The Ski Blog

A White Christmas forecast for the Alps and Pyrenees!

With a fresh dusting of snow over the last few days and a week of arctic temperatures, allowing maximum use of snow cannons, major ski areas across Europe are now well and truly open for the winter season and have welcomed their first influx of Christmas guests over the weekend.

It may not be quite the bumper start that we enjoyed last year - but there is snow down to low altitudes. Snow depths are not great right now - but they rarely are this early, and new snow is predicted during the course of this week.

Last week's temperatures plummeted to well below zero in most resorts. This week they are set to rise and fall again, bringing much more precipitation along the way. According to Netweather the week will start off cold, with snow on Monday evening. Temperatures will then rise on Tuesday, and snow will fall at higher altitudes. Wednesday and Thursday look snowy/rainy - with the freeze level varying from around 1200m to over 2000m. Christmas day looks set to be colder and with a good possibility of snow in the morning. So from the Pyrenees to the Alps it looks as though this week will be a mixed bag - but the chances of snow falling on Christmas Day look good.

Whether you're enjoying snow in the mountains or in your back garden (or not at all) we'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope to keep you updated well into 2010 of snow happenings, and bring you good tips and advice on enjoying the mountains. Merry Christmas everyone!

Introducing All Mountain Performance

You may have noticed in the last week or so that we have been joined by some illustrious company.

All Mountain Performance, based in Chamonix, offers courses and training aimed at improving your confidence and technique both on and off piste, whether you are a hesitant intermediate or a top level powder hound.

The school was founded in 2004 and has been garnering a great reputation for excellent coaching ever since. Its two directors, Mark Gear and Simon Halliwell, both English, successfully completed the arduous process required by French law to become fully qualified ski instructors. They are now part of a very small handful of English coaches operating in the Chamonix Valley.

So we're very proud that they have agreed to be regular contributors to The Ski Blog throughout the winter. The first AMP post covers the painful process of dusting off those ski legs and getting used to the sensation of having two planks on your feet again - timely advice for the large number of British skiers who will be heading for the hills and doing just that this coming weekend.

As Mark advises, start off gradually - "Its always best to start on an easy piste, greens or blues are sufficient –even pros don’t hit the blacks until dialled back in!".

Throughout the winter All Mountain performance offer courses for intermediates upwards - from taster weekends to 5 day courses for intermediates to experts. So if you're keen to take your first turns in powder, or to perfect your powder skiing and discover some of the legendary terrain that Chamonix has to offer, with expert guidance and feedback, then take a look at what All Mountain Performance has to offer.

4 top tips from the pro's for tuning your skiing back in at the start of the season

Its always best to start on an easy piste, greens or blues are sufficient –even pros don’t hit the blacks until dialled back in!

1) Look ahead, just like driving a car, look beyond the bonnet/ski. Try to feel your skis against the snow rather than looking at the tips. Get into the habit of reading the ground ahead of you. It’s better to feel what your skis are doing, encouraging you to work from the ground up for more natural skiing.

2) Be centered Work on centralising the weight down through the middle of the foot. Try to become aware of where the weight is being transmitted onto the sole of the boot. Standing with your weight centered on the skis gets the skis working as they are designed.Being too far back or too far forwards on the skis does not work as well.

3) Go for smooth, linked turns. Try not to have any abrupt movements. This will help to keep you in balance and allow your skiing to flow.

4) Get the outside ski working in the turn to have more pressure than the inside one. Pressing early on the outside ski makes a good start to your turns. Do this by stretching the leg slightly to push down through the sole of the foot.

Simon Halliwell and Mark Gear run All Mountain Performance in Chamonix and are qualified to the highest level,(BASI 4 ISTD)

All Mountain Performance Chamonix / Performance ski coaching

Get ready for hot ski tips this season from gurus of the sport!

Every month this Winter, top level British ski instructors from All Mountain Performance in Chamonix will be giving you 4 tips for better skiing. Simon Halliwell and Mark Gear will help you to kick your skiing off to good start with the first hot tips coming for around the 15th of December.

www.allmountainperformance.com