NEW for 2011...Ski Touring in the Lyngen Alps, Arctic Norway

(Photo courtesy of Lyngen Lodge)

The Lyngen Alps are an amazing natural landscape. Located in northern Norway well within the Arctic Circle this is a stunning area of remote islands, fjords and mountains. From February until May this is a fantastic playground for adventure skiing where you can ski direct to summit from sea level. With hundreds of ski summits to choose from there are endless options for groups of adventurous ski tourers.

For 2011 we are offering the choice of either a land- or sea-based (Ski & Sail) holiday - 7 days accommodation with 6 days guided ski touring with one of our team of UIAGM Mountain Guides. Maximum group size is 6.

The land-based holiday is based at the renowned Lyngen Lodge. Although the lodge has only been opened for a few years it has already established itself as ‘the’ place to stay, a relaxed and very comfortable base right on the shore of Lyngen Fjord. The perfect location from which to explore this wonderful area.

The sea-based holiday is run in conjunction with Boreal Yachting, and your home for the week is a modern and comfortable 45ft yacht that is fully kitted out for winter sailing in arctic conditions. In addition to the skiing, each member of the team will share the responsibilities for crewing the boat and help with anchoring, sailing, helming, preparing and cooking food!

Availability for these trips is very limited (see below) and are offered for ready-made groups only. If you and your ski mates (max group size=6) want to experience one of the world's most scenic and pristine ski environments, sign up NOW by contacting chris on 020 8123 2978 or emailing him at chris@mountaintracks.co.uk


Lyngen Lodge Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Tromso. You will be collected at the airport and transfer by road for the 2½ hour journey to the lodge. You’ll have time to settle in before your welcome meeting and briefing with the guide followed by dinner.
Day 2 – 7
6 days of ski touring. You can either ski directly from the lodge or you’ll be transported on the lodge’s private boat, ‘the Spirit of Lyngen’ (or by 4x4 or skidoo) to a new area where you’ll climb and ski amongst the spectacular peaks before returning by boat to the lodge in the late afternoon.
Day 8
Transfer back to the airport for return flight.


(Photo courtesy of Lyngen Lodge)

A typical day at Lyngen Lodge
Breakfast is at 7.30am (continental breakfast buffet). Climb aboard the boat for a short journey (up to 1 hour) to the trailhead for today’s ski tour which starts right from the shoreline. Packed lunch is enjoyed on the summit. Return to the boat and travel back to the lodge. You’ll usually be back in time for afternoon tea at about 4.30pm. Relax in the sauna or hut tub before evening meal which is served from 7.30pm – a veritable feast of fresh local produce. Relax around the lodge.

Boreal Yachting Sea & Sail Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Tromso. You will be collected at the airport and transferred to your boat which will be moored in the town’s harbour. Meet your skipper and get acquainted with the vessel including safety features. This will be followed by dinner on board. After dinner you’ll set sail for the first ski area.
Day 2 – 7
6 days of ski touring from the boat. At the end of day 7 you’ll return to Tromso harbour for the last night on board the board and an opportunity for some sightseeing around Tromso.
Day 8
Transfer back to the airport for return flight.

A typical day on the Boreal Yachting Ski & Sail holiday
Rise at 7 for a nutritious Norwegian breakfast. Transfer to land and enjoy a full day’s touring with picnic lunch. Rendez-vous with the skipper at about 4.00pm and transfer back to the boat. For those who fancy it, a quick dip in the arctic waters is a great way to freshen up! Apres-ski drinks, shower, evening meal and relax with a beer, watch a film, read the maps for tomorrow’s adventures before heading to bed and falling asleep to the gentle roll of the waves!

General information – applicable for both trips
Skills & Stamina
Previous ski touring experience (using skins) and good off-piste ability are essential. There are no lifts here and so you need to skin up to gain altitude. Most days will have 1200-1500m of elevation gain.

More about the terrain
The average summit heights are between 1000m to 1400m although it does go up to over 1800m at the highest point, Jiehkkevarriat (1834m). The terrain is mostly wide open slopes with typical gradient of 25-30 degrees although much steeper terrain is also available. Some excellent tree skiing.

Equipment
Alpine touring equipment with skins and avalanche safety equipment. Crampons, ski crampons, ice-axe and harscheisen are not required unless you want to do some ice-climbing – for which there are excellent conditions in February & March. Lyngen Lodge can supply all ski equipment but there is no ski hire on the Ski & Sail holiday and so for this trip you need to bring all your own gear.

Group Size
Lyngen Lodge – 6 with 1 UIAGM guide
Ski & Sail Boreal Yachting – 5 with UIAGM 1 guide

Price and Availability
Lyngen Lodge - £2,995 per person
26 February – 5 March, 2 - 9 April and 7-14 May

Ski & Sail Boreal Yachting - £2,295 per person
5-12 March, 23-30 April, 30 April-7 May, 7-14 May,

What is included in the price of the trip?
- 7 nights full-board accommodation (with breakfast, lunch and evening meal)
- 6 days ski touring with UIAGM Mountain Guide
- Costs of local transfers (on Lyngen Lodge trip where part of scheduled itinerary)
- Return airport transfers (from Tromso airport)

What is not included in the price of the trip?
- Flights or transport to Tromso - Flights from London cost from £230 per person. There are a few direct flights from London with Norwegian Airlines (www.norwegian.com) otherwise you’ll have to go via Oslo or another hub.
- Ski Equipment
- Personal Insurance
- Alcohol and other personal expenses or optional extras

Availability for these trips is already very limited. If you and your ski mates (max group size=6) want to experience one of the world's most scenic and pristine ski environments, sign up NOW by contacting chris on 020 8123 2978 or emailing him at chris@mountaintracks.co.uk


(Photo courtesy of Lyngen Lodge)

Winter 2010-2011 programme published!

We've had an excellent winter with bookings up by over 35% compared to 2009, making it far and away our most successful winter ever!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who made it such a great season!

Now we're looking ahead to next winter and we've just published our programme on our website. Be the first to check it out at www.mountaintracks.co.uk/winter!

There are still a few new worldwide ski touring trips to add to the site including Iran, Kamchatka and Romania - these will be added before the end of June. Register your interest in these trips by emailing Chris at chris@mountaintracks.co.uk

As a thank-you for your continued support we’re offering all returning travellers 5% off the price of one of our 2011 winter trips which we’re increasing to 10% for any bookings made before 1st July.
Want to organise a bespoke holiday or can't find your ideal trip? Give Susie or Chris a call on on 020 8123 2978 to chat about any special requests!

Winter season ends on a high!

Our winter season came to an end on 15th May with the completion of our Ski Mont Blanc week in Chamonix. Unfortunately the weather didn't allow our group to do the planned ski ascent & descent of Mont Blanc but the Gran Paradiso - highest mountain entirely within Italy - was an excellent alternative and the group achieved 100% success on the mountain. A great end to the week and to our season overall.

Here are a few pictures - thanks to Kazue Oshiro.

NEW for 2011...Catskiing in Macedonia!

Macedonia lies between Croatia and Greece in the heart of the Balkans. It’s not particularly well known for its skiing but the Shar Planina massif which runs from Serbia and Montenegro in the North to Albania in the South offers excellent skiable terrain and guaranteed snow between January and March.

The trip is centred on Macedonia’s principal ski resort of Popova Sapka which is situated 1780m above sea level on Mt Shara. The resort has hosted Balkan and European Ski Championships.

About the terrain and the skiing
The surrounding peaks of the Shar Planina massif rise to over 2700m.
Most of the skiable terrain is between 2600m to 1700m on north, east and south facing slopes.
At the top of the terrain the slope angle is up to 35 degrees and becomes less steep on the lower sections. There is excellent tree skiing and a mix of wide bowls and some couloirs. Although the cat can get to most areas there are some runs which are only accessible with short walks.
The average daily vertical is over 4000m and fit, strong groups can ski up to 6500m of vertical.

What is Cat-skiing?
'Snow-cats' are the big track-driven vehicles that are used around the world for piste grooming and bashing. These can be converted so that the cabin can take 10-12 passengers and used to take groups to the top of isolated slopes where they can ski down again and again – using the ‘cat’ to return to the top each time. The advantages are that they can be used on terrain where there are no lifts and unlike helicopters they are able to run in all weather conditions.

Itinerary
Day 1
Fly to Skopje. You will be met at the airport and transferred by private minibus to the hotel in Popova Sapka. Meet up with the guides in the evening for welcome meeting and briefing.
Day 2-7
6 full days of catskiing. Return each night to the hotel. At the end of day 7 you will check out of the hotel and drive to Skopje for dinner and to enjoy the local scene: Skopje is renowned for its lively night life! Stay overnight in a hotel in Skopje.
Day 8
Transfer back to the airport for return flight home.

Typical Day
Breakfast is between 7.30 and 8am and you’re usually heading up the hill by 9am.
If the weather is good you’ll have a picnic lunch alternatively you can return to the hotel for lunch in the restaurant.
You’ll stay out until about 4-4.30pm.
Evening activities include avalanche safety talks, watching videos from the days skiing or having a massage. For evening meal you’ll either eat in the hotel restaurant of head out to one of a number of local restaurants serving good local food.

About the Guides
Our trips will be led by one of our team of UIAGM Mountain Guides - Nick Parks, Olly Allen or Matt Dickinson. We will be teaming up with one of the local guides from Eskimo Freeride who have excellent local knowledge.

Skills & Stamina
This trip is ideal for strong off-piste skiers who are confident skiing on slopes up to 30-35 degrees in all conditions. Skiing will be done at a strong pace where you would be expected to ski pitches of 20 - 25 turns without stopping. You need to have good physical fitness in order to enjoy skiing all day for 6 consecutive days. You will use the cat to gain altitude but you can expect some ski touring/walking in order to access some runs.

Accommodation and meals
Hotel Bora – comfortable ski-in hotel with about 30 ensuite rooms on the edge of the ski terrain.
Facilities include lounge, bar and public restaurant.
Breakfast is buffet style with cooked options – eggs, meats, cheese
Lunch is usual a picnic lunch on the mountain.
Evening meal is taken either in the hotel restaurant or in other local restaurants and local specialities include lamb, beef, beans, sopska salad.

Equipment
Good all-mountain skis with downhill bindings are suitable for this trip. If the group wants to bring touring kit and undertake more touring this can also be done but the main emphasis on the week is on cat-assisted off-piste skiing.

Best time to ski in Macedonia
The best time to ski in Macedonia is between early January and late March.
January has the most sunny days with low avalanche risk.
Temperatures fall in February and weather can be harsh which is offset with plenty of fresh snow.
March has good snowfalls and conditions that range between powder and spring snow as the temperatures rise towards the end of the winter. Due to the nature of the terrain there are usually good conditions to be found long after the last snowfall.

Maximum Group Size
12 skiers with 2 UIAGM Mountain Guides

Getting there from the UK
The most convenient option is to fly with Croatian airlines from London to Skopje via Zagreb. The roundtrip price is about £250-300 per person.
The distance between Skopje and Popova Sapka is about 65kms and the transfer by road takes just over 1 hour.

Prices
£1,395 per person
The price includes 7 nights hotel accommodation including 6 nights in Hotel Bora in Popova Sapka and 1 night in Skopje, all meals, 6 days of catskiing with UIAGM Mountain Guides, airport transfers and transfer back to Skopje on day 7.
The price does not include travel to/from Macedonia, equipment hire, personal insurance and spending money.
For anyone wanting a room on single occupancy the supplementary charge is £175.

For more information email chris@mountaintracks.co.uk or call us on +44 208 123 2978

One great adventure in the Bernese Oberland

View from the Konkordia Hut

Last week we had a group of intrepid skiers enjoying the beautiful Bernese Oberland ski tour, Greg, Charlie and friends set off under the guidance of Olly Allen and Owen Samuels for their week long trip.

We were kept up-to-date on their progress by Charlie’s emails each evening sent from his Blackberry on the day’s events, the route they took, the peaks they have scaled and the fun they had been enjoying. Accompanied by some photos each day we were able to re-live their experiences over the week. Here is a reduced version of Charlie’s story for you to enjoy to.....

6 days, 5 nights without running water or electricity? All day, each day, in tight unforgiving hard shell ski boots? Relentless hot spots on your feet? Blisters galore? A diet of stale dense bread, ridiculously bad coffee, "where's the beef" sandwiches, iceberg lettuce, and overly cooked pasta? Canned fruit salad anyone? A bedroom for 16? With sleeping platforms that each accommodate 4-8? Where there is but 18 inches between your mouth and the breath of your neighbour? Rude room mates who turn lights on at 2 a.m. as they prepare to depart? Loud conversation in the face of "dead to the world" sleeping climbers? Friendly well meaning bunk mates who insist on closed windows, for that special "sauna" effect throughout the night?

This tale promises all of this and more. But, to get there, one must ski for hours uphill, climb mountains, descend on skis reliably amongst crevasses and ice falls, always do what you are told by the guides, walk amongst and below towering seracs, accept random, unmeaning and anonymous danger, and push hard. Very hard.

Our adventure involves entering and traversing a small portion of the Bernese Oberland, a glaciated section of the Swiss Alps roughly measuring 15 x 21 miles. This sounds meagre, but didn't Einstein have a thing or two to say about the relativity of time? In the mountains, on skis, time slows and distances grow, to the point where a mile is a lifetime. As my grandfather once observed about mountains, "If you want to get there quickly, leave earlier."

Within this sector of the Alps, there are at least a dozen glaciers, one of which (the "Grosser Aletschgletscher") is the longest in Europe, at over 10 miles. Many are feeders to this largest glacier in Europe all with unpronounceable Swiss German names. We will traverse, follow or return over several of them at least 10 times this week. We will also traverse several of these valleys, summit some notable peaks, seek out the one refuge per valley that provides food and shelter, and experience as intense an alpine adventure as Western Europe has to offer.

As a diversion each day, when we move from refuge to refuge, we intend to climb high, snow covered 4,000 meter peaks, using skis and/or crampons. Whatever it takes. Yes, the tops ARE the point, even as they really aren't (huh?).

Accessing the Oberland "up there" involves three trains: Interlaken to Lauterbrunen,
Lauterbrunnen to Kleinne Scheidegg, and Kleinne Scheidegg to Jungfraüjoch at 3454m, a feat of Swiss engineering as the tunnel is dug into the North Face of the Eiger. At the top, we enjoyed a spacious interior viewing deck before tentatively emerging out on to the glacier, strapping on our skis, and dropping off the backside. After a wonderful ski in perfect snow we skinned towards the Konkordia hut situated at 2850m overlooking the most fabulous scenery.

It turns out, the original hut was constructed well over 100 years ago on a rock shelf above the glacier. Sadly, in the intervening years, the glacier has receded, necessitating the addition of a staircase. A very large and lengthy one. 452 steps worth.

Day 2 dawns.....Houston, we have a problem! Olly, our guide, can't remember the names
of the peaks we intend to climb, can't recall the names of the huts, and seems to hesitate whenever we speak about where we are going next. In fact, I believe he has caught my "memory disease" wherein I can only remember the first letter of the word I am trying to recall. Thankfully by the time we leave he has it all in hand and between him and Owen they herd us out of the hut and into the wilderness.

In the morning, as we left the refuge, we had no choice but to climb down 452 goddamned stairs in our ski boots! If anything will make one a believer in global warming, it is the act of ascending and descending these stairs due to a shrinking glacier. Had there been no global warming, the descent would have been 65% shorter! We click into our skis and begin the skin across the glacier towards today’s objective. After we arrived at the base of the peak we stop to take on some water and food before starting the climb up. A couple of hours later we reach our goal and the views suffices to capture the essence of the effort, which was nothing punitive, with no serious exposure. Just straightforward climbing, passing several "false summits" until we emerged out on top.

Once down, we needed to cross one of those "impossible to pronounce” glaciers I mentioned before, and make our way to the "Finsteraarhornhütten" hut.

Day 3 and Yes, we finally did "bag" a 4,000-er today! Yahoo! The Fiescherhorn Hinteres, which stands 4,025 meters above sea level. It was a terrific climb. Took hours to mount. Crossed through a massive field of seracs..... We got told off by Owen at one point for lingering (Greg: we never did complete the conversation from that interrupted moment, wherein we were discussing complex financing options for real estate transactions)....yes, quite true....during which conversation Owen managed to interject "ah, guys, the point here is to, ah, not linger, given what is to your right...massive overhanging seracs...so perhaps it would be best to move along." The Brits, they are SO understated. I would have shouted "move the f--- along, you idiots!"

Looking down on others eating lunch from our airy platform high on the peak, if I had chosen to at this moment, two steps would have led me to be on a slope (cliff?) that would have delivered me (alive or dead I do not know) to that group for a bite or two.

We did it. All of us. Sweet!

Spring is here!

Over the past few weeks we’ve had lots of guests out skiing and touring across the Alps taking advantage of the mainly good weather and excellent snow conditions. Our Haute Route ski tours have been as popular as ever with 8 separate tours and a total of more than 40 people making the journey between Chamonix and Zermatt this winter. Despite some blistered feet and changes to the route almost everyone made it into Zermatt to complete one of the great high mountain ski tours.

Elsewhere our Backcountry Explorer trip in Zinal at Easter enjoyed excellent snow, quiet slopes and the wonderful hospitality of Penny and Eric at the Auberge Edelweiss. Hopefully we are not letting the secret out too much by singing the praises of this wonderful untouched paradise of powder!

Sue and Andy Mac and their staff continue to do a wonderful job at the Auberge in Ste. Foy and our recent Off Piste Performance and Backcountry Explorer trips also had a great time out skiing with our guides and instructors.

Bryan Hogg has been busy leading our Performance courses in Chamonix and having joined them all on a couple of days, I can confirm everyone’s skiing and confidence came on leaps and bounds under Bryan’s careful eye!

Remy Lecluse has been leading our Steep Ski Clinics in March and April and both groups enjoyed skiing some legendary steep lines and couloirs in Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Massif. Ticked of the list during the 2 weeks were the ENSA couloirs at Brevent, the Marbre under the Dent du Geant, the east face of the Tacul, the couloirs below Point Alphonse Favre on the Glacier du Mort, the NE slope of the Aiguille du Belvedere and the Col de la Bouche on the L’M. I think everyone had an amazing time and learnt a lot of new skills from Remy.


Shoulder of the Aiguille du Tacul


Remy gives a masterclass in steep skiing


Marbre Couloirs

We are now gearing up for the last few ski touring trips of the winter - a last Haute Route ski tour lead by Olly Allen, plus 2 more trips in the beautiful Bernese Oberland and last but not least our Ski Mont Blanc in the second week of May. Here’s hoping the weather and snow conditions stay good for them to summit. With the good recent weather in Chamonix there has already been quite a bit of activity on Mont Blanc with people make ascents over the last 2 weeks or so. The ski tracks are clearly visible down from the Vallot refuge past the Grand Mulet hut back to the Plan D’Aiguille.

On another note Matt Dickinson who many of you know and have skied or climbed with on Mountain Tracks trips is currently on an expedition to Mount Everest. He arrived safely at base camp a week or so ago and will be making the first routes up through the icefall this week as they start to acclimatise and put the high camps in on the mountain. We wish him the best of luck in his attempt, you can keep up to date on the news from Everest using by clicking HERE, which has regular posts from all the British teams on the mountain.

We also extend our wishes to Nick Bullock, Matt Helliker and Pete Benson who are attempting to make the first ascent of the Southeast ridge of Annapurna III at 7555m. The guys set off last week and Matt and Nick made it to Kathmandu before the volcanic ash cloud prevented Pete from joining them, but hopefully he will make it out soon so they can continue their walk into base camp. You can follow the trip on their blog HERE to keep up with the banter from base camp!

Do keep in touch and if we can help with your trip plans for the summer or indeed winter 2011 just let us know.

Dolomites Ski Tour

The team taking in the sun

Olly playing in the powder

Beautiful refuges and amazing food

Stunning views towards Cortina

"I’ve got butterflies." "So have I." "It’s just nerves." All of which were unfounded and after the first morning spent assessing our skiing ability we all settled down and had an enjoyable afternoon learning to apply skins, kick turns and pace ourselves as we ascended our first peak to Rif Nuvolou. Then to relax, throughout, the huts were luxurious: hot water, delicious food, wine and even comfortable beds.

On day 2 we started our first real tour with a quick skin followed by an hilarious morning skinning through the woods around the Col Galina. Once we'd become experts in hugging trees and extracting skis from the snow drifts we advanced on up Spiz de Poure where we were taught to use couteaux and ascended an icy slope turning before the summit for safety, descending into the valley on powder snow. Then an option – to the lift or to skin, we chose to skin and learnt the importance of regular snacks as we neared Rif Averau on empty tanks dreaming of the cold beer awaiting.

Day 3 was the coldest, with a long ascent around Spitz de Mondeval and up to the Forc de Formin. We were rewarded by an afternoon of virgin snow and an exciting forest descent fully stretching everyone’s skiing ability. A drink in the restaurant at Pocol resulted in us missing the bus link to the Lagazuoi cable car. After interesting negotiations in Czech, Italian and English we were safely ensconced in the Rif Lagazuoi dormitory of 12.

Day 4 saw a fresh snow fall of which we took full advantage before climbing a very steep ascent up through Plan de Furcia to the Col de Locia, sighting chamois en route. Then a grey schlep to Ucia Lavarella, which was to be our home for the next 2 nights.

Day 5 was the most exciting due to avalanche conditions. Guido and Olly guided us skilfully through the cracking snow up towards Sas des Diesc, deciding to turn around after we saw one avalanche too many – never has an ascent been so quiet nor a descent speedier! Once revived in the refuge and a lesson in snow reading we went on a short adrenaline bursting skin and powder kick around the area.

Day 6 saw a change of plans to suit conditions as we sought out north facing slopes up Mount Castel to breathtaking views over the Dolomites, more indulgent deep powder and brilliant blue skies took us down to Fiames via a Nordic ski route. We had finished our tour and missed the bus again!

Kirsty Todd