reach peaks & summits while getting deeper, much deeper, into the backcountry…

Ski touring around Chamonix. Image © PlanetSKI

What You Need to Know:

See here for full details of the Ski Club holiday: The Chamonix Backcountry Exploration.

Image c/o Ski Club GB

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