Here are the different levels required for courses. Try to be honest and realistic about your level and physical aptitude. Sometimes, it is difficult to make an evaluation about oneself. If this is the case, the best way to choose the appropriate course is to have an open discussion with your guide. Therefore, do not hesitate to contact me (phone or email) if you should have any doubt or any question
 Levels for Ski & Snowboard
Levels for Ski Touring
Levels for Ice Climbing
Levels for Summer Mountaineering |
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| Ski & Snowboard |
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Level 1 |
| You are a competent piste skier/snowboarder able to control direction & speed and to turn with parallel skies. Red runs are not a problem for you, you are getting better on black ones. In terms of off piste, you still need some confidence and some precious tips from a professional who will take you on the appropriate itineraries. His goals (apart from your safety) : to help you on your off-piste technique for you to enjoy the day as much as possible. |
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| Level 2 |
You are a regular off piste skier/snowboarder but as soon as the slope get steeper, narrower or exposed you begin to loose confidence and your technique and ability therefore are loosening efficiency. You need some precious advices from a professional on this kind of demanding terrain in order to appreciate it as if you were on a gentle slope. Thanks to a selective choice of itineraries adapted to your level & experience your guide will take you from a regular skier/snowboarder to a “rider” level of expertise ! The other objective of those days is to find out about long, remote and committing off-piste routes, often in a glaciated area at high altitudes so we can get into the core of a high mountains range such as the Mont-Blanc one. You better be in a good physical state to enjoy each rare moments of those days !
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| Level 3 |
You are an accomplished off piste skier/snowboarder with an excellent level of fitness and you go regularly off the boundaries to enjoy some long and technically demanding slopes. Your guide will take you on the most amazing itineraries of the Mont-Blanc range which made the worldwide reputation of Chamonix : some of them are around 13.000ft vertical drop, with complex route finding, steep slopes where some techniques of alpinism such as the use of crampons, ice-axe and ropes for rappelling (abseiling) might be involved. Your guide will focus on the knowledge of the snow pack, how it changes, avalanche hazards and crevasse rescue in order to give you the basic knowledge to lead your own group. Those moments might be part of your memory as key steps of your rider career ! |
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| Ski Touring |
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| Level 1 |
No experience of ski touring required. You need to be reasonably fit in order to take full advantage of your first ski touring moments. You will learn how to enjoy to best way to travel in the mountains during winter. Ski touring is a meditative experience when you know how to reduce your effort thanks to a good technique. Your guide will make sure you have an unforgettable experience thanks to his experience, his choice of the right itinerary adapted to your level, and thanks above all to the good snow that you and your friends might be the only ones to enjoy that day.
Ski level (see above) : 1
Trip duration : 1 or 2 days
Maximum vertical drop/day : 2200ft
Maximum time of ascent (touring up) : 3 hours
Average ascent speed : 900ft/hour
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| Level 2 |
You have some previous experience of ski touring in the past but you need to refresh some of your basics. Shortly, you will seek for some glacier traveling or steeper slopes giving access to more remote areas. Your guide, while adapting the route to your level of fitness and ski, will give you some precious tips about saving your energy and dealing with your effort during an ascent.
Ski level (see above) : 2
Trip duration : 1 to 4 days
Maximum vertical drop/day : 3300ft
Maximum time of ascent (touring up) : 4-5 hours
Average ascent speed : 1200ft/hour
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| Level 3 |
You are a regular ski tourer and each year you are looking forward to a new ski touring trip involving some glacier travel at high altitudes. The use of crampons, ice axe and ropes is not a problem for you. You need a guide to take you to some unknown areas for a long remote trip in the Alps or elsewhere. You are not afraid to carry your own food if necessary. You are looking for some committing and remote routes for several days in a row.
Ski level (see above) : 2 to 3
Trip duration : 1 to 15 or more days
Maximum vertical drop/day : 5000ft
Maximum time of ascent (touring up) : 5-9 hours
Average ascent speed : 2000ft/hour
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| Ice Climbing |
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| Level 1 |
| No climbing experience required. You want to learn the basics (basic moves, how to give belay, rapeling,…) and climb your first routes in a progressive way in order to progress towards more difficult climbs. |
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| Level 2 |
| You have some previous climbing experience in summer or/and winter and you need to refresh your knowledge about basics. But then, you will seek shortly for some more committing routes (grade 4 to 5 on ice climbing routes, grade AD to D on snow or mixed routes) : longer, more technical. In the same time, you want to learn about placing your own protection, setting up your own anchor and planning your own ascent (choice of the itinerary, weather patterns, gear choice, route finding, etc…). You have a good level of fitness. |
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| Summer Mountaineering |
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| Level 1 |
No previous mountaineering experience required. You would like to learn basic climbing techniques. You will learn rope techniques, glacier travel and how to use crampons & ice axe in a saving energy process during your first climbs in the Mont-Blanc range or elsewhere in the Alps. Grades of those climbs : F (Facile = easy) to PD (Peu Difficile = not very hard)
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| Level 2 |
| You have some previous experience and have already done some F to PD routes in the passed. You are motivated to improve your technique and try some harder climbs, grade PD+ to AD (Assez Difficile = fairly hard). Your guide will help you reach this next step, improving your ability on ice, rock and mixed terrains taking you on some Classics ascents of the Alps. |
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| Level 3 |
| You are a competent alpinist, you have already completed several AD (Assez Difficile = fairly hard) climbs and you are efficient on snow, ice and mixed terrains. You dream about some difficult climbs, among them Eiger, Matterhorn or aiguille Verte. Make this dream come through thanks to your guide who will do his best for you to tackle one or several of those famous climbs. |
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| Warning !
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The guide in charge of the program solely reserves the right to cancel or modify the program (weather, safety, snow and general mountain conditions, group ability, and any other reason which would make the activity impossible to practice into a correct safety environment).
Practicing activities in the mountains such as alpinism, ice-climbing, ski touring, off-piste skiing or any other mountaineering activities can be dangerous. Your mountain guide is there to minimize the risks thanks to his knowledge and experience. However, an accident is still possible and is part of the reality of those practices. |
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