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Ski Touring, Off piste, Mountaineering course, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss

Winter 2021 Skiing & Mountaineering with Covid…?

We want to get out here without endless Covid stresses…!


Some ways to plan when planning is not possible!

Like in the mountains, adaptation and flexibility are key! Keep fit, have your gear sorted, check which countries don’t have quarantine on arriving and or returning to your country. Have an open mind to new destinations. This year might be the time you inadvertently discover a hidden gem with amazing ski touring with no one around…

Ski Touring away from it all

Ski Touring instead of lift accessed skiing may be the way to go this year. Don’t rely on infrastructure that could be closed by governments, aim for Ski Touring and Ice Climbing until things are more stable. Not only does ski touring lead you to fresh tracks and gets you fit, it also takes you to remote, beautiful places you would never experience otherwise.

The Norwegian mountains are remote and beautiful…

More remote, less classic destinations could be a good option. The most strict Covid precautions are always imposed in the most populated places. Contact us about cool destinations off the beaten track where extreme restrictions haven’t been implemented and are unlikely to be implemented due to being more sparcely populated.

Ice Climbing, winter wonderland

Variety is the spice of life, if you love the mountains, try something new: ice climbing in Scandinavia for example. The autumn and winter can have great conditions for rock climbing in southern europe. Right now we’re rock climbing in Greece which is perfect.

Vallee Blanche, Valley Blanche, Ski Touring, Off Piste, Chamonix Ski Guide, Chamonix, Skiing, Ski Guide, French Alps
The excitement and perfection of an untouched slope!

Many times I’ve left my home with my skis in hand, slightly worried and uninspired that I wouldn’t be able to offer the perfect ski day to my clients, only to be surprised by a great day when everything seemed against us. Other times, I’ve expected amazing conditions and been a bit disappointed, probably due to my high expectations not being met. The best experiences are never planned to be that way, they happen kind of spontaneously when we enjoy the journey and embrace the moment.

Ski Touring, Chamonix off piste, Mountaineering course, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss
Bootpacking to good times!

We can design flexible offers for ski touring, rock climbing or ice climbing. We’re ready to adapt to the situation, so won’t ask for any money upfront. Get in touch to make plans!


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Lyngen Alps, Ski touring, freeride, off-piste, backcountry, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss, lyngen alps

Come Skiing above the Arctic circle this spring!

Come and join me this April in the Lyngen Alps of Norway! The preliminary date is the week of the 13th to 20th.

The summit plateau of Fugdldalsfjellet

The summit plateau of Fugldalsfjellet

Ski Touring above the Arctic circle with the long spring days, tracing lines down beautiful open slopes above the thawing fjords, the vistas are nothing short of spectacular, the open calmness of the place, liberating. 

skiing great snow, alone with the clouds and the shadows on the south island

skiing great snow, alone with the clouds and the shadows on the south island

I have a good knowledge of the area and conditions as I spent six weeks skiing in the area in 2011 and have contact with locals who can update me on recent happenings in the conditions. You’ll get picked up from the airport, eat and sleep in the comfort of a lodge and be guided for six days of ski touring. 

Skinning up towards Jiehkkevárri, the highest summit on the southern island.

Skinning up towards Jiehkkevárri, the highest summit on the southern island.

This trip is not extreme skiing, we will aim to do classic tours on beautiful summits where just being in the mountains with these surroundings is a pleasure and risks will kept to reasonable minimum. We will also be looking to ski the best possible snow we can find on each day.

skinning on the spring morning snow above the Sørfjorden

skinning on the spring morning snow above the Sørfjorden

There are literally hundreds of possibilities, we will decide our objectives day by day depending on the mountain conditions and the motivations of the group. The height gain will be between 600 and 1500m per day. We’ll do summits such as Kavringtinden 1289m, Sofiatinden 1222m, Stetinden 920m, Storgalten 1219m, Tafeltinden 1395m, as well as many other possible itineraries.

It will be a maximum group size of 6 people and a minimum of 4. If you would like more details, let me know and I will e-mail  you a detailed program with a price list. Hope to see you there!

on our way to Trollvasstinden..

on our way to Trollvasstinden..

enjoying the ride down to the ocean!

enjoying the ride down to the ocean!

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Haute Route, Ski touring, freeride, off-piste, backcountry, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss, lyngen alps

A “skiers” Haute Route

Chamonix to Zermatt is probably the most famous multi-day ski tour in the Alps. There are as many ways to go about the traverse as there are personalities that find themselves drawn to this iconic traverse.

With three guest from the US I found a slightly different way of doing this traverse, we made the most of the world class off-piste in the resorts along the way and of course not forgetting to sample the local cuisine and good wine en route.

We clocked about 16000m of descent and 2800m climbing over the 6 days. Thanks to the guys for a fun trip!

 

Skinning up to the Col de Chardonnet with the Grand Montets ski area in the background.

Skinning up to the Col de Chardonnet with the Grand Montets ski area in the background.

Skiing down into Switzerland to get a taxi to Verbier

Skiing down into Switzerland to get a taxi to Verbier

 

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Off-piste day in Verbier, below the face we just skied in great snow.

Off-piste day in Verbier, below the face we just skied in great snow.

 

sunrise over the Swiss Valais

sunrise over the Swiss Valais

morning view from the hut

morning view from the hut

Smooth turns down the Haute Glacier d'Arolla

Smooth turns down the Haute Glacier d’Arolla

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enjoying some classic Zermatt off-piste

enjoying some classic Zermatt off-piste

 

 

 

Chamonix Ski touring, freeride, off-piste, backcountry, Alpine Energy Guiding, mountaineering & ski adventures, Andrew Lanham Mountain Guide, Chamonix, Aosta Valley, Swiss, lyngen alps

Painting lines on mountains winter 13

Winter 2013 has been filled with good powder turns, here are a few images from the last couple of months.

Good pow on the south faces round Chamonix this winter!

Good pow on the south faces round Chamonix this winter!

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Beautiful terrain near La Grave

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Couloir skiing near to La Grave, France

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Laying some tracks on a ski tour from Grands Montets

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Getting the goods in Les Aiguilles Rouges near Chamonix

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A guest from Canada discovering a powder day, Chamonix style! 4900m of descent in a day with runs like this couloir off the Grands Montets..

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Touring in Les Aiguilles Rouges delivers as always.

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Touring near Chamonix yesterday

Aiguillette en Decembre

Enjoying some sun and fresh snow last week, on a morning ski tour near Les Houches

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Winter Here

Winter has arrived in the Alps and we’re skiing powder already!

Skiing is Pretty Fun

Chamonix, Ski Touring, Mountaineering course, Chamonix ski guide, haute route, chamonix climbing, Chamonix freeride, Chamonix mountain guides, Swiss mountaineering

Col de la Buche

The high mountains are looking very white, thinking about skiing!

A short Ski Tour last winter with my friend Daniel