ski touring Archives - Alpine Energy

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…?

October 28, 2020/in general blog, lyngen, skiing /by AndrewLanham

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 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.

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!

Come Skiing above the Arctic circle this spring!

January 11, 2014/in general blog, lyngen, skiing /by AndrewLanham

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 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

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.

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

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..

enjoying the ride down to the ocean!

Contact me

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

Une Journée a la Noire

May 12, 2013/in general blog, lyngen, skiing /by AndrewLanham

Eric’s edit from his POV camera on La Noire

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

April 8, 2013/in general blog, skiing /by AndrewLanham

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!