The CERN ski club offers specific off-piste skiing courses. During these courses, the terrain is always accessible by the station ski lifts, therefore remaining within the boundaries of the chosen resort. The terrain is properly chosen by trained instructors depending on several conditions (e.g. students, weather, snow conditions) and who may decide whether the group skis on ungroomed terrain or not.
The skiing level of the students should be at least 3.0 of the alpine skiing regular courses, therefore the student must be at ease on all kinds of groomed slopes. Keep in mind that off-piste skiing adds other challenges such as deep snow, steep slopes, trees, rocks, crud, bumps, and narrow passages which requires a solid skiing technique.
The courses are structured in two levels:
- INITIATION: 3.0tn (“tout neige”)
- Skiers with a sound technical base (can handle black runs without problems and have completed at least the CERN Ski level 3.0 course in the slopes) who want to discover non groomed runs
- Not very familiar with the use of safety gear and/or snow conditions
- What can you expect from this course: your instructor will work mostly on skiing technique in a comfortable off-piste, and will teach / refresh safety concepts including the use of the safety gear
- INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED: 3.5tn (“tout neige”)
- Skiers with a sound technical base and that have experience off-piste (confident and comfortable skiing off piste in moderate terrain)
- Familiar with the use of safety gear (avalanche transceiver, snow shovel and probe)
- What can you expect from this course: your instructor will work mostly on skiing technique according to the different types of terrain, providing some tips on how to early identify potential threats and navigate accordingly and improving your skills to become more autonomous in the mountains
The club will provide the students with an avalanche transceiver, snow shovel and probe during the outings. The student must bring a suitable backpack (18+ liters advised) to accommodate the shovel and probe, without it the student will not be allowed on the course. Skis with a minimum width of 90mm are recommended.